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Perspectives: OneWorld's People of 2008

 
MEET ALL THE FINALISTS
 

© International Rescue Committee© International Rescue CommitteeDozens of humanitarian aid workers were targeted and killed around the world this year. In some countries, particularly severe surges of violence have forced aid organizations to reconsider or suspend life-saving and community building operations.

© Peace X Peace© Peace X PeaceSince the attacks of Sep. 11, 2001, Patricia Smith Melton has devoted her life to voicing the unheard stories of women living, coping, and taking action to build peace in all corners of the globe. Her latest endeavor focuses on Israeli and Palestinian women.

© cyclopsr (Flickr)© cyclopsr (Flickr)Sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been called "the worst in the world," and it has only gotten worse in recent months. But amid the daily threats to their life and communities, women are organizing to support each other and demand justice and protection.

Francisco Soberón

© Sena Tsikata / Institute for Policy Studies© Sena Tsikata / Institute for Policy StudiesFrancisco Soberón has worked to find justice for Peruvians for over 25 years, and the human rights group he founded has been instrumental in bringing former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori to trial for alleged crimes against humanity.

1 Million Signatures Campaign for Women's Rights in Iran

© Change for Equality Campaign© Change for Equality CampaignAn independent grassroots movement of Iranian women and men is educating women about their fundamental human rights and steadily becoming a powerful force for women's equality in the patriarchal country.

 

© Dago Dala Hera Orphanage© Dago Dala Hera OrphanagePamela Adoyo stands calmly and resolutely at the epicenter of Kenya's AIDS epidemic. Her women's group is helping care for the sick, impede the disease's spread, and stitch back together a community torn apart by the epidemic.

© Camara Municipal de Moura© Camara Municipal de MouraThe mayor of one of Portugal's smallest and poorest municipalities has launched one of the largest green business initiatives in the world, and now he's spearheading an eight-country project to create communities run entirely on renewable energy.

© Lemelson-MIT Program© Lemelson-MIT ProgramMartin Fisher is a businessman, an activist, and a mentor, among many other things. But first and foremost, he's an inventor and a humanitarian -- one whose inventions have helped hundreds of thousands of people move themselves and their families out of poverty.

Ashwin Naik

© BiD Network Foundation© BiD Network FoundationAfter studying and working in the United States, Ashwin Naik has returned to his native India to launch a set of rural health care facilities that he hopes will help bridge the massive gap between the rich and poor in the rapidly developing country.

Waseem Mahmood

© Waseem Mahmood / Good Morning Afghanistan© Waseem Mahmood / Good Morning AfghanistanWith the signatures of over 62 million Pakistanis committed to the Yeh Hum Naheen Foundation's anti-terrorism campaign, founder Waseem Mahmood has become a leader in a movement promoting Islam as a peaceful, tolerant faith.