Kashmir es un lugar de conflicto, en donde los niños crecen rodeados de violencia y en muchos casos, sin familia. A través del básquetbol se les enseña a estos jóvenes a restablecer lazos y a vivir en paz.

(English version)

Upon arriving in Srinagar, Kashmir in 2007, J.D. Walsh was keenly aware of two things: how much he -- a tall white man -- stood out, and the tense geopolitical circumstances that necessitated heavy security measures.

Wynona Ward drives her Ford Explorer, an "office on wheels," for thousands of miles over Vermont back roads each year, to reach even the most geographically isolated families suffering from domestic abuse.

“En mi país esto no pasa”. “Es de sitios pobres”. “A mi familia no le pasará”. “El peligro viene de afuera, nosotros somos inmunes a ese tipo de cosas…” Vicki Bernardet recita de memoria las frases con las que día a día el mundo se venda los ojos ante el abuso sexual infantil. Pero aunque cada sociedad ubique el problema fuera de sus fronteras, las cifras oficiales contradicen al imaginario popular: “En España 1 de cada 4 niñas ha sufrido abusos sexuales, y está comprobado que en Europa, Estados Unidos y Canadá el 80% de los abusos sexuales a menores son cometidos por un integrante de la familia”, explica.

A woman is raped every 17 seconds in South Africa, according to estimates by Interpol, the international police organization. Through her program Girls and Football South Africa (SA), Jos Dirkx believes that teaching girls to have strength over their own bodies will decrease rates of pregnancy and HIV, give them knowledge about prevention and how to get help if they need it, and help them avoid trouble plus give them confidence not to blame themselves if they do become victims of sexual assault.

Stigma and disbelief prevent many of the victims from reporting rapes. Jos Dirkx, the founder of Girls and Football South Africa (SA), believes that South African girls will continue to be plagued by sexual assault, HIV/AIDS, and unwanted pregnancy as long as they lack support, accurate information, and confidence.  

Following November's murderous terrorist attack on the citizens of Mumbai -- India's largest city -- social entrepreneurs are applying creative solutions to help heal the trauma and channel reactions to the crisis into building a stronger society.