Muppets that teach kids hygiene: Sesame Street has used puppet characters to teach kids about autism, Aids… now, in Bangladesh and India, a new character teaches the world’s 2.5 billion without toilets the basics of using them.
Cheap, clean ‘insta-toilets’: For the 40% of the world population that doesn’t have access to clean toilets, this provides a permanent, odour-free, safe solution. It’s a port-a-loo that requires no energy or sewage.
Super-batteries: BBOXX, a London-based startup, has distributed 85,000 solar-powered batteries that charge mobile phones that keep families connected for dirt cheap in East Africa.
Universal basic income: Earlier this year, Finland launched a trial scheme where it paid €560 ($624) a month to a selection of unemployed people. If they get a job they will continue to receive the money, no strings attached.
Crowd-sourced spit: A new initiative out of London, called Swab and Send, encourages students and citizens to swab their saliva and send it to the lab to find ways to fight antibiotic resistance – already, they’ve received 1,000 samples; two of which were found to have resistant properties.