Global Us: What connects us all

13-year-old Le Huynh Minh Duy is in the sixth grade and lives in Ho Chi Minh City. He enjoys playing soccer, reading comics and listening to music – Beethoven is a favorite. His parents have high hopes for him and he's determined to do well at school.

An energy cooperative gives solar-powered water heaters to a village in Georgia. This should reduce deforestation, because locals traditionally burn wood for heating.

Storms and flooding often cause enormous damage in the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia. Low-income people are most affected. Microinsurance could help them get back on their feet after catastrophic weather. But residents are skeptical.

Michelle and Gilbert Mbeo have set up a fish farm in Mfangano Island in Lake Victoria. The fish they raise in cages in the lake are sold as far away as Nairobi. The project is providing jobs in an area that is suffering as a result of overfishing.

Madame Hoang Thi Thuy has a restaurant in Vietnam's Quang Binh Province. On the menu: Banh Loc, or stuffed dumplings. They're very popular. The filling is made of shrimp, pork, forest mushrooms and bamboo sprouts.

Mubunga Sharif Mohammed from Uganda is 17. He loves playing soccer and wants to go professional. In his opinion, the worst problem is to be without money, friends or parents.

The once mighty Mpanga river in western Uganda has been devastated by human activity. Its waters are polluted, its banks degraded. Conservationists have joined hands to save it.

The once mighty Mpanga river in western Uganda has been devastated by human activity. Its waters are polluted, its banks degraded. Conservationists have joined hands to save it.

Coffee is one of Nicaragua's prime exports. In an era of low global prices, farmers can earn extra by training and qualifying as sustainable producers. That's good for climate protection but they still face challenges.

Coffee is one of Nicaragua's prime exports. In an era of low global prices, farmers can earn extra by training and qualifying as sustainable producers. That's good for climate protection but they still face challenges.