Organ transplantation has long been seen as a miracle of modern medicine but each year thousands of people across the world die while waiting for this life-saving operation. We’ll find out how one medical technology company based in the UK is cutting wait times for liver transplants after inventing a machine which simulates the human body. We’ll also visit South Africa which has one of the lowest rates of transplants globally because of a donor shortage and a lack of awareness. There, we’ll meet Zane - a unicorn with a Zebra leg who’s teaching children about ‘sharing a spare’.

People Fixing The World from the BBC is about brilliant solutions to the world's problems. We release a new edition every Tuesday. We'd love you to let us know what you think and to hear about your own solutions. You can contact us on WhatsApp by messaging +44 8000 321721 or email [email protected]. And please leave us a review on your chosen podcast provider.

Presenter: Myra Anubi

(Image: Zane the unicorn meets a student at a TELL transplant awareness event in Midrand, S Africa, Mpho Lakaje/BBC)

Thousands of people in Sierra Leone lost limbs during the brutal civil war, and many more have struggled to overcome the mental as well as physical burdens of the conflict. We visit the Farming on Crutches programme where amputees are trained in agricultural skills which they can use to start their own farms and teach others in their communities their skills. Plus how former addicts are helping others in their communities to stop using kush, a deadly blend of addictive substances that has become a scourge in Sierra Leone and other parts of West Africa.

People Fixing The World from the BBC is about brilliant solutions to the world's problems. We release a new edition every Tuesday. We'd love you to let us know what you think and to hear about your own solutions. You can contact us on WhatsApp by messaging +44 8000 321721 or email [email protected]. And please leave us a review on your chosen podcast provider.

Presenter: Myra Anubi

(Image: A trainee farmer rakes grass from a field in Sierra Leone, Sira Thierij/BBC)

Many cities are becoming unpleasant to live in: they are getting hotter due to climate change and all the heat absorbed by the streets and buildings. But Stuttgart in Germany has been tackling this by carefully studying local wind patterns. Using the natural airflow they are cooling the city by creating corridors of wind from the surrounding hills. It’s an idea which is being copied by cities around the world such as Singapore. There we see how new buildings are being designed to allow a breeze to flow despite the continued development.

People Fixing The World from the BBC is about brilliant solutions to the world's problems. We release a new edition every Tuesday. We'd love you to let us know what you think and to hear about your own solutions. You can contact us on WhatsApp by messaging +44 8000 321721 or email [email protected]. And please leave us a review on your chosen podcast provider.

Presenter: Myra Anubi

(Image: Richard Hassell of WOHA architects in the Punggol Digital district of Singapore, BBC)

The US state of Alaska may be known for its rugged wilderness, but it’s also quietly leading a green revolution. We explore how an island community is powering itself through a locally built and managed microgrid - cutting out fossil fuels and slashing energy costs. And we find out how scientists are using native mushrooms to produce sustainable building insulation and cold fish storage boxes that could help promote sustainability both in Alaska and beyond.

People Fixing The World from the BBC is about brilliant solutions to the world's problems. We release a new edition every Tuesday. We'd love you to let us know what you think and to hear about your own solutions. You can contact us on WhatsApp by messaging +44 8000 321721 or email [email protected]. And please leave us a review on your chosen podcast provider.

Presenter: Myra Anubi

(Image: Grizzly bear in Katmai National Park, Alaska, Getty Images)

A unique community in Chester in northern England, brings multiple generations together to encourage learning and connection. We explore how young children in the onsite nursery benefit from the time, attention and vocabulary skills offered by the older adults. Meanwhile the retirement home residents can benefit from increased social activity and a sense of purpose. We also speak to an intergenerational expert in Spain about the growing evidence that backs this new societal approach.

People Fixing The World from the BBC is about brilliant solutions to the world's problems. We release a new edition every week. We'd love you to let us know what you think and to hear about your own solutions. You can contact us on WhatsApp by messaging +44 8000 321721 or email [email protected]. And please leave us a review on your chosen podcast provider.

Presenter: Myra Anubi

(Image: Younger and older mingle at the Belong retirement village, Chester, UK, BBC)

In some places, the nearest safe operating room can be hours or even days away. We find out about a portable operating theatre called SurgiBox that fits in a backpack and inflates in minutes, creating a safe surgical environment for operations almost anywhere. We meet the co-founder of the start-up behind it and see it put to the test, and speak to a surgeon who has used it to save lives far from a hospital. We also hear from Field Ready, whose engineers in Syria are using 3D printing to bring broken hospital equipment back to life, and we hear about Sudan’s Emergency Response Rooms — grassroots command centres where volunteers coordinate life-saving help and vital information in the midst of war.

Presenter: Myra Anubi

(Image:A 'patient' demonstrates the equipment in the Surgibox, BBC)

In one of the poorest neighbourhoods of Mumbai, a quiet transformation is underway. Govandi has long been associated with poverty and poor health outcomes. But with the help of a civic organisation, the community has built vibrant spaces with children and women in mind— libraries, workshops, and leisure zones—defying the norms of city planning that can overlook such needs. We explore how trust, persistence, and grassroots collaboration turned a neglected area into a model for urban resilience and enjoyment.

Presenter: Myra Anubi

(Image: Reading exercises at Kitaab Mahal, Natwar Parekh compound, Mumbai, Natasha Sharma)

Play is essential to children’s development – kids learn about themselves and the world around them by having fun and taking risks. In some countries scientists have linked a decline in free play with a rise in children’s mental health problems. In this programme we visit a playground called “the land” where no parents are allowed in! This highly-regarded project in Wales now supports adults too, an approach dubbed “play-based community development”. Plus we visit a “soft play” centre in Los Angeles, USA, one of a chain of play spaces that have been created specifically for autistic children and their families.

Presenter: Myra Anubi

(Image: Children at The Land adventure playground in North Wales, BBC)

A new farming method is having a dramatic effect on maize crops in Malawi. And assistance is coming from a solar-powered tractor. In the last of her visits to Malawi, Myra goes to a village where they are using a new method called Deep Bed Farming. It’s more than doubled the yield of some of the farmers and improved their standards of living. The method involves digging deep into the hard earth. This can be tough work but a new solar-powered tractor designed in the UK called Aftrak is helping the farmers. Malawi has been hit hard by the changing climate and often struggles to feed its population. So making it more food secure could improve the lives of millions.

People Fixing The World from the BBC is about brilliant solutions to the world's problems. We release a new edition every Tuesday. We'd love you to let us know what you think and to hear about your own solutions. You can contact us on WhatsApp by messaging +44 8000 321721 or email [email protected]. And please leave us a review on your chosen podcast provider.

Presenter: Myra Anubi

(Image: Malawian farmers with the Aftrak solar powered tractor, BBC)

In India, how can gorgeous flowers offered in a temple or gathered to decorate a wedding be an environmental problem? Chhavi Sachdev discovers that the practice of disposing of the spent flowers, thousands of tonnes of the them daily, into rivers and lakes causes major pollution and literally suffocates waterborne life. The problem is made worse by the fact that the flowers are sprayed with pesticides in the field so are yet more toxic when discarded. But there ARE solutions - both to recycle the waste into treated compost and, in an innovative scheme, to dry the flowers for their colour and fragrance and make incense sticks - many millions of which are sold in India every year.

Presenter/Producer : Chhavi Sachdev

Image: Piles of orange, yellow and red flower heads at market. Credit: Chhavi Sachdev