Jo Fidgen hears from an American woman who's allergic to her husband, lovers from Iraq who found each other during wartime, and a couple whose road to marriage began in a sperm bank.

Image: Heart made from hands

When James Kofi Annan was six years old he was sold into slavery by his parents. He was forced to work punishingly long hours as a child fisherman on Lake Volta, and saw other child slaves drown from the hazardous work they were made to do. Years later, James eventually managed to escape, went back to school, and set up a charity credited with saving thousands of other Ghanaian children from slavery.

Image: James Kofi Annan

The Korogocho area of Nairobi has a reputation for being tough and dangerous. Robbery and sexual violence are a problem and often elderly women are the targets. One fed-up resident decided it was time to fight back and she set up a martial arts class for senior citizens.

Image: Elderly women learning karate for self-defence in Korogocho slum, Nairobi, Kenya.

Kyriakos Papadopoulos grew up on the Greek island of Lesbos, became a sailor, and eventually joined the coastguard. He says he had a calm life, until thousands of people fleeing conflict began risking their lives trying to cross the sea to reach the European Union. Now it is his job to try and save them from drowning. (Photo Credit: Kyriakos Papadopoulos.)

The untold story of how Arminka Helic went from fleeing war in Bosnia to befriending Hollywood star, Angelina Jolie, and joining the British House of Lords. Baroness Helic has never given an interview before but she agreed to speak to Outlook. (Picture credit: BBC.)

Carrie Goldberg is a pioneering American lawyer who specialises in cases of so-called 'revenge porn' - or non-consensual pornography. A typical situation would be an angry former lover distributing intimate photos or video clips - often on the internet - without the consent of the person in those images. It can have devastating consequences, and Carrie takes it very personally when she hears about such attacks on a person's privacy - because, as she tells Outlook's Jo Fidgen, she was a victim of it herself.

(Photo: Carrie Goldberg. Credit: L Pratt)

When Seema Aziz started the fashion house Bareeze, doubters told her she was crazy. Against the odds Seema built one of Pakistan's most famous brands, but when a devastating flood hit her factory outside Lahore she decided to turn her attention to the welfare of her workers. The result is the CARE Foundation and over 700 schools to educate poorer children across Pakistan.

As a newly-elected Zambian MP, Princess Kasune announced her HIV-positive status and challenged her fellow politicians to be tested for the virus. But her quest to prevent the spread of HIV goes back even further. Not long after she got her results, Princess pretended to be a sex worker, so she could speak to truck drivers about safe sex.

Image: Laughing clowns at a carnival

In 1996 Dominique Moceanu made headlines as the youngest ever member of the US women's gymnastics team to win a Gold Medal at the Olympic Games - she was only 14 years old. Watching her from afar was Jennifer Bricker, a little girl in Illinois who was born without legs but was still determined to become an acrobat. They tell Outlook's Matthew Bannister the story of how their lives intersected in the most extraordinary way.

Image: Jennifer Bricker (L) doing a handstand and Dominique Moceanu (R) competing in the 1996 Olympic Games

US Army interpreter Nayyef Hrebid and Iraqi soldier Btoo Allami met and fell in love during the height of the Iraq War. But how did their love survive in a country where same-sex relationships are taboo, and gay people are often at risk of violent attacks?

(L) Btoo Allami - Iraqi soldier and (R) Nayyef Hrebid - US Army interpreter.

Jose Ramos Horta is considered one of Asia's greatest statesmen - he's helped his country East Timor win independence, he's won the Nobel Peace Prize, he's been a prime minister and a president, and he's survived an assassination attempt. In a very personal interview, he describes grappling with the everyday business of an ordinary life while making history.

Image: Jose Ramos Horta and Jo Fidgen in the Outlook studio