Mado lives in a small village in the Dibaya district of the Democratic Republic of Congo with her husband and four children. They’re 85km from the regional capital of Kananga, in the Kasai region, and until a few months ago their village was quiet, with just the bustle of people selling things in container shops and tending small farms.

This quiet life was suddenly interrupted four months ago, when the Kamunia Nsapu militias arrived in their town. Mid-afternoon on the...

The greatness of a people is not seen in our monuments, our accomplishments, or our prosperity. It’s most honestly visible in how we treat the vulnerable, the powerless, and especially children. Tragically, children are the first to suffer under the abuse of power, the distrust of warring factions, the ambition of people, and the greed of human hearts.  It’s common at Christmas time to reflect on the massacre of the innocents...

Whenever I think about the seemingly impossible task of social change, especially around almost intractable issues, I recall champions who have changed the world. There was (the aptly named!) William Wilberforce, an English politician who challenged the entrenched 18th and 19th century institution of slavery. But Wilberforce saw another reality- one where everyone deserved freedom, dignity and other basic human rights. It was a lonely years-long undertaking, but he turned a...

It's 10am and Kapil* has just woken up. The streets in Central Delhi buzz with activity.

I see men and women leave homes for their day of rag picking while the children left about; some working in shops, some lying down, and very few going to school. I smell the dirt and notice dust fill the environment.

I greet Kapil, 12, as I walk further down the extremely narrow lanes, which resemble a complicated maze. It's easy for anyone to get lost here, especially a...