Jaime-Alexis Fowler

Associate Director of Public Relations and Online Communications at Pathfinder International

In many parts of the world, women face tremendous barriers to accessing information and services for their sexual and reproductive health.

Jeroen Swolfs

Freelance photojournalist who is traveling to all capitals of the world to document street life in each of them.

The Goats of Hope project provides children who are HIV/ AIDS infected or affected with a goat, thereby empowering them and helping them build up a life for themselves

Georgianne Nienaber

Writer, seeker, author

The grim month of April is here once again. Nineteen years ago the world stood by and watched the unthinkable become reality. Are we willing to force change?

Twesigye Jackson Kaguri

Founder and director of Nyaka AIDS Orphans Project, author of 'A School for My Village'

As I watched my sons being born, I knew our generation must be a generation to take on the responsibility of fatherhood. We need to care about women giving birth to the next generation. We need to be involved with our children from the moment they take their first breath.

Tilman Ehrbeck

CEO, CGAP

Don't assume you know what customers want. You need to genuinely ask them. Better yet, you need to engage in a real dialogue, observe daily behaviors, and design an open-minded, joint discovery process.

Ravi Kumar

Editor, YouThink! - World Bank's blog for youth

Informal sectors jobs would be instrumental in providing opportunities for growing young population in Africa. That's why, Devarajan said, countries should understand that "informal is normal."

Georgianne Nienaber

Writer, seeker, author

Discontent and violence is everywhere in Congo, but the narrative is extremely complicated, the demands and the names of militias require spreadsheets to understand, and no reporters want to venture deep into rebel territories to investigate the unrest.

Claire Fordham

Writer and broadcaster

World Water Day is March 22 -- the perfect time for us westerners to raise our chilled, thirst-quenching glass of it (or our refreshing cup of tea) to the almost one billion people around the world without access to clean drinking water.

Twesigye Jackson Kaguri

Founder and director of Nyaka AIDS Orphans Project, author of 'A School for My Village'

At the end of the news article about the new treatment discovery for HIV/AIDS, I expected to find uplifting comments about the doctor's success, and the possibility of saving children's' lives in the future. Instead, I found complaints.

Rev. Dr. Cindi Love

Executive Director, Soulforce

Ellen Chademana was in the worst place you could be in her home country of Zimbabwe: the Harare Central Remand Prison. The rotting jail was dark and overcrowded, with no toilets or running water. Her offense? Her work with Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ).

Twesigye Jackson Kaguri

Founder and director of Nyaka AIDS Orphans Project, author of 'A School for My Village'

I salute the memory of Martin Luther King, Jr. for his visionary contribution to American society, and all the visionaries around the world. We all have a dream: to make the world a better place. We don't have to do it alone.

Philip N. Howard

Fellow, Princeton University; professor, UW

There are lots of reasons why China invests in authoritarian regimes. And if any of the world's toughest dictators passes away in 2013, we may be able to see how much China's financial investments pay off in political influence.

Richard J. Rosendall

President, Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance (GLAA)

We are small and the world is great. But by keeping faith with our love, with our compatriots in the struggle and with fundamental principles of equality, freedom and justice, we have changed many hearts and proven that, in the words of the late Frank Kameny, "The tide of history is with us."

Shai Reshef

Founder, University of the People

While not everyone is granted the same livelihoods at birth, we do know one well-acknowledged solution to help break the vicious cycle of poverty -- through quality, accessible education.

Todd Fernandez

Gay human rights activist

Ms. Kadaga is wielding the power of the axe. She is stirring this debate intentionally. And she could end it. But does the advancement of Uganda's anti-homosexuality bill or its implementation constitute genocide or a crime against humanity? A strong case can be made that it does.

Jesse Seaver

Sseko Designs is a sandal company whose products are produced in Uganda. Liz founded Sseko as a way to empower high-potential, talented, young Ugandan women to generate income so they could afford higher education.