Kenya's Karate Grannies

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 so she set up a martial arts class for senior citizens.

Last September we brought you a story about a competitive runner called Dion Leonard who had befriended a stray dog during an ultra-marathon across China's Gobi Desert. The dog, who Dion named Gobi, was finally reunited with Dion in Scotland last week.

Afroz Shah is a lawyer during the week but on weekends he has organised a team of volunteers to clean 4,000 tons of plastic, glass and filth from his local beach. The UN has called the project the largest beach clean-up in history.

Australian journalist, Dean Yates has covered many disasters - including the Bali nightclub bombings in 2002 and the tsunami in Indonesia two years later. He has also done several stints in Iraq, and was Reuters Bureau chief in Baghdad in 2007 and 2008. After he stepped back from these stressful environments, and moved to the calm of Tasmania, he realised he was suffering from PTSD.

(Photo: Elderly women learning karate for self-defence in Korogocho slum, Nairobi, Kenya. Credit: Tony Karumba/AFP/Getty Images)