【推荐1】When many of his peers (同龄人) dreamed of becoming professional footballers, firefighters or music stars, José Adolfo Quisocala, now 14, set his sights on the world of finance from an early age.

By the age of seven, attending a state school in the Peruvian city of Arequipa, he decided he wanted to create a bank for children. He was motivated by seeing his peers   skipping lunch because they had spent the little money they had on sweets or football cards. What drove him even more was the poverty he saw among children who were not attending his primary school.

The Bartselana student bank he founded now has more than 2,000 clients between the ages of 10 and 18. The children can withdraw money from the cashpoints of several banks using personal bank cards, which no one else can use, and monitor their balances online.

Seven years ago, José Adolfo managed to convince a handful of teachers and pupils that his idea could work. Then a student prize from his local town hall helped him get the support of a local cooperative to formally register his bank. Since then he has won awards nationally, then internationally.

The project of his student bank really took off when he came up with an innovative way for the children to earn money by collecting recyclable plastic or paper waste.

The children bring plastic bottles, used school exercise books and old newspapers to a kiosk (售货亭) at their school where it is weighed and their bank accounts are credited with the corresponding amount of money.

"He's making an incredible change in financial structuring and financial education that perhaps many adults could not have come up with," said Peru's environment minister, Lucía Ruiz.

"By joining that with recycling and the handling of waste, a serious problem in our country, he's scoring a double goal because he's not just designing a financial opportunity for children and teenagers but also helping to reduce the amount of waste in the country."

【推荐2】The last known eggs of the Great Bustard (鸨) were taken in 1832, and the bird was nearly extinct by the end of the 19th century, a victim of hunters. In 2004, the endangered species was reintroduced to Salisbury Plain, with the aim of establishing a self-sustaining population here.

The Great Bustard Group (GBG), the charity behind the release, was set up in 1997 and it has now been 16 years since the initial 10-year trial began. Long-term volunteers Fred and Rona Andrews have been involved from the start and, working as part of a team, have helped raise over 200 chicks from eggs sourced abroad.

“For the first week the chick needs to have food placed in its bill, so we use a feeding puppet to imitate the behavior of the parent,” explains Fred. “It is quite hard when the bustards are young because they need feeding every hour and it takes a long time to feed one.”

Great Bustards reach maturity at about five years old. “Seeing the first wild bred chick out on Salisbury Plain in 2009, shortly after it hatched, was a proud moment for me,” says Rona. On average, 12 chicks are released each year on to Salisbury Plain and in 2018 the survival rate was 100 percent.

“The aim has been to reach a population of 100 birds,” says GBG executive officer David Waters. “Now we have that number, and we are hoping the population will continue to grow by natural reproduction.”

“Being involved with the world’s heaviest bird alive today that can fly has given us both a greater knowledge of birds, conservation and farming,” states Rona. “We are contributing to an important conservation project that also benefits other species.”

【推荐3】A year after he died at 17, a young man’s love of helping others lives on through a foundation. The Benjamin Canlas Courage to be Kind Foundation gives away bikes to Filipinos who are struggling to hold on to jobs in a country undergoing difficult times.

Benjamin Canlas was always warm-hearted. One time, he saw a food seller riding an old bicycle. Its pedals were missing. To help, Benjamin let the man ride his bike and used his own savings to send the seller’s bike to a bicycle shop for restoration.

After Benjamin’s death, his parents George and Glennda Canlas created the foundation in memory of the young man and his kindness, seeing it as a way to connect donors with those in need. In the Philippines, many jobs have been lost this year. This has left thousands of Filipinos taking odd jobs. With restricted public transportation, many people have to walk for hours to do these jobs.

The Canlases had the idea to give away bikes to individuals nominated (提名) by their peers or loved ones. When the giveaway contest was announced on social media, they did not know how much interest there would be and planned to give away seven bicycles at first. But they received over 50 nominations. “We didn’t expect that, uncertain whether what we do is of any practical value,” said Glennda. “But now we’re determined.” One bike owner is Camilla, a mother of a 2-year-old. When her husband’s work was put on hold, she started selling and delivering food. Camilla said the bike was a big help and she was “so happy” that she didn’t have to walk so far anymore.

Even as the contest ended, nominations continued to pour in. The foundation said there are people still in need. Now it is working on launching more sustainable projects that will help more while also inspiring others to pay it forward. “We live in a world where it takes courage to be kind,” said Glennda. “Our goal would be from ‘courage to be kind’, and create a world where kindness does not require courage—it is simply the thing we all do.”