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November 2009. South Africa. Sergeant Albert Maluleke. A field ranger sergeant working in the Kruger National Park, one of Africa's largest game reserves. He has dedicated more than 20 years of service to conservation.

November 2009. South Africa. Oscar Pistorius. "More and more disabled people around the world are making a mental stand to overcome their disabilities and to live life, and I think that is phenomenal". Dubbed by the media as Ôthe fastest man on no legs', Oscar Pistorius is a Paralympic champion and world record holder of the 100, 200 and 400 metres. Oscar Pistorius was born without fibula in his leg. At the age of 11 months, his parents made the difficult decision to amputate his legs halfway between his knees and his ankles. Within six months, he had learned to walk on prosthetic legs and has never looked back. Oscar Pistorius does not see himself as disabled; he was just born without legs. His parents played an important role in never allowing their son to think of himself as disadvantaged. They challenged him to play sport from a very young age, from rugby to water polo, tennis to wrestling. Sport came naturally to him and helped him feel like any other boy growing up. (more text available upon request).

November 2009. South Africa. Vuyiseka Dubula "Women have rights to life and dignity". Vuyiseka Dubula was born to a poor rural family in the Transkei. She was an impoverished, unemployed, single woman with no tertiary education. Like so many South Africans, she left her village in the Eastern Cape to complete her schooling in the city. She stayed in a shack in Phillipi, a township on the outskirts of Cape Town. In 2001, she was diagnosed HIV positive. Vuyiseka Dubula was 22 years old and had lost the will to live. Less than 10 years later, she is the National Representative of the South African National HIV Council. She heads the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), South Africa's most powerful HIV/AIDS lobby, and is the driving force behind the government's Voluntary Counseling and Testing program that supplies antiretroviral (ARV) drugs in the treatment of HIV/AIDS through the public health system. (more text available upon request).

November 2009. South Africa. Portrait of a young Aids activist during a TAC (treatment action campaign) in Kayelitsha, Cape Town.

November 2009. South Africa. Siphile Mdaka AIDS activist, director of Star for Life program. Driving force behind the Star for Life program, which aims to build high school students' inner strength, encourage them to believe in their dreams for the future, and support them to live an AIDS-free life. The program, which is being offered in schools in South Africa and Namibia, supports over 60 schools in Southern Africa. He is an entrepreneur, encouraging tourists to visit rural community areas of SA. (more text available upon request)

November 2009. South Africa. KwaZulu-Natal Portrait of School Children in KwaZulu-Natal: High school students have taken part in a "Stars for Life" program which is based on the principle "AIDS free, that's me". The program is incorporated into the school curriculum, and inspires students to follow their dreams, live a life of hope and teaches students not only to prevent themselves from being infected with HIV, but teaches that you can still live an AIDS-free life despite being HIV positive.

November 2009. South Africa. Patrick Chamusso. "I am a grassroots person. I am here to help the poorest of the poor people". Patrick Chamusso will be remembered for his role in the bombing of Sasol's Secunda power plant in the 1980s as a protest against the apartheid regime. But his work at the Two Sisters Orphanage since the 1990s, will ensure that he is also remembered for providing a brighter future for many under-privileged children. As a young man, Patrick Chamusso was not interested in joining the struggle. He loved to play football and earned an honest living as a house painter. He preferred to keep a low profile and stay out of trouble, but trouble seemed to find him. He was first arrested in 1973. He had saved all the money he had earned to buy his dream car, a Peugeot. The car dealers were suspicious of how a black man would have the money to buy such a car, so they politely offered him a cup of tea, while calling the police from the back office. The police arrived, arrested him and beat him, demanding to know where he had got the money. At the police station, the inspector recognized him from doing a paint job, and intervened. He drove him to the bank to check his records and realised that they had falsely accused him of theft. (more text available upon request)

November 2009. South Africa. Bishop Paul Verryn Bishop Paul Verryn has opened the doors of the central Methodist Mission, a church in central Johannesburg to the cities poorest and most destitute. At the time of the xenophobic attacks on foreigners, the church became a safe haven for the refugees who fled to seek shelter. Today approximately 3000 people live inside the church and 2000 sleep on the pavement. Paul Verryn has received a lot of media attention, the government has threatened to close down the place and court orders have been made against them. It is a social melting pot waiting to explode! (more text available upon request)

November 2009. South Africa. KwaZulu-Natal Family Ngcece is one such family to live in this beautiful, remote rural setting. The family of five a mother and her four children Ð live on a steep sloping hill, in a small hut built of mud and sticks. The hut is just big enough to hold the two single mattresses folded out at night for the family to huddle together to sleep. They cook on an open fire in the corner of the hut; chickens wonder aimlessly through the door-less entrance; there is no running water and no electricity. During the rainy season, the water washes through their home, covering the soles of their feet with the thick, clay mud of the earth. The tropical climate leaves the air damp and moist. The mother is blind, she is diabetic and HIV positive. Her four children, two teenage girls and two young sons, take care of her. They guide her through her darkness, ensure that she is injected everyday with insulin and that she takes her antiretroviral medication at the correct time each day. (more text available upon request)

November 2009. South Africa. Carol Dyanti, Soweto, taking care of AIDS orphans and poor children. Carol Dyanti, known affectionately as Mama Carol to more than 1,700 orphans in Soweto. Mama Carol, of Ikageng Itireleng AIDS Ministry, oversees the care of these children in over 225 homes throughout Soweto. All of these children live in child-headed households, and have seen firsthand the true devastation of AIDS. Ikageng provides mentoring, life skills, and counseling to help children in these child-headed households grow into well-developed adults who can contribute to their communities. Siblings continue to live together in their homes, creating strong sibling solidarity and promoting the family unit and structure. Through the provision of basic needs such as food, clothing, transportation, water, electricity, school fees, healthcare and transport, Ikageng relieves some of the pressure and despair faced by these young children, who, having lost their parents, must take on adult roles. (more text available upon request)

November 2009. South Africa. William Kentrindge, Artist. William Kentridge was born in Johannesburg in 1955. Kentridge is perhaps best known for his animated films. These are constructed by filming a drawing, making erasures and changes, and filming it again. He continues this process meticulously, giving each change to the drawing a quarter of a second to two seconds' screen time. A single drawing will be altered and filmed this way until the end of a scene. These drawings are later displayed along with the films as finished pieces of art. Kentridge's artworks are among the most sought-after and expensive works in South Africa. Kentridge was included in the 2009 Time 100, an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. (more text available upon request)

November 2009. South Africa. Val Morris "These children have no books in their homes, none whatsoever, and no books to practise reading. How can you hope to raise an educated generation with no books?" Val Morris is one of South Africa's least known authors. She has written over 100 books, had them translated into seven languages and has sold more than 200 000 copies. You won't find her books in a book shop nor has any publisher ever seen her work. But if you travel into the rural areas of Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal, you are bound to see her books in classrooms, in homes and being sold at small book sales in the rural communities. After more than 30 years working as a school teacher in mainstream schools, Val Morris moved to the quiet country town of White River in Eastern Mpumalanga. She accepted a post working in a black school that aimed to uplift the community. This was before 1994 when the schools remained segregated by race. She was actively involved in an outreach programme that focused on training teachers and soon gave up her position in the classroom to work with teachers in rural communities. It was during this time that she realized that many of the schools had no books. (more text available upon request)

November 2009. South Africa. Justice Edwin Cameron "Law creates the framework in which idealism and truthfulness can flourish". Justice Edwin Cameron is one of South Africa's 11 Constitutional Judges. With his colleagues, he has been appointed to guard and uphold the South African Constitution Ð ranked amongst the world's most progressive with its ambitious commitments to protecting and uplifting human rights. The appointment of Edwin Cameron as Constitutional Judge speaks truth to power, he is a white man, openly gay and one of the few individuals holding a position of high office who has publicly announced that he is living with HIV. Edwin Cameron's life story is compelling. He spent his early youth in an orphanage, tragically losing his sister at the age of seven. He went on to excel in academics, was offered a Rhodes Scholarship, joined the 'pride parade' and his career as a judge soared. But his real story begins on 1 December 1998, in a township in KwaZulu-Natal where an innocent woman was murdered. (more text available upon request)

November 2009. South Africa. Dorah Lebelo, Environmentalist Dorah Lebelo is the Executive Director of the GreenHouse Project, an environmental NGO that is establishing a center to demonstrate sustainable living and development in the northwest corner of Joubert Park, Johannesburg. She has worked for several organizations, fighting for environmental justice for her people. In July 2007, Dorah began co-hosting Citizens United for Renewable Energy and Sustainability (CURES)-Southern Africa, an international network focusing on renewable energy and climate change issues. (more text available upon request)

November 2009. South Africa. Professor Phillip Tobias "Every new discovery is a revelation that re-ignites one's sense of wonderment". Professor Phillip Tobias is a great master of science. He has been honored with the title Professor Emeritus and carries 16 honorary degrees and countless awards and medals. He is acknowledged worldwide as an expert in various fields: anatomy, human biology and palaeoanthropology. He is a world authority on the evolution of mankind, having excavated and studied hundreds of fossils dating to the early stages of hominid evolution. One could write volumes on the life of Phillip Tobias (as several have done) and he reflects on his life with humor and insight. Over half a century ago, he embarked on a quest for truth through science: the study of man. His insight and expertise are cast against a timeline that stretches over three million years Ð exploring genetics, anatomy and medicine in the study of living and prehistoric man. Even though he has retired, Phillip Tobias continues to contribute to science as students tap into his fountain of knowledge and his love for storytelling. (more text available upon request)

November 2009. South Africa. Cwengekile Myeni "We need strong woman to stand up and do something in the communities". Cwinge worked for many years as a nurse in the local hospital. After retiring she joined the Hillcrest AIDS center, assisting as a nurse and community caregiver. This led her to start the 'Granny program', which is support groups in the various communities she works in in the Valley of 1000 Hills. She is a counselor and source of support to her community. (more text available upon request)

November 2009. South Africa. KwaZulu-Natal Grandmothers are often left to care and support the family and children who have become orphans due to the AIDS epidemic. She forms part of a "granny-support group", whereby the grandmothers of the community have joined forces to create income generating ventures and emotional support for one another.

November 2009. South Africa. KwaZulu-Natal Portrait of a family in KwaZulu-Natal A grandmother has been left to care for 3 orphans - the parents have died of HIV/AIDS. She forms part of a "granny-support group", whereby the grandmothers of the community have joined forces to create income generating ventures and emotional support for one another.

November 2009. South Africa. Dr Sooliman, Disaster relief, Gift of the Givers Foundation. Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, started the humanitarian aid organization Gift of the Givers in 1992, in spirit very like the Red Cross. One of the notable gifts that he organized was the donation of a well-equipped field hospital first used during the Bosnian War. He continues to innovate in urgent and chronic health needs around the world. (more text available upon request)

November 2009. South Africa. Miriam Cele. "Throw your bread into the river, it will go down the river, and when you find it, it will have grown from the water.Ó That is what my mother used to say to me in Zulu". Miriam Cele has been on a long journey. A journey that has seen her through hardship, lawlessness, human violence and brutality. But despite adversity, her journey has also been one of giving, of mothering and of bringing hope. Her life is one of dedication, and like the bread that is thrown down the river, she continues to give, and what she gives, multiplies. She was born in 1935, before the days of segregation in South Africa. Her childhood memories are of playing in the streets with children of all races Ð whites, blacks, Indians. Her mother was the first to instil in her the importance of generosity, because despite having little, she fed and clothed any child that came into their home. Under the dark shadow of apartheid, Miriam Cele dedicated her life to counseling and taking care of the families who lost members to the struggle. She married a minister and worked within the Diakonia Council of Churches, counseling and providing for the families that came seeking food and money. (more text available upon request)

November 2009. South Africa. Corporal Enock Manyike. A field ranger corporal working in the Kruger National Park, one of Africa's largest game reserves. A man dedicated to conservation, and has more than once put his life in danger for the protection of animals and to save the life of a fellow ranger.

November 2009. South Africa. Luc "Luc symbolises the devastation and sadness that comes out of a place like Zimbabwe". On 24 April 2008, at the age of three weeks, baby Luc was abandoned in a field on the outskirts of Diepsloot township in Johannesburg. It was during an outbreak of xenophobic attacks in South Africa, where brutal violence against foreigners erupted throughout the country. Homes were burned down, people were beaten, tortured and killed; many were forced to flee their homes in desperate search of safety. The pressures of poverty and unemployment amongst South Africans had reached extremes. Many blamed foreigners for taking their jobs and accepting to work for less than the minimum wage. Amongst the turbulence, Luc was born. His Zimbabwean mother was desperate, living in fear of the violence that surrounded her and suffering from severe post-natal depression. In her desperation, she left Luc lying in a field. The responsibility of raising a child amidst the horrors that encompassed her was too much to bear. The baby's cries were heard by workers on a nearby farm. Wayne, the owner, went in search of the cry. There he found little Luc: hungry, dirty and vulnerable. He brought the baby home to his wife Susan, called the police and Social Welfare to alert them that they had found an abandoned baby. (more text available upon request)