#AForEffort: Learning the heart way - full episode

For some kids, being born in the wrong place - even in a rich Germany - can make it difficult for them to do well at school. Fresh thinking, new activities and a step away from the purely academic can help them escape from their background. But: "some of the children even want to stay there,” says Marlou. She’s determined to make sure that they don’t.

People willing to give up money and stability to teach are hard to come across, but for Aleks it was the right decision. Despite the low wages teachers receive in Bulgaria, he wants to make a change. Getting into the classroom was also a way to make him start believing in himself: "From now on I’m like a role model for my students.”

Some children are held back by their families, like in Innocent’s community in Zambia where many girls are prevented from getting an education by their parents. But as a teacher, he really wants to change that and ensure everyone gets an education. "Children are the future,” he says - and it’s a future he’s willing to fight for.