Nicholas Kristof & Sheryl WuDunn: 'A Path Appears'

Nicholas Kristof & Sheryl WuDunn: 'A Path Appears'

By Katie Couric

Dion Drew knew he had to turn his life around. He just didn't know how. After he'd spent four years in prison, it seemed nobody would take a chance on him. He was about to return to the streets when he got a call from Greyston Bakery in Yonkers, New York, which hires anyone willing to work. No background checks, no questions asked. The bakery, which makes the brownies for Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream, has helped scores of homeless people and ex-convicts get back on their feet.

Greyston's success is just one of many inspirational stories in the new book "A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity," by husband-and-wife team Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. In my conversation with the Pulitzer Prize-winning couple I learn about 9-year old Rachel Beckwith, who was determined to raise enough money to build a well in Ethiopia so the people there could have access to clean drinking water. Her tragic death in a car accident led friends and family to raise over a million dollars in her name through charitywater.org. And I learn about the Springboard Collaborative in Philadelphia, which helps underprivileged children keep up with their studies during the hours they're not in class. It's stories like these that WuDunn says are making a big difference in overcoming the inequality in this country that is so often driven by poverty. "I think we have to elevate the national discussion so it's not just focused on the problem of inequality but the solutions of inequality of opportunity, and that's where we can begin to move the ball."

Who do you think is a global game changer, and what person would you like to see featured in this series? Let me know on Twitter (@katiecouric) or Tumblr.