Plot Synopsis

OPERATION CHANGE is a 10-part documentary series that follows Bill and Tani Austin and their son, Steven Sawalich, from the Starkey Hearing Foundation, a global non-profit organization that gives free hearing aids to those in need, as they are joined by celebrities and philanthropists when they visit the world's most dangerous, desolate and poverty-stricken places. Each week, Bill, his family, volunteers and different celebrities/philanthropists partner with local organizations that are working to empower their community. Throughout the hour, they work together to complete a sustainable project that enhances the lives of people in need. Each 60-minut episode features a different region, including Haiti, where fashion designer Donna Karan, actress Maria Bello, and entrepreneur Bill Rancic come face to face with a nation struggling to survive -- three years after the country's devastating earthquake; Colombia, where former President Bill Clinton and actress Marlee Matlin focus their efforts on building a community center out of plastic bottles for displaced refugees; India, where His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the team struggle to educate orphans before they become prey to the ruthless life of the streets; South Africa, where Sir Richard Branson travels out to aid local clinics that work to provide much-needed food, water and education; Lebanon, where non-profit organizations Ayadina and Lebanese Skateboarding Association build a skate park and save an endangered community outlet; Malaysia, where Sir Elton John and World Champion Boxer Manny Pacquiao fight to change perceptions and create opportunities for the city's disabled; Israel and Palestine, where Harry Connick Jr. cultivates understanding among children and those whose lives are constrained by a wall; Tanzania, where football players Greg Jennings, Tommie Harris, Larry Fitzgerald, and Ray Lewis work to obtain a sustainable supply of water; Ethiopia, where the non-profit organization Mossy Foot Foundation works to overcome the fear and prejudice surrounding Mossy Foot disease; and Papua New Guinea, where the non-profit organization Touching The Untouchables travels into a jungle to help a village plagued by tribal warfare fueled by the drug trade.