One of the most inspiring films of the year is A Small Act. It is a documentary about Chris Mburu, a human rights advocate for the United Nations, whose life was transformed when a Swedish woman he never met decided to send $15 a month so that he could go to school.

Mburu is from Kenya. Hilda Back, now 85, survived the Holocaust but lost her family. She worked as a schoolteacher and never married. She hoped that the $15 a month she sent, her “small act,” would make a difference in the life of a child by making it possible for him to get an education. Mburu was so successful in school that he graduated from Harvard Law School and now spends his life fighting genocide and injustice.

In this film, Mburu, who has already set up a scholarship fund in Ms. Back’s name, meets her for the first time. She comes to his village, sees where he is from, celebrates with his people. And three students compete for a chance like the one Back gave Mburu. What small acts will they benefit from? What small acts will they make possible? What will you?

A Small Act