From Brazilian youths who are taking to boxing as a route out of the violence sullying Rio’s Olympics, to the Nepali migrants who risk so much for a better and safer life, hope fills the pages of this edition of WIRE. Features include the results of our survey on people’s attitudes to refugees, China’s crackdown on human rights lawyers, and a special focus on 30 August, the International Day of the Disappeared. In it, we look at Ayotzinapa’s lost students, poetry from Sri Lanka and the account of a Zimbabwean activist who was kidnapped by security forces – and survived. We also hear from this year’s Ambassador of Conscience award winners, including world artist Angélique Kidjo.