♪ captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- "global 3000." every week, reporters and the issues that affect communities around the globe. here is what we have coming up for you today. how bollywood helps the disadvantage. protecting mexico's forest. fishermen in cameroon, how they can help save the fish stocks. >> been able to read and write is essential for a self- determined life.

the united nations estimates 760 -- 796 million people are illiterate, excluded to the tools for personal and economic development. on average, 79% of the world's population can read and write, but the averages did she did differently. almost all europeans can read, many in asia, the middle east and sub-saharan africa are struggling to reach similar levels. women and girls have a harder time. 70 million children are currently not going to school. india has done reasonably well in boosting literacy rates since independence yet there are slums were few children are able to read. an entrepreneur wants to change that, using the power of bollywood in an approach that seems to be working.

♪ >> there is a heartfelt love for india here. we are in a shantytown in the western state. there is one thing here people are passionate about -- indian films, especially films with songs. social entrepreneur were bridge qatari highest capitalized on that with an idea to help people read and write better and improve their own opportunities. in india, schooling is compulsory for every child, but many like this nine-year-old still have huge learning problems. >> he is in the fourth grade. i s came to read a third-grade- level text, and he had extreme difficulty. he took about to the wall minutes to -- two minutes to

read. >> what is going wrong. the question is put to this young woman. she says she showed up late ones and the teacher peter. after that, she showed -- she stopped going. >> the children are not taught well at school, and sometimes there is no regular area. sometimes the teachers are assigned three courses at a time. >> officially, 75% of all indians can read and write, but research shows every second person cuestas literate can barely read simple newspaper headlines request s woodard can barely read simple newspaper headlines. that is about to change. bollywood meets karaoke. the method is stunningly simple, and it seems to work.

it certainly got the attention of this 19-year-old who also dropped out of school. >> slowly, she watches the programs regularly, she sings along, automatically she will one day find she is reading, but she is not trying. it's just going to happen. >> it is almost like magic. >> it is almost ou simply watchd it stays in your head. >> off street kids with an uncertain future and the prestigious indiana institute of management -- indiana institute of management. he continues to bridge these contributions, a teaching communication to future managers. after years of research, he has the data to convince the skeptics that watching films with the same-language subtitles in could hugely boost reading skills. >> they would say why would you read when you can watch some really attractive actors?

>> he is both a scientist and an entrepreneur. his company is based in new mumbai, about 500 kilometers away. it is a nonprofit outfit that creates some titles in various in the indian languages. >> my role is to make sure there is a steady fund flow to the organization, make sure people know about our work, and the third part is academic research. it is already having an impasse. >> new mumbai is dotted with faceless the suds. behind one, a glamorous bollywood love scene is been subtitled. this small editing room is the heart where broadcast versions for television stations are produced. there sponsored by groups such as the world bank or the google

foundation. ♪ >> now, if you observe, the characters are highlighted exactly as the song is plain. that is really important because the viewer, when they are watching, they will go into character with the song. that encourages them to read. the that encourages them to read. >> we've come to the state. two scientists are well-known. they have been tracking the reading and writing abilities of the villagers for some time. the sign shows nutrition tips for pregnant women. this example confirms it. those who could read also live healthier lives. it is sunday morning watching television together is a ritual

in many indian dishes -- of villages, and they're watching a show subtitled. day subtitles' songs in eight of the 22 official languages, a broadcast each week for half of an hour. >> i dropped out of school at 14 and stopped reading, but with this program i am learning to read again. i can now even read the newspaper and explain what is happening to my children. >> today, we are at the stage where national policy makers are actually interested in taking the same language and applying it to all songs in all languages across the country. imagine this. it will be the huge evolution for reading. we could simply with a switch turnon reading for all these 700 million people. >> he wants to lead all of

india and perhaps the whole world to literacy, one song at a time. ♪ >> tempting stuff. if you would like to find out more about where global education stands and where we all have homework to do, please go to our web site. now, mexico's sierra madre mountain range spends 1,000 kilometers along the northeast of the country, and when you look up close you can see what makes it special -- abundant by a diversity with many endemic species that can not be found anywhere else on the planet, which is reason of to put the area under special protection. while the good will has long been there, the government was lacking means to protect the area, and now rangers are trying

a new approach with the development agency. rather than keeping farmers out, they work with them to find ecology-friendly ways of working the land. >> a imagine living in the middle of a protected nature reserve. for these three, that as reality. the best mountain range is their home. on the way to the field, they pass the stream. it supplies water to the entire village. over the years, the farmers have observed unsettling changes. >> the climate keeps changing. it is becoming more try and the water is decreasing. actually, the water in this basin should reach out to here.

this one should be this high. when there is a lot of water it bubbles out on the top, and not here at the bottom. >> every year, the villagers erect crosses as a sign of gratitude for the water and as a prayer is that the water will stay. their fields lie on the mountain slopes. once this was all for this area, and now beans, chilies, and especially corn, the staple food, are grown here. the corn is for the family. we do not sell any of it. we planned and harvest it because we need it. the corn is just for our own needs. >> there is no sign of verification on the field. the people rely on the rain and

the cloud forests. callants accumulate on the mountain slopes, triggering precipitation. the rainfall was much heavier than in the lowland's, -- lowlands, leading to a moist ecosystem in which plenty of species thrive. the cloud forests are shrinking and agriculture is taking over the land. but where is. he supports the -- that is what worries the supporter to protect the area. >> it is not just about controls, but about creating new and innovative incentives, and developing projects with the people where they can, of course, use the land and where it is not threatening. >> he is on a team from the

german development organization. they are visiting the protected area to talk to locals and listen to their problems. this farmer is talking about how pomegranates and avocado used to grow in the region, but they say it does not grow there anymore. the cutting of forests to make way for new fields as changed the soil. it does become dry. that could prove to be dangerous. >> climate change can make such things worse. if there is a high level of erosion because there is no forest anymore and it's some point there is a storm with heavy rain the topsoil can be washed away with heavy water. that is what they are trying to avoid. >> planting trees as they wind

barrier could offer protection, but it is not easy to restore the original landscaped. the residents are used to the presence of the scientists in their village. 2.5000 people live here. they are the focus of the current project, and that includes this couple. they have 14 children, and, naturally, many grandchildren as well. today, the residents have been invited to a workshop that focuses on their workshop and how to live in a protected area without destroying the forests. the scientists are still seeking solutions. they want to work together with the residence. after all, locals know the land and whether best, and they've learned to adapt to changing

conditions >> usually, experts come to some communities with preconceived notions. these are the problems, these are the solutions. we are trying to do the opposite. we are asking the people what problems they have, and then searching for the solutions. >> one of the results of the workshop is this annual calendar. when does what role, and what impact the harvest? that helps the scientists and raises awareness among the villagers. the project has already led to concrete change 100 milliliters away in saint nicholas. they belong to the firefighting unit and they're on their way to a deployment. this brigade was set up last

year. they respond to fire alarms or they cut firebreaks in the forest to prevent fires from spreading. >> the other villages laugh at us for doing this, but those of us in the fire grade -- brigade know how important the forests are for us. they are the most important thing. let the people left. >> he welcomes the attitude. he is counting on the fact that awareness of the environment will continue to grow, insuring the forests have a future. it is early evening by the time he comes home from his fields. today, he presents his family a basketful of corn that for once is not meant for dinner.

instead, he plans to replant it in the best mountains of sierra madre. >> as regular viewers know, we like to show people how they live in different corners of the world, so if you would like to get -- show us your world, contact us and get in touch. today, we visit jimmy in ireland who was home alone when we knocked on his door. ♪ >> welcome to my home. i am jim. i live here with merriam.

you will see from this wall there are three people here. an old rooster, and the young cit. -- check. we also share with a four-legged person, but to not let anybody tell you he is a cat. he is pretty far from it. merriam is the one that runs the garden. i do as i am told. we often sit out there. here is zimba. this is not the main cat of the house. this is like his baby brother. he is only a kitten and likes to play. but either you are cat people who're you are not, and i have

become a cat person. my favorite room in the house, and spend more time around the computer, watching tv, looking at the view, and that is the view that we are also happy with it. this was my only claim to fame of rugby, winners of the provincial top. it is the only time in the history of irish rugby it has won three in a row as head coach and absolutely wonderful team. it was the first year of them. a lot of farmers, hard boys. you would not want to fall out with them, and you would not want to owe them money. they would get revenge of both

times. a great team. thank you for coming to see my home. avastin great seeing you. thank you very much. >> thank you for having us. cameroon's fishermen are fighting to preserve their traditional way of life in the face of adversity. there are fewer fish anyway and those that are left are in the nets of large trawlers from europe, asia, and russia. we met a fisherman in the southwestern city whose very survival is at stake, and the head of a non-governmental organization who grew up with the problem and comes to the conclusion that the fishermen have to change their ways to improve the situation. here is how.

>> times are difficult for the fishermen along the cameroon in coast. they've spent the entire night on the atlantic. >> i believe the time will come when there will be no fish, so what i'm thinking now, i'm thinking of business, but there is no business. his suffering. >> they say -- it is suffering. >> they say huge foreign trawlers fish illegally in their waters. three days in a row they spend their money on petro in vain. this is also bad news for the city in the southwest of cameroon. none of the boats returned with

a good catch, and many women here have been waiting all day. in this corner of town, in the english-speaking part of cameroon, an entire community depends on fish. with no means to cool the catch, the families smoke the fish head home. every time he -- fish at home. every time he visits, the development and g.o. is amazed. he believes the local community is proudly to blame for their own problems. >> it is a common group around the area, and it is the base where the fish leave.

the more they destroy it, the more they destroyed the fish. directly or indirectly, they are destroying the fish cycle and the marine ecology. >> the men roads give fish of good color and flavor, but it takes 5 kilos of would for 1 kilo of smoked fish. ross viyella is also concerned about the families that live next to the small houses. -- raphael is also concerned about the families that lived next to the smokehouses. >> the smoke is going to hurt their long necks -- longs, right? look at how you are sitting. >> it is too big. that is the only way we make it to >> that is why we are saying the technology has to improve so your health can change.

>> the government of cameroon has not yet initiated an effective strategy to protect the health of the people here, he says. in the shadow of mount cameroon, he works together with george, a specialist from the marine ecology center. he has developed two small models for smoke houses that need less than half of the time and would for the process. >> we are also introduced a new filter system to reduce the toxic carbon emissions in the fish and a new stoppage system where the women can keep the fish once they are smoked. >> convincing the locals and

fund raising has taken a few years, but the project is about to be implemented. in many small fishing communities like here in the southwest region of cameroon, it is still not too late to save the marine-breeding grounds. >> they are hanging on the roofs. the water is more stable, there's more nutrition, more oxygen, and more safety for the young aquatics life. for many young amerindians, gave the income counts more -- more for the young cameroon income counts more. >> all of us want to go to

europe or america where my family is, but first they have to fix the continent. we have to protect it. the africans have to fix their own problem. no european come no american will fix their own problem. >> ultimately, it is a struggle that involves the entire community. raphael is convinced it is the depletion of the tree continuing that will make the forest and the fish disappear within the next 20 years. >> that was today's edition of "global 3000." thank you for watching. tune in next week. until then, bye-bye.

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