>> hello, and welcome to global 3000. every week, our reporter is bring you the issues that affect whole communities around the globe. here is what we have coming up for you today. education dream, how bollywood

helps the disadvantage learn how to read. protecting mexico's forests, a new drive to create protected areas. fishermen in cameroon, how they can help save local fish stocks. being able to read and write is essential for a self-determined life. the united nations estimates some 796 million people are currently electorate, and therefore excluded from access to many tools for personal and economic development. on average, 79% of the world population can read and write. this average is distributed very differently across the world's major regions. almost all europeans can read. in asia, the middle east, and sub-saharan africa are struggling to reach similar levels. across the board, women and girls have a harder time in getting access to education. some 70 million children are currently not going to school.

india has done reasonably well in boosting literacy rates since independence. yet, there are entire slums were few children are able to read. the indian entrepreneur britsch kothari want to change that. he uses the power of bollywood, an approach that seems to be working. >> there is a heartfelt love for india here. we are in gulbai tekra in the western state of gujarat. there is one thing that people your passionate about, indian films, especially films with songs. brij kothari has capitalized on that with a smart business idea. it has meant to help people read and write better and improve their opportunities.

>> in india, schooling is compulsory for every child. but many, like 9-year-old suraj, still have huge learning problems. >> he is in fourth grade, and i asked him to read a third grade level text. and he had extreme difficulties. he took probably two minutes to actually read one small sentence of five words. >> so what is going wrong? hemlataa jadwani put that question to this young woman. she says she showed up late for school once and the teacher beater. after that, she stopped going to school. >> the children are not being taught well at school. sometimes in class, there is a regularity. sometimes the teachers are assigned three classes at a time. >> officially, 75% of all indians can read and write. but kothari's research shows

that every second person classed as literate can barely read simple newspaper headlines. that about to change. with some sidled songs, bollywood meets karaoke -- subtitled songs, bollywood meets karaoke. the method is stunningly simple and it seems to work. it has certainly got the attention of 19-year-old kavita. she also dropped out of school. >> issue watches these programs regularly and sings along, automatically she will one day find she is reading. she's not really trying to improve reading. it is just going to happen. >> it is almost like magic. you simply watch television and it stays in your head. >> street kids with an uncertain future. the prestigious indiana institute of management in ahmedabad. kothari continues to bridge

these contradictions. he teaches communication to india pose a future managers at the elite educational institute. after years of research, he has the data to convince the skeptics that watching films with same-language subtitling can hugely boost reading skills. brij kothari is both a scientist and all entrepreneur. his company plan and-read is based in new mumbai, about 500 kilometers away from ahmedabad. it is a nonprofit outfit that creates subtitles' in various indian languages. >> my role is to make sure there is a steady fund flow to the organization, make sure that the people in delhi in policy know about our work and consider it, and the third part of my work is academic research, subtitling having an impact.

>> new mumbai is dotted with faceless facades. behind one, a glamorous hollywood love scene is being subtitled -- bollywood love scene is being subtitle. this small editing room is the heart of planet read where broadcast versions for tv stations are produced. they are sponsored by groups such as the world bank or the google foundation. ♪ >> if you observe, you can see the characters are highlighted exactly as the song is being sung. now that very important because the viewers, when they are watching this, they are subconsciously correlating every character with the sound. that enables them to read in a few years' time. >> we have come to the village of khodi in gujarat.

the two scientists are well- known here. 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 can read also live healthier lives. it is sunday morning. watching tv together is a ritual in many indian villages. today, they're watching a film prepared by planet-read with songs subtitled in gujarati, the local language. planet-read now subtitle's songs in eight of the 22 official languages in india. there broadcast each week for half an hour. >> i dropped out of school at 14 and stopped reading. with this program, i am learning to read again. >> i can now even read the newspaper and explain what's happening to my children. >> today, we are at a stage

where national policymakers are actually interested in taking same-language subtitling to all songs in all languages across the country. now imagine this. this will actually be a huge revolution for reading in the country. we could just simply with a switch turn on reading for all these 700 million people just like that. >> brij kothari wants to lead all of india and perhaps the whole world to literacy, one song at a time. >> tempting stuff when it is put this way. if you like to find out more about where global education stands and where we also have some homework to do, please go to our website at dw.de/educa tionforall. mexico's sierra madre oriental

mountain range spans some 1,000 kilometers along the country's northeast. when you look a close, you can see what makes it so special. the chain of mountains is impressive because of its abundant biodiversity with endemic species that cannot be found anywhere else on the planet. reason enough to put the area under special protection. the good will has long been there, but the government was lacking the means to patrol the area. rangers are trying a new approach together with germany's giz development agency. rather than trying to keep the farmers out, they work with them to find eco-friendly ways of working the land. >> imagine living in the middle of a protected nature reserve. for gilberto jiminez and his two friends, that is reality. the vast sierra madre oriental mountain range in northeastern mexico is their home.

on the way to their fields, they passed the stream. it supplies water to the entire village. but over the years, the farmers have observed unsettling changes. >> the climate keeps changing. it is becoming dryer and the water is decreasing. actually, the water in the space and should reach up 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 in may, the villagers erect crosses as a sign of gratitude for the water. and as a prayer that the water will stay. their fields lie on the mountain slopes. once, this was all forced area. now beans, chilies, and especially corn, the staple food, are grown here.

>> the corn is for the family. we don't sell any of it. we planted and harvested as we need it. the corn is just for our own needs. >> there is no sign of irrigation on the field. the people rely on the reigns in the cloud forests that dominates this part of the sierra madre oriental. clouds accumulate on the mountain slopes, triggering precipitation. the rainfall is much heavier than in the lowlands, leading to a moist ecosystem in which plenty of species thrive. but the cloud forests are increasingly shrinking, and agriculture is taking over the land. that worries alejandro von bertrab. he supports the mexican authorities to protect the area and he is a clear goal.

>> 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 giz. there visiting the protected area to talk to the locals and listen to their problems. this farmer is talking about how pomegranates and avocados used to grow in the region, but he says they don't grow there anymore. the cutting of forests to make way for new fields has changed the soil. it has become drier. that could prove to be dangerous.

>> climate change can make such things worse. if there is a high level of the erosion because there is no force any more, and at some point there is a storm with heavy rain, all the top soil can be washed away with the water, and that is what we're trying to avoid. >> planting trees as a wind barrier could offer some protection, but it is not easy to restore the original landscape. the residents of xaltepec are used to the presence of the scientists in their village. two and a half thousand people live there. they are the focus of the current project. that includes gilberto and his wife rosa. they have 14 children and naturally, many grandchildren as well. today, the residents have been

invited to a workshop. it focuses on their future and how to live in the protected area without destroying the forests. the scientists are still seeking solutions. they want to work together with the residents. after all, the locals know the land and the weather best, and they have learned to adapt to changing conditions. >> usually, experts come to such 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 solutions. >> one of the results of the workshop is his annual calendar. when does what grow and what impact the harvest? that helps the scientists and

also raises awareness among the villagers about how everything is connected. the project has already led to concrete change. 100 kilometers away, in san nicolas. these people belong to the villages firefighting unit. they are 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 brigade know how important the forests are for us. the forests are the most important thing. let the people laugh. >> alejandro welcomes the

attitude. he is counting on the fact that awareness of the environment will continue to grow, insuring that the forests have a future. it is early evening by the time gilberto jiminez comes home from the fields. today he presents his family a basket full of corn that for once is not meant for dinner. instead, he plans to replant the corn in the next few days in the vast mountains of sierra madre oriental. >> as a more regular viewers know, we like to explore how people live in different corners of the world. if you'd like to show us your global living room, please get in touch. dw.de/english/global3000. contact us and get plenty of background information. today we visit jim lowry in ireland. he was home alone when we knocked on his door.

♪ >> hi. welcome to my home. i'm jim. i live here with miriam in ireland. you will see from this wall that there are three people living here. an old rooster and a young chick. she found that and thought it was terribly funny. we also share our house with a four-legged person. don't let anybody tell you that he is a cat. he is far from it. here is the living room. miriam is the one that runs the garden. i just do is i'm told. we often sit right there in the morning.

here's simba. this is not the main cast of the house. this is like his baby brother. simba's only a kitten. like to play. he plays a lot. but you are either a cat people or you're not, and i have become a cat person. my favorite room in the house. i spend more time around the computer, watching tv, looking at the view. that is the view we are also happy with. this was my only claim to fame of rugby, in here. winners of the provincial towns cup. the only time in the history of

irish rugby that has won three in a row. as head coach. absolutely wonderful team. this is just the first year of them. a lot of farmers, hard boys. two things can be said of that team. you wouldn't want to fallout with them and you wouldn't want to will the money. they would certainly get revenge in both kinds. a great team. thanks for coming to see my home. it has been nice having you. thank you very much. bye. >> thanks for having us. to africa now. cameroon's fishermen are fighting to preserve their traditional way of life in the face of much adversity. there are far fewer fish due to pollution and other environmental factors. the stocks that are left often end up in the nets of large trawlers from europe, asia, and russia to catch them before they reach coastal waters. we meet fishermen in limbe whose

very survival is currently its stake. we also meet raphael ayuk, who heads a local non-governmental organization. he grew up with the problem and he comes to the conclusion that the fishermen have to change their ways in order to improve the situation. here is how. >> times are difficult for the fishermen along the cameroonian coast. they have spent the entire night on the atlantic. >> i believe in times that,, there will be no fish. what i think now, i will change the business. there is no business. it is suffering. >> they say huge foreign

trawlers fishing illegally in their waters. three days in a row, they spend their money on petrol in vain. >> this is also bad news for the city of limbe in the southwest of cameroon. none of the boats have returned with a good catch, and many of the women here have been waiting all day. in this quarter of town, in the english-speaking part, an entire community depends on fish. with no means to cool the catch, the family's a smoked fish at home. -- families smoke the fish at home. every time he visits, raphael

ayuk , the director of the african alliance for developmental action, is amazed how much would is actually consume. he believes the local community is partly to blame for the drug problems. >> the red mangrove is the common mangrove around this area. it is the base where the fish lay their eggs. the more they cut the mangrove, the more they destroy the fish. so directly or indirectly, they are destroying the fish circle and the of marine ecology. -- and the marine ecology. >> the mangrove's give the fishing particularly good color and flavor, but it takes 5 kilos avoid for just 1 kilo of smoked fish. also, raphael ayuk is concerned about the families who live right next to the small houses.

-- smoke houses. >> the smoke is a problem to your health, the lungs. look at how you're sweating. >> it is the only way. >> that is why we're saying the technology has to improve. so that your help and the health of the children to come has to change. >> he says the government has not yet initiated an effective strategy to protect the health of the people here. in the shadow of mount cameroon, ayuk work together with george eyabi, a specialist from the marine ecology center near limbe. he has developed two small models for small houses that need less than half of the time and would for the smoking process. -- and wood for the smoking

process. >> we also introduced a new filter system to reduce the toxic carbon emissions in the fish and a news dockage system where the women can keep the fish once they are smoked. >> convincing the locals and fund-raising has taken ayuk a few years. now his 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. >> these are young snails that are hanging on the roots of the man growth. -- mangrove. the water is more stable. there is more nutrition, more oxygen, and more safety for the

on the clock ticked life. -- aquatic life. >> for many young cameroonians, earning a daily income counts more than a long-term perspective of a healthy marine habitat and more fish for generations to come. it is this attitude he hopes to change. >> i prefer to stay here to teach the younger generation that look, you have to fix this continent. we have to protect it. it is the responsibility for africans to fix problems. no european, no americans will come and fix the problems. africans live here and know the problems well. that is the will see it. >> ultimately, it is a struggle that involves the entire community here. raphael ayuk is convinced that the depletion of the mangrove

tree population continues, the forests and fish will disappear within the next 20 years. >> that was today's edition of global 3000. for now, for me in the entire global team in berlin, thanks for watching. tune in again next week. until then, bye bye.