>> hello and welcome to "global 3000," your weekly check on the global issues that affect us all. and here's what we have coming up for you today. protecting the mountain ghosts, kyrgyzstan's last snow leopards. how slum dwellers become farmers. we visit an unusual project in the philippines. and meet the gangster league -- how football training helps beat crime in south africa. now, there are those animal species whose survival chances give us telling insights into the state of their habitat. just like the blue whale or the panda bear, the snow leopard is an iconic creature.

only around 6,500 animals are believed to still exist, spread across 12 countries in the high mountains of central asia. their dense coat sees them ideally equipped for climbing up to altitudes of around 6,000 meters. but their skin and bones are much sought after as trophies and for chinese medicine. they are also still being hunted in kyrgyzstan, one of the last refuges of the snow leopards. we visit a team of conservationists determined to stop them from disappearing altogether. >> when the snow melts in the summer, the snow leopards move to higher ground, at elevations of more than 3,000 meters.

the kyrgyz call the large cats "the ghosts of the mountains." this is kunak. he was taken from a poacher in 2002 and since then has lived in a huge sanctuary, the world's largest outdoor enclosure for snow leopards. it is run by the german nature conservancy association, nabu. the sanctuary covers 7,000 square meters. among the residents is baghira, who lost a paw in a poacher's trap. >> we have five snow leopards right now. these can't be returned to the wild. people have fed them meat by hand. they don't know how to hunt anymore and could not survive out there. >> of all the large cats, snow leopards are the most endangered species. their pelts are worth tens of thousands of euros on the black

market. nabu has been in the forefront of efforts to protect populations of snow leopards. thanks to nabu, they can live safer lives than even a few years ago. in the mid-1980's there were known to be at least 1400 in kyrgyzstan. current estimates are much, much lower. >> there are about 300 snow leopards in all of kyrgyzstan. that is very few. the herders here say they rarely see any. they are very hard to find. >> 180 poachers have been caught and put out of business. still, it is not really clear how endangered snow leopards really are in the country. that's why children are educated about the problem. >> what beasts of prey do you know? >> wolf, bear, binoculars.

[laughter] >> what is your name? >> alina. >> have you heard of snow leopards? >> snow leopards eat ibexes and drink their blood. >> the teacher says that is not quite right. it is a myth that they drink the blood of their prey. but it is true that they hunt ibexes, wild sheep, and goats. she tells them they needn't be frightened of them, because they live high up in the mountains, not down here on the steppes. this meadow is at an altitude of 3,100 meters. talantbek bayaliev owns seventy horses. he brings them up here for two months each year, in the summer. the rest of the year thick snow covers the ground.

the wildlife wardens of nabu regularly come and visit the herdsmen up on the summer meadows. but before the men talk, the mares have to be milked. every two hours, otherwise they will produce less and less milk. over the years, these men have become friends. today, the herder has an interesting story to tell. >> my neighbor over there -- one of his horses was attacked. we think it was a snow leopard. it happened up there. >> the next morning they set off to take a look. they want to find out what happened. perhaps it wasn't a snow leopard, but a wolf. they also live in the mountains. it is quite a climb up kara moinok mountain.

the game wardens were here just a few weeks a go. >> [speaking foreign language] >> at 3,500 meters they take a rest. it is a hot day, 30 degrees. >> it is a tough job. we work at elevations of between 3,500 and 4,000 meters. the air is very thin and the temperatures are very high. the climate is extreme. nights are cold and days are hot. >> it takes the wildlife wardens three hours to reach the spot, up near the snow line.

>> these are fresh tracks. it was ibex, large mature animals and a few young ones. they came from up there and were heading in that direction. >> but what about snow leopards? last time the wardens were here, they installed automatic cameras -- trail cameras -- that are triggered by movement. in the past, the results have been interesting. they caught snow leopards out in the wild. to see the photos, the wardens have to take the memory cards down into the valley and put them into the laptop at the nabu office.

this time there are no snow leopards, but at least there is an ibex. >> we know that there are snow leopards around here. where there are ibexes and goats, there has to be a snow leopard too. leopard, too. because they are what it eats. >> the first snow falls come in october at the latest. then the mountain valleys again belong to the snow leopards, or as the kyrgyz call them, "the ghosts of the mountains." >> now, many of you have already sent us your suggestions for your favorite global snack, that's those no-fuss foods people like to enjoy on the go. and if you are still sitting on a recipe that everyone should know about, please e-mail us and we'll make sure to spread the word. today we introduce you to

patacones, a popular snack in panama. >> we are in central america, in panama city, the biggest city in panama, and a mix of old and new. alex's express líder is on one of the busiest streets in the centre of town. 600 people come for a snack here every day. its specialty is patacónes, slices of fried plantain. rigoberto velázquez cortéz studied environmental engineering, but when he could not find a job, he turned to selling patacónes. he is the boss of alex's express líder. and business is very good. >> we panamanians love

patacónes. i eat them around the clock, morning, noon, and night. >> rigoberto has been in the business for 25 years now. he and his staff process 800 plantains a day. >> i only buy the best plantains. top quality is key if you want to make the best patacónes. >> the fruits are peeled and cut into chunks and then deep-fried. >> the temperature has to be very high to make a great patacón. you fry them for quite a while the first time, then they get really crispy the second time. >> after the first round of

frying, the plantain chunks are flattened and then go back into the hot oil. outside they are nice and crisp, inside moist and soft. they are often eaten with meat or sausage, and a glass of chicha, a sweet fruit drink. that's the best way to savor patacónes. >> in panama, if you have less than $3, $4, or $5 to spend on a lunch, then you'll eat patacónes. it's faster. >> i bought meat and patacónes, because i prefer them to rice. >> we have been eating them since we were kids. >> each patacón costs the equivalent of three euro cents. you buy as many as you want. >> environmental engineering is now the distant past. -- is now a thing of the past.

rigoberto will continue to make his delicious patacónes for as long as he can. he has many fans and does not want to disappoint. savory, sweet, or spicy -- what kind of no-fuss food do you like most when you're out? send us a photo of your favorite snack and win our global snack apron. send us your photo by e-mail to global3000@dw.de or better yet through facebook. good luck! [speaking german] >> i look forward to seeing the recipes you come up with. almost 1/3 of filipinos work in agriculture, a tough existence for many. that's why more and more youngsters leave their parents' rice fields to try their luck in the big city. but the dream of a better life often ends in the slums. social entrepreneur cherrie atilano wants to offer a way out by taking the poor back to basics -- with a modern twist. she teaches youngsters how to be a 21st century farmer using

sustainable techniques. her organization, agri-cool, wants to do just that, make agriculture cool again. >> this mango is as fresh as can be. it has just been picked. the farmers have to pluck each the harvest this year is good. cherrie atilano manages this farm outside manila. she is 27 years old and studied agronomy. the farm also grows pumpkins and other vegetables. >> wow! big! >> and they don't use any chemicals. >> this is an organic farm. and our farmers are trained to plant organically.

so for example, we actually wrap our fruit in plastic or paper. because we don't spray chemical pesticides and insecticides. so it is healthy. because we believe our farmers first, their safety is very important. they are the ones exposed in the fields. imagine it is so hard in the fields and then they use chemical pesticides and insecticides. you are killing them. >> the people here used to live in the slums of the capital and work as day laborers at odd jobs. now they are learning new skills, including farming here at enchanted farm, each family has its own little house with running water and electricity. for many, that is true luxury. they work together to develop the farm further. they are building a bank, to provide micro-credits to the rural population. it is a social entrepreneurship

project, financed by a large corporation. cherrie atilano is the contact person for all involved. it was antonio meloto who dreamed up the project. he has received many awards for his community leadership efforts. for cherrie atilano, he is a role model and an inspiration. she chose to work with him after she completed her studies. >> there will be more peace in the countryside if we build homes, provide water systems, if every home has a toilet, where there is clean air, there is good public health, where people have jobs and kids are in school. there will be less rebels and less criminals. >> cherrie atilano grew up on a farm. since she was a child, she always wanted to work in agriculture. now she can make good use of everything she learned at university. mutual respect is a basic principle of conduct here on the farm.

for many, it is something new to be shown any respect. >> i do believe that they compose the backbone of our economy, which is agriculture and producing food for our population. but it has been a while that they seem to be abandoned. my work with them is actually a journey of discovering a purpose in life, discovering how i can be valuable in terms of helping them, how can we really build an economy where nobody is left behind. >> cherrie atilano wants to help society, to make things better for ordinary people in the philippines. many like-minded young people from around the world come to visit the model farm and work there for a while. there is also a farm shop.

they are still learning how to market their produce and their products. this is lemon-grass tea. >> you connect the genius of the poor because they have skills, they have innovative talents to make things, but somehow they lack the business ideas, they lack how to make business plans and how to do supply chain management and everything. >> people will only want to live in the country if they can make a living there, if their children can go to school, and if they feel they have a future. they have also built a library at enchanted farm, funded by donations. just three years ago, hardly any of these children went to school. more than 50 former slum-dwellers work on the farm.

>> for me, the fulfillment of my dream is basically the fulfillment of the dreams of our farmers that we have been helping, the community that we have been developing at enchanted farm. and of course to help our country, to build this nation. our country needs help, tremendous help. the problem is our country is so huge that not a single solution can make it. >> cherrie atilano's work has drawn considerable attention. she now advises the government on ways to improve life on the land. >> we head to south africa now, where football is helping to reduce crime. this sounds odd, but it's certainly true in the township of khayelitsha. just a short drive from cape town's leafier districts, it has little to offer to its inhabitants. children are born into a climate of poverty and violence. well, then a young guy from germany came along. he was doing his voluntary social year out and was determined to make a difference. he was planning to stay 18

months. that was four years ago. he has since received funding from football greats like oliver kahn and phillip lahm. the name of the project, "amandla," translates into "the force of power." here's how kicking a ball around a pitch can transform children's lives. >> when it gets dark, it gets dangerous in khayelitsha. so these youngsters play soccer when things are worst -- on friday night. the rates for murder and rape are higher here than almost anywhere else on earth. >> there is a problem with gangsters. a huge problem, like with small kids starting from the age of nine. there are gangsters in amazing numbers. you find maybe 50 of them

walking along at night. so it is dangerous here. >> bota was a gangster and spent time in jail. but he changed his ways after his best friend was killed in a shoot-out with a rival gang. bota is now a coach and a youth leader. he wants to get kids off the streets and on to the soccer pitch. the gangster league plays from 9:00 p.m. on friday until 3:00 in the morning. the idea is this if you are playing soccer, you won't be fighting or committing a crime. the founder of amandla is a german named florian zech, known here as mister flo. he is still amazed how the project has grown and how well it is working. >> there is always a bit of luck involved, but what makes us so strong is that it really grew out of the community itself. we developed the programs with the youngsters here, with kids who had been in gangs.

so we have great support in the community. people see that we are really making a difference. >> crime is down 20%. the success can be quantified. >> this is how it began. florian zech came to khayelitsha, the biggest township in cape town, in 2006, to work in a children's home. the plan was to stay for a year and a half and then go home. but he stayed. >> i saw that problems with kids mostly began in the afternoons. they got out of school and there was nothing to do, and they got bored. so the boys joined gangs and soon got into crime. they spent time in jail, appeared before court. and the girls would try to impress the boys by becoming sexually active at a very early age. many got pregnant at 14 or 15. >> given the poverty and

hopelessness, such careers have become all too common. sisipho, however, has avoided such a fate. at 13, she was on the way to becoming a young gangster, and she was about to be thrown out of school, but sport saved her. >> and this is my -- >> bota recruited her into a soccer team. >> things are good now. i wash the dishes and do the laundry and pick up the little ones from kindergarten. and i look after them when my mother is out. >> those are common family tasks for girls in the township. but thursday afternoons are holy for sisipho. they are devoted to soccer practice. younger kids, both boys and girls, play in the afternoons on the same pitch the gangster league uses on friday nights. soccer is more than a pastime.

it is about learning courage and respect for others and for oneself. and it is about mastering real life off the pitch. bota talks to the kids about all kinds of issues and problems. many here grow up without a father. and their mothers are often too burdened with work to find time for education. >> we talk about everything, most especially when it comes to -- like now i made an example about menstruation. sometimes it is kind of like strange for a guy to talk to girls about that, but then you build a relationship with the girls from the beginning of the year, so they are more comfortable, and they see me as a coach and a role model. >> bota encourages the kids to believe in themselves. >> they want us to be successful, and to achieve our goals in life. if you want to become a nurse, for example, they will help you. >> amandla soccer school now has

135 soccer teams across cape town. it has really taken off. florian zech runs it and is always looking for new sponsors. the coaches organize the various teams in the townships. most people here speak xhosa. >> i do understand a little, though i have already forgotten some. but basically i can follow a conversation, now that i have lived here so long. i am exposed to the language all the time. they talk about everyday matters, issues the youngsters have, the role of the team captains, and very specific problems as well. >> soccer has brought the kids together. the coaches keep them together. the kids accept them because they are also from the townships. the coaches understand life here. they can tell if a kid is in danger of going off the track.

bota has a clear message. he says you only stand a chance if you play as a team and work together. alone, you are lost. not only is crime down sharply, kids who are involved in amandla are more likely to finish school and thus more likely to find a job. >> yet more proof of the power of football there. that's all we have time for in this edition of "global 3000." do join us again next week. until then, from me and the whole "global" team, thanks for watching and bye-bye. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

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