>> in honor of global children's day, global 3000 is visiting children around the globe. we go to the indonesian island of sumba, where kids take to the saddle for traditional horse races. in berlin, we accompany children who go back to nature every day to their forest preschool. but first, we go to syria. in war-torn aleppo, there are fewer and fewer kindergartens and schools. and the only place where life is relatively safe is underground. ideally, all kids should have as carefree a childhood as possible. but in reality, one in every nine children is raised in a conflict zone or warzone. that's a total of 250 million

young people, according to a unicef report. many of them battle depression, develop aggressive behavior, or face psychological trauma. civil war has been raging in syria for five years now. unicef estimates that more than 8.5 million children in the country are effective. -- affected. a safe, carefree environment is almost like a distant dream. >> the game is quite simple, a variation of blind man's bluff. first, two kids are blindfolded. then colored pencils are scattered on the floor. whoever finds the most is the winner. we're in a rebel-occupied neighborhood of aleppo. it's full of orphanages and daycare centers. some of these children have lost

everything, while others just come to play. >> when they first come to us, they're in a terrible state emotionally. they won't participate in activities. they won't play. they feel abandoned and just keep to themselves. in time, as they start to play and interact, it gets better. they learn to talk with their peers and engage in discussion. >> asmaa, on the left, is 10 years old. she's already wearing a headscarf. boys and girls play separately. >> i come here because it's so much fun. i hope the kids' club never closes. most of all, i love hearing stories. i always learn something new. when i get home, i tell them all to my mother, and she gives me a little present.

>> this boy's face is still covered in soot from a recent bomb attack. this is an ever-present reality in the lives of aleppo children. parents, siblings, relatives, and friends injured or killed. images sent by opposition activists in aleppo. aleppo's children have no chance of a happy life. pre-teens love coloring books. abdel aziz aloush, on the left, is the director of the my childhood club.

his goal is to provide the kids some space where they can forget about the war for a few hours. in rebel-held areas of aleppo, going out to do some shopping can be deadly. children are always at risk of getting caught in an attack. on the streets, one is always looking for signs of danger from above. the threat of planes and helicopters is always present. that's why the kids' club meets underground. only here do they have a bit of protection. >> it's safer here underground. the problem is getting the kids home safely. it's really difficult. parents don't want to let them come here at first because the route is so dangerous. >> the kids' club offer shelter, but there's no daylight. here they play worry-free. for a while, their fears

disappear, and no one needs to dwell over whether it's safe or not. >> our goal is to take the kids out of this never-ending circle of violence, away from the images of blood and mutilated bodies. we just want to provide them a space where they can have fun. >> after four years of war, life inches forward underground. the children read a story about a boy who forgot his water bottle. it's a humanizing tale about sharing. abdalla is nine and, like the others, hasn't been to school for a long time now. >> the explosions are the worst thing. when the bombs go off when we're playing, we always hide. >> i would like to leave aleppo and get away from the bombing. if they stopped, then i'd be happy to stay.

>> the kids can't decide whether they'd want to flee aleppo or stay. adults are waging a war they can't understand. at least for a while, when they're down here, they can feel carefree, almost like normal children. >> a flight from syria to germany takes just over four hours, but at the moment, it's like a journey to a different planet. peace, wealth, and safety are just some of the privileges children here enjoy. another is a huge range of options for day care facilities. one of the trends is preschools in nature, far away from the hustle and the bustle of the concrete jungle. >> these kids are turning the woods into a playground. the hillside provides a national

slide. and yellow plums along the way are a welcome morning snack. every day, they explore the forest on the northern outskirts of berlin. four-year old vivit has already been participating for two years. and today, she's been allowed to join the group of older kids for the first time. her mother says there's no better place for a child to develop. >> when i lived in the city, i was shocked at what my kids were always picking up from the ground. everything was disgusting or full of cigarette butts, garbage, and dog poo. there was no natural place for my kids to develop in the city. the kids go outside in all seasons, regardless of the weather. there's no scheduled routine. >> instead, the day is filled with the children's discoveries.

at the moment, they're learning how to use hand tools. andreas apelles has been working here for 14 years as a preschool teacher. he knows that going to the woods is good both for the children's minds and their bodies. >> our aim is to give them a sense of mindfulness that they can communicate to other children to tell them things like, why kill that bug? why step on the nettles? they're important for the snails. when the sun comes out, snails can hide behind the leaves. and butterflies lay their eggs on them. or look at this plant, you can eat it. don't destroy it. it's important to us. >> a trip like this can be exhausting. around midday, the kids head back to base. during the winter, they warm up at the campfire.

if it gets really cold, they can move into the nearby house. plastic toys aren't allowed. but there are always plenty of activities to keep them busy. and sometimes special guests come to visit. >> the neighbor's sheep come here looking for food on this property. the ram died, so it was buried. there's an appreciation for everything. even when the kids are exploring and taking dead animals apart, there's still respect. i believe that this respect for nature and its creatures will transform into respect for other human beings, as well as a sense of responsibility for the environment. >> 4-year-old vivit really enjoyed her first day in the older children's group. and she and the other kids are already looking forward to their next adventure in the forest. >> kids who have a lot of responsibility at a young age

are also robbed of a protected childhood. 150 million children worldwide work to help support their families, although child labor is illegal in almost all countries. according to the indonesian government, there are 1.7 million child laborers in the country. non-governmental organizations estimate a much higher number. on the island of sumba, many children have a job that, at first, may not really look like work. >> it's a wild race, and a very dangerous one. 9-year-old sharul is desperate to win. he risks a lot every time he mounts his horse, all to earn money for his family. it looks like paradise here. the boy's father proudly leads the horse and his two sons down to a perfect sea, glittering in the early morning sun. there's a slight breeze. it's hard to imagine that, by evening, some of these children might be thrown by their wild steeds and get seriously

injured. like sharil -- a riding accident left him paralyzed on one side. >> i am so glad that the racing starts today. unfortunately, i can't race myself anymore, but i'll be cheering my brother on. >> sharul and sharil are twins. they're only nine, but they've been jockeying in horse races for over half their lives. the brothers live on sumba, an island in eastern indonesia. people here are crazy about horses. every family owns one, and every child can ride. each year in early summer, the big races take place. the jockeys' families have set up tents around the arena. sharul and sharil sleep here during the competition. most of the jockeys in the camp are under 12.

the youngest have just turned four. the smaller and lighter the jockey, the faster the horses can run. >> of course we're all friends. we play together. but in a race, we're opponents. everyone wants to win. >> horse races have taken place on sumba for as long as anyone here can remember. and now, this year's competition is getting underway. the entrants come from across the archipelago. they're from sumba, bali, lombok -- many of indonesia's islands. but there's a dark side to the cheerful event. some of the young jockeys will end the day with broken bones. spectators report that two children have even died while racing. it's an extremely dangerous sport. >> i fell off my horse. and the other horses trampled me.

all i know is that i woke up in the hospital. and my mom and dad were crying. >> why put so many children at risk? sumba is one of indonesia's poorest regions. life here can be very hard. by riding in the races, the children can contribute to the family finances or even dramatically improve them. a child-jockey can earn up to 500 euros per week. that's a huge sum here. >> i'm not afraid. i do it every single day. it doesn't matter how the horse behaves. i'm not scared. >> the children wear practically no protective gear when they're racing -- just a light helmet and a cloth mask to keep out the dust and the sun. each also carries a whip to urge the horse on.

the jockeys ride barefoot and bareback. according to the twins' father, that's traditional. >> i'm proud that my son works as a jockey. it's just a shame that my other boy sharil can't ride anymore. that makes me very sad. >> sharul and the others wait for the start signal. the children cling tightly to the bodies of their steeds -- so close that they can feel every heartbeat, each panting breath. the race, once around a dusty track, lasts for two hectic, exciting minutes. the races used to be just a local event and mostly just for fun. but then money began to play a bigger and bigger role. the horses got faster. the jockeys got smaller. both horses and children are now key elements in a tough business.

>> sharul is one of the best riders here. that's why i've booked him to ride my horse. a good jockey makes you happy. because he always wins. >> the stands are full of punters, gamblers, speculators. the atmosphere is the wide-eyed and feverish one found at tracks all over the world. betting is actually banned in indonesia. and the races also break the country's child-protection laws. but on sumba, tradition has proven more important than laws. out on the track, the horses reach speeds of up to 60 kilometers an hour. this time, sharul doesn't place first. >> i'm happy, but i know i can do even better. and there are more races ahead.

>> good jockeys can run in up to five races per day for up to 10 days in a row, two months of the year. that's how long the season lasts. and during it, the child jockeys don't go to school. some can't read, write, or do basic arithmetic. but they're brilliant riders. >> another two years and i'll be too old to race. when you get older and heavier, you can't keep up anymore. then it's all over. so then we go to school more often. >> the light is beginning to fade on sumba. owners cool down their horses on the beach. the little jockeys are on their way to bed. a brief moment of childhood before hitting the track for another wild race.

>> and now to our series global ideas, in which we meet people who are actively protecting fauna and flora. this time, we go to laos, one of the countries which is home to the asian black bear or moon bear. there used to be a large number of them, but now they are on the list of endangered species. what has happened? our reporter michael altenhenne went to the nature reserve tat kuang si in the north of laos to find out. >> kung-fu is absolutely crazy about strawberry jam. at only four months old, he's the youngest resident in the

sanctuary. the young bear was just skin and bones when he was seized from illegal animal traders. fatong yang's been fattening him up since he arrived. besides kung-fu, australian ngo free the bears has managed to rescue three other cubs so far this year. >> normally, young bears spend the first three years of their lives with their mother. but she's usually killed, and the cubs are kept under awful conditions. kung-fu's brother died in captivity. he probably starved to death. the animals have a really terrible time. >> this fully grown asian black bear, also called moon bear, is almost two meters high standing, and weighs in at 150 kilograms. in tat kuang si sanctuary, they try to keep the animals under

the most natural conditions possible. the bear refuge lies in the north of laos right next to a well-known waterfall. the nearby tourist attraction means a lot of visitors take advantage of the chance to also see the bears. hardly any of the visitors can imagine the ordeal these poor animals have been through. like kobi, who lost his right front leg after he was trapped by poachers in a snare. he was destined for an illegal bear farm. luke nicholson explains to the visitors that bear bile is used in chinese medicine. and it commands a high price.

>> in a bear bile farm, bears are housed in 20 cages and bile is extracted by surgical means. imagine that torment every couple of days and you are living on meager rations of food. >> these pictures show a bear bile farm near the laotian capital vientiane. the bear's face is a portrait of pain. nobody knows how many farms like this are in laos. it's actually illegal in laos to treat animals like this. but as all too often in southeast asia, enforcement and punishment are totally inadequate. luke nicholson says the greatest threat to animals is human poverty. you can find products from the illegal wildlife trade in almost every local market here. they're popular with chinese tourists.

>> bear teeth here. those are being sold for 50 u.s. dollars each. we have a bear claw here. >> right next to them, laos whiskey with animal parts preserved in them, including bits of bear. >> recently, we had a seizure on the vietnamese border of bear paws destined to china to become bear paw soup. >> the battle to protect animals and species can't be won without environmental awareness. so tat kuang si bear sanctuary regularly invites school classes. a lot of the kids don't even know that ursus thibetanus is resident in their forests and also a threatened species.

>> more education is needed, especially in rural environments. because hunting wild animals is a way of life there. the kids have to learn that the bears are so endangered they might well disappear altogether from laos very soon. >> time for a snack. the food is hidden in balls so the bears can train their natural foraging instinct. the conservationists are supported by foreign donors. 38 asian moon bears now live in the open here -- far too many. the reserve was only designed to take 10 of them. but allowing these colossal creatures back into the wild would be too dangerous.

>> there is a number of reasons why these bears cannot return to the wild. some have physical trauma, some have been hand raised from little cubs. the bears that have been hand raise have been in printed on humans. they will go directly to a village looking for food. that is when we get conflict. >> free the bears is building a much larger refuge about an hour's drive from the historic city of luang prabang. it'll use 26 hectares of farmland. it's an ambitious and expensive project which will offer a home to 150 bears. the refuge is urgently needed. the government of laos is finally making an effort to close down the cruel and illegal bear bile farms. the rescued bears will need a new home.

>> tourism is an integral component of this development. we will be dependent on the tourism dollar to drive this project for the duration they are looking at. it is a massive project and will take a lot to operate. >> today some monks have come from the nearby village of tat kuang si. they bless the conservationists' work with a buddhist ritual. the ceremony is supposed to bring luck to the workers there and fend off evil spirits. free the bears certainly need every bit of support they can get so that kung-fu and his friends can enjoy a brighter future in laos. >> take a look at our facebook

site some time, where you can find many other surprising stories -- like this one about eagles chasing drones. that was it for today. visit us online or write us a mail to global3000@dw.com. we're always happy to get questions and input from our viewers. you can also visit us on facebook. see you next time. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

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