♪ >> this week global 3000 heads to india to visit a school which is helping grandmothers learn to read and write. in bali young professionals are living a dream instead of being cooped up in a conventional office. but first we accompany a syrian family as they travel to italy by legal means, and with no perilous sea crossing. the central mediterranean route for many refugees it's the only option for reaching europe. but it's an extremely dangerous one. at least 5 thousand people lost

their lives attempting the crossing in 2016 more than any previous year. many of those who do make it only survive thanks to good luck. and then there is the daunting prospect of gaining legal residency. italy, for example, rejects over half of asylum applications. ♪ >> this is the hilltop village of riace, in the southernmost part of italy. iman and atieh al jedi and their fofirst step has been to startew liflearning the language.eir the family originally came from syria, but fled from there to lebanon, where they lived for five years. atieh remembers what a shock it was to arrive in italy after traveling for 30 hours. >> when we got here my first thought was: take me back to

lebanon. i was so tired. but then, bit by bit, i calmed down. the people here treated us well. the italians are good people, and the welcome was warm. >> flashback: beirut, the capital of lebanon -- syria's neighbor in the middle east. about two and a half million people live here. the 6-person family is paying 200 dollars a month to live in this windowless hole without any bath. it's in a palestinian neighborhood where they don't feel safe. >> rents are very high here. everyone knows that the palestinians take advantage of us even though they're refugees themselves. >> atieh has found work as a baker, but the children can't go to school. they want to build a future in europe, but not risk their lives crossing the mediterranean.

a lebanese initiative connects the muslim family -- they declare the family to be especially in need of asylum which opens the way for legal immigration. >> i want to go to school there and learn something. >> they have left their syrian homeland behind. they don't even think they would be allowed to return there. to ensure a future for their children, they feel like they have to go to italy. >> i don't know anything about italy but i know europeans live in dignity. our children would be safe. every child can go to school there and live a normal life. >> they do not know much, they do not have much but they trusted the italians to bring them wherever they need to go.

the family sets out for a hospital where all refugees who are on their way to italy meet before departure. francesco piobbichi is a social worker in the project run by the italian evangelical church. in the wake of the lampedusa refugee disaster, which cost almost 400 lives, the organization is trying to bring refugees to europe legally and safely -- to build a humanitarian corridor that politicians have failed to create. >> it's not like they're doing nothing. but what they're stupidly working on is building walls. and that won't solve the problem. and it's a shame that they support governments that don't respect human rights. >> the religious organizations have managed to get the italian government to grant 1000 visas. last year they brought about 700 migrants from lebanon to italy, safely, and without having to pay people smugglers large amounts for the dangerous

crossing of the meditarranean sea. >> it's wonderful, like a dream coming true. i hope the kids forget the bad things they've lived through. that they won't >> be sad anymore, god willing. >> riace has been warmly welcoming migrants for almost 20 years. the little town has been a safe haven for some 500 people whose lives were in danger. >> i'm just the mayor of a small community of 15-hundred people. but i'm very proud that we've been recognized the world over for the humanitarian work that we started. >> the al jedi family's living conditions in riace are much better than in beirut. but the family will really only settle in when the father finds a job and starts to earn his own living. >> in fact we had more money in lebanon, because we got support

from the un. but the italians are much nicer than the lebanese. here they treat us with respect. there, they yelled a lot and always reproached us when they gave us something. >> the idea of the humanitarian corridor is spreading. france is also planning to begin flying in refugees like the al jedis. and the polish bishops' conference has also shown interest. >> sitting in an office from 9 to 5 can be frustrating. but budget airlines, the internet and other new technologies have given rise to a new phenomenon: digital nomads. a growing number of young professionals are making the most of having potential clients all over the planet. these working globetrotters work where they want, when they want. >> bali -- a beach paradise ... and a welcome escape for people looking to relax, rejuvenate and recover from the daily grind.

others, however, become permanent residents. many of them dream of never again having to work in an office. countless digital nomads have come to bali from around the world. they work more or less out of their backpacks. their tools of the trade: a computer and a mobile phone. they're adventurers, visionaries, and one-person companies with not a suit in sight. >> some people come out here with the hope of trying something comepletely new, if you just want to try something new in berlin, you're going to find out prettty quickly if you can afford to do it. but if bali is at 25 percent of the cost, you can spend a lot of time not succeeding and still having a great lifestyle. >> bali has plenty going for it. it has a pleasant climate - not too hot, not too cold. and it's cheap. for about ahousand euros a month, you can get an apartment, food, broadband

internet, and a moped. the town of ubud is especially popular for the new residents. >> digital nomads are presenting us with a whole set of completely new challenges. they aren't tourists but they aren't classic business-people either. what kind of visa should they be working on? we are very happy that they are here though. they stay far longer than regular tourists, and often find accommodation with locals. in that respect, everyone wins. >> this is the 'hubud' office collective. it's billed as the first co-working space in bali. you can rent a desk by the hour. need a photographer? a software developer or copywriter? well you just might find one sitting nearby. or perhaps in the cafe. patricia hails from canada, andrew is from australia. they've been working remotely around the world for years now.

the couple do consulting for young entrepreneurs and develop brands, all the way from website to logo. and all while on the road. >> most people back in the real world, as we say, don't understand what we do. so when we go and visit family or friends, they think we are on permanent vacation. >> yup the family goes, what are , you doing, when are you coming back to work? like, i am working, and even though you can say this message repeatedly, it just doesn't come out, it doesn't get remembered. >> patrica and andrew have a meeting in their outdoor office -- via skype. tracy also calls herself a digital nomad, and does frequent business with andrew and patricia. >> the upsides of working with people virtually is that it opens up the entire world. so i have meetings throughout the day, whether its bali, canada, australia, the whole world is available and that's pretty amazing.

>> the hubud buiding is made completely out of bamboo. its founder, steve munroe, is a candian who previously worked for a un landmine clearance operation in cambodia. he started the company about five years ago, and is planning to relocate soon -- to bigger and better premises, to accommodate the growg numbers ming here. >> more and more people are being pushed out of long-term relationships with their employers. it gives people the flexibility to be able to do that, and they're really surrounded by a super dynamic, exciting, excited community of people trying new things. >> patrica and andrew are off to to another unconventional workplace -- the jungle. they've just won a new contract. a client wants to sell cooling boxes online. marketing them successfully will also depend on the right presentation -- hence the photographer, who has to hurry before the tropical sun melts the ice cream. >> if you are doing more work here, than you would otherwise, but you are enjoying it more, and you feel like things are a

lot more on you own terms a lot more than other places. you don't feel stilfled by the concrete jungle, you just have a real jungle. >> is living and working out of a backpack really a permanent option? continually planning new trips and booking flights? dealing with departure times, finding friends -- and, more importantly, customers. at the end of the day, the digital nomads want to make money too. >> many people fail, but i think it's no necessarily failing, it's more of learning. when you're out here in bali, you have that time to develop that proficiency, and if you know where you want to go, it's a great spot. if you are trying to find it, it's probably going to be a really great vacation. >> living on an idyllic tropical island and being your own boss sounds tempting. but budding digital nomads might want to talk to some of those who were not able to realize the dream. and of course they're nowhere to be seen in ubud. they're back home -- cursing the weather and the 9-to-5. ♪

>> and now in today's global snack, we savor some of the world freshest seafood. >> the pacific waters off mexico are home to a delicious specialty. oysters. here they are harvested after one year of growth. this village in the western mexican state is renowned for its oysters. in other places they are expensive, here they are just a quick snack. a table, some water and lots and lots of oysters. that is all his a needs for his street stands. >> i set up here where the customers are.

sometimes lots of people come. sometimes only a few. sometimes i close down early and other times i am here quite late. >> his preparations are quite simple. >> i cleaned the oysters for my customers. >> then he has to shuck them, that is open the shelf, arranges the flesh and opens them nicely. a kilo of oysters costs about 30 paces. -- 30 pesos. fresh out of the ocean, the customers love them. >> you put hot sauce on them and a little bit of lime.

this is the best thing here you can eat. you will not find better oysters in all of mexico. super delicious. >> and now to our global ideas series, where we meet people committed to preserving our planet's climate, flora and fauna. a tiny island belonging to spain wants to be the first in the world to make do without fossil fuels. that's what the residents of el hierro, one of the canary islands, have been promised, at least. our reporter michael altenhenne went to see how much progress has been made.

>> it's early in the morning in el hierro; the tde win are blowing the clouds over the volcanic mountains. this spanish island off the west coast of africa is almost always windy - so why not make use of it? the smallest of the canary islands is trying to realize big plans: to supply all of its around 7000 inhabitants with sustainable energy through a unique combination of wind and hydropower. the energy shift has cost 83 million euros, and ran 20 million over budget. critics say that's far too much, even if half was covered by eu subsidies. but the project still has enthusiastic supporters. >> i think it's very positive that el hierro was able to actually implement this project. at the beginning a lot of people doubted it could be done. but today it's a project that works. one that creates jobs and brings in money. in the next few years

it'll turn a profit. >> the wind turbines produce more than enough energy to meet the island's own needs. the extra electricity is used to pump water 700 meters up to a reservoir basin. its 150,000 cubic meters are a kind of natural insurance against windless days. if it drops off, the water flows back downhill through a hydropower turbine, bridging the shortfall. this one-of-a-kind combination of energy from wind and water is aimed at reaching an elusive goal: providing a steady, unbroken stream of power, even when nature doesn't play along. but things haven't worked out quite as planned. because the region is earthquake prone, the basins had to be built smaller than originally designed. providing the entire island with green energy was always an ambitious goal. and it still hasn't been reached. last year, the new facility only generated 40% of the power consumed on el hierro.

>> the original calculations were higher, but structural problems meant those plans couldn't be realized. what really threw them out of kilter was the lower water basin, which we couldn't build to the size that we wanted. that's now proving a hindrance to producing the amounts of sustainable energy we want. >> that's disappointed many of the island's residents. they'd hoped electricity bills would fall. instead, just like in the rest of the country, costs for power have actually gone up. that's because prices for energy are regulated centrally in the spain. lots of people now say the project was all wind and no substance. >> they announced that our island would be provided with 100% sustainable energy -- and that hasn't happened. we ask why not, and don't get any answers. somebody needs to explain to us

why it's not working. >> the developers once promised to shut down the old diesel-driven power plant. but no one talks about that any more. a fuel tanker still makes regular trips to the island. and the old plant's smokestacks still blow lots of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as the brand-new wind turbines spin on the heights above. the operator's press spokeswoman defends the expensive investment. she says that despite speedbumps, el hierro's energy mix is now much more environmentally friendly than it was in the past. >> in the first year of operations -- in 2016 -- we saved over 7,000 tons of diesel, which means we emitted 14,000 tons less of co2. and other islands will profit from the pioneering work we've done. what did we get right? what wrong? it's in the nature of things that pioneering projects are experimental, and that they also serve to help optimize future

facilities. >> the engineers are certain they can improve efficiency in their sustainable energy mix. but they've grown much more careful about what they promise. a series of events is planned to reignite enthusiasm for the project among residents, and encourage other islands to follow in their footsteps. the unesco biosphere reserve is doing its best to continue to be a leader in environmental protection. el hierro used to be viewed by european sailors as the end of the world. but when it comes to shifting completely to renewable energy, at least it's made progress toward a new beginning. >> not being able to read and write is extremely disadvantageous in today's world. 758 mmillion adults

-- 758 million adults worldwide are illiterate, two thirds of them women. india alone is home to 287 mmillion people who have never learned to read and write. here, too, women are disproportionately affected. but some are proving that it's never too late to learn. >> housabai kedar needs help from her daughter to get her school backpack on. she is able to manage the walk to school on her own, however, in the western indian village of fangane. she's there every day at 2 p.m. on the dot for her classes. her fellow-students also trickle in. while waiting, they play games just like regular schoolgirls -- except the youngest pupil here is a sprightly 65. stop it, i'm getting dizzy, says housabai. over a third of women in india are illiterate. none of these elderly ladies

ever learned to read or write. but now they're being given the chance to make up for that at this "grandmothers' school. and the students are always here before their teacher arrives. they have two hours of classes every day except thursday. starting school was a big step for most of them. >> it makes me proud to be able to write my name instead of signing with my thumb-print. i used to get my granddaughter read books to me, but i want to do that myself. and reading the holy scrtureis vy important to me. >> sheetal more teaches here on a voluntary basis. the pink "school" saris and the teaching materials are funded by a charity orgnization. the aim is for the women to become more independent of their families.

>> the women's standing in the village improves if they can read and write. in rural communities women are still supposed to stay in the kitchen. but education also means they enjoy respect. >> but the class comes with its challenges. housabai has poor hearing, and it's hard for her to keep up. but she still benefits. the women are like my own mother, so i could never bad-mouth them. it's important for them to each learn at their own pace. some are faster than others, that's just how it is. >> housabai was born in fangane, and has spent her entire life here. she was married at 15, and raised three children. and she

still helps them today with the cooking and other household chores. she's not exactly sure when she was born, although her sdaughter reckons she's arounde cooking and 80.er household >> well, i have been around for some time. all i know is that it will soon be time for me to enter god's house. >> but before that she has one last wish -- to learn how to write. her grand-daughter pranali helps out with homework. the old woman needs guidance when tackling the letters of the marathi alphabet. the granddaughter finds it simply unbelievable that there was a time not so long ago when girls did not have to attend school. >> in fact we were not allowed to go to school. while the boys

were getting their lessons, the only thing we learned was how to pray. apart from that we had to help our parents in the fields. >> fangane, population 300, is a three-hour drive from mumbai, and a world apart. traditional gender roles are largely maintained -- but there have been changes since the school opened. initially hostile, housabai's own son now finds the idea a positive one. >> women who can read and write do not pose a threat to us men. perhaps we will see more educated women marrying into our village. that would be great f us. >> the school for grandmothers charges no fees. but in return, the women sit down with their teacher in the morning to help her make bread. she finds a lot of things have

improved for women in recent years. but despite the efforts being made, india remains a long way from gender equality. >> given the choice, i would have been born a man. many women are still unable to marry the one they want to -- or just go out with someone. men have a far easier time. >> the school is a small-scale local project. but sheetal more's commitment has changed the lives of housabai kedar and her fellow students. something that nobody can now take away from them. >> that's all for today. but do drop us a line! check out our facebook page - dw global society - or email us at global3000@dw.com. see you next time!

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