>> welcome to global 3000! today we head to cambodia, where we meet some young circus performers. can acrobatics lift them out of poverty? we accompany a marine biologist protecting giant manta rays off the coast of peru. but first we head to south sudan. where women on two wheels offer help and hope to local villagers. south sudan is the world's youngest nation. it was founded in 2011, following a decades-long civil war when it was part of now northern neighbor sudan. ethnic conflicts, a struggle for political power and control of

the country's resources, especially oil, led to renewed civil war in december 2013. tens of thousands of people have been forced to flee their villages. countless have lost their lives. conditions there are catastrophic. today south sudan is a failed state. >> for many, the only medical aid available in conflict-torn south sudan comes from these two women. betty oli and and rosina imolong and their bicycle clinic. every day the two nurses pedal from village to village in eastern equatorial state hours of arduous effort in the burning heat. they work for avsi, an international ngo headquartered in italy. it supplies their medications and bicycles. >> we are very active people. we like our job. we need to work to serve our community.

then sometimes there is heavy work on the side of logistics. there would be no transport. so the idea came out with the bicycles is a very good idea. >> the government has little to offer its people. there's no electricity; no water supply; no decent roads. the scant medical aid available comes from foreign aid organizations. >> if the outreach team is not there, it means that communities will suffer most because if epidemic comes, most of the children will be affected. like example, measles. measles is not an easy sickness. once measles attack, you will suffer either you die, either u survive. if we don't come it means the community will be the most affected with the virus disease. >> vaccination is one of the most important tasks on the two nurses' rounds rounds.

they also teach basic hygiene in caring for children because a lot of girls here are married as young as 14. they generally know very little about pregnancy and childbirth. poor hygienic conditions have led to a high mortality maternal and infant mortality rate in south sudan. betty oli's experienced herself what she's seen here today. she has a lot of sympathy for the women she works with. >> i was born in uganda when my father was in a refugee camp. my life is not easy up today. i really have problems all over in my staying in this world. because i'm a single mother. i bear six children. because of the difficulties of our home my father was disabled. he was sick with a stroke and

than he stayed for nine years and nobody's caring. >> half of all south sudanese live below the poverty line. in the past, they eked out a living with farming. but rosina imolong says four years of drought have changed all that. she comes from a nearby village just over the mountains. she's been back for regular visits over the last six years and says things have never been as bad as they are now. >> behind the mountains our people there ... for four years...people are suffering like nothing. there is no rain, there is no food, there is no everything. people are depending on the fruit they're collecting from the bush. >> but there's nowhere near enough for everyone. hunger is normal in the village. children are the worst affected. malnutrition leaves them vulnerable to disease and hinders their development. rosina focuses mostly on the

weakest checking just how undernourished they are. >> if the child reach here it mean this child is malnourished; eleven twenty-four , eleven twenty-five means this child is malnourished. and if this child reach here, this child is moderate, and the if the child reach here in the green, this child is okay. this child is healthy. >> the tape measure is only a guide. many of the children are extremely underweight. the hunger is rooted in the civil war. traders also avoid the region fearing for their lives another reason why supplies and food are scarce. the little that does get through is too expensive for most here.

school is almost a luxury in this part of the world. in isoke village sister paskwina has kept the only school going for years. the only brief period of peace she's known here came after independence in 2011. but it didn't hold after two years, fighting broke out again that hasn't stopped since. but sister paskwina tries to keep the lessons going. >> people are losing hope. nobody is trusting anybody now. and now people are desperate. >> day after day, the two nurses make their rounds. they have little faith things might improve for the people of south sudan. but without their bicycle clinic, even the last flicker of hope would die out in these forgotten villages. >> 767 million people worldwide live in poverty.

more than half of them are children. many are unable to go to school. instead, they have to earn much-needed money for their families. children born into poverty are rarely able to shift out of it, even as adults. as the saying goes -- once poor, always poor. low-earners are simply unable to pay for their children's education. that's a common situation in cambodia. but there a lucky few get to join a very special circus. >> a place where dreams are born. children from deprived backgrounds can dive head first out of poverty. this is cambodia's phare circus. the big day has arrived for 14-year-old theara and sreyneang. the two friends attend the phare circus school. today they want to show what they're made of.

>> i hate make up, i prefer to be natural. but they want me to wear make up. it's part of the show. >> theara and sreyneang have a street performance in their home city of battambang. cambodia is one of the poorest countries in south-east asia. phare is a circus school that gives children hope, and confidence in themselves. >> i used to be really nervous, my hands and my legs used to shake. but now it's just fun. >> theara and sreyneang and their fellow circus students have been training hard for years to become professional acrobats. they hope it will help them

escape poverty and start a new life. it's early morning at theara's home. the family used to be extremely poor the children sold pineapple on the street. then the circus school came along, and the parents signed up seven of their eleven children. they're getting an education and even a bit of money. it's changed the family's lives forever. >> everyone sits around the table. we have food. i'm looking at happy faces. for me, as as mother, this is a wonderful moment. >> mornings for theara and sreyneang start the same as any other child's in cambodia. school begins around 8 am.

it's a state school they learn the essentials reading and writing and grammar. the girls are grateful for their education. >> the circus is real physical work. but here you have to sit still and listen to the teacher. i like school, but the circus is more fun. >> after school is when the real work begins circus training. some of the children that are now practicing headstands and backflips used to collect trash. or they sold cigarettes on the street. it's for children like them, that khourn deth set up the circus school almost 25 years ago. it's mostly funded through donations including from europe. >> i'm an orphan.

no one loved me as a child. no one looked after me. and that's what drove me to give poor and vulnerable children a better life. not like my childhood. >> more than 1000 children now attend the circus school in phare. teenagers like theara and sreyneang -- who give everything they've got. >> it takes mental strength. but you also need physical strength. you need to be sturdy to carry your partner. you need patience to go step by step. otherwise you fall. >> time for theara and sreyneang to take a well-deserved lunch break. someone who's flown the nest has

come back to visit. theara's brother sohpa now lives in canada, using the skills he learnt in battambang to perform at the world-famous cirque du soleil. everyone's very proud of him. >> as your brother, i hope you achieve your dreams. i already have. but i hope you keep improving, keep flying higher, above the clouds. >> every day they get a bit closer to their goal. the circus kids are going on a big trip to siem reap in northern cambodia. sreyneang and theara have never been on a boat before.

not far from the famous temples of angkor wat, stands the huge phare circus tent. this is where the circus school pros show off their skills. it's a performance full of acrobatics. a dreamworld beneath the big tent. theara and sreyneang hope to perform here some day that would be the next milestone their career. the sunrise in angkor wat is a spectacle all of its own. the girls are enamored. >> it's so beautiful here that sunrise! what an amazing view. i'm so lucky to experience this. >> it will be years before theara and sreyneang take to the big stage. they've got a lot of hard work ahead of them. but through headstands and handstands, they're finally standing on their own two feet.

>> come and join our team on facebook, at dw global society. our reporters neil, gabriel, samantha and sarah are on a trip around germany. in this election year 2017, they're asking people -- what does identity really mean? what's life like as foreigner in germany? and what does it mean to be german? follow our reporters dw global society! and add your voice to the discussions #identity. and now it's time for global ideas, when we meet people committed to climate and environmental protection. giant manta rays are the titans of the ocean, at once elegant and powerful. they glide through the water, on wings spanning up to seven meters. the waters off the coast of peru are home to one of the world's largest populations. our reporter bianca kopsch met a young woman dedicated to protecting the giant mantas.

>> these behemoths are some of the world's largest marine creatures. the giant oceanic manta ray spans up to 7 meters and weighs up to two tons. since 2012, peruvian biologist kerstin forsberg has been fighting to protect the sea creatures. >> this species is in danger across the globe due to intentional fishing and accidental by-catch. we had to do something because here in peru there were no regulations to protect the giant manta ray. so we had to take action on behalf of this species which is risk of extinction. >> forsberg is trying to conserve one of the most important giant manta ray populations in the world. the docile creatures are not dangerous to people, although there's no denying they're imposing. the waters off the coast between peru and ecuador are rich in

plankton. it's an optimal habitat for the mantas. every dive there is rewarded with scientific discoveries. >> each giant manta ray has a unique pattern on its abdomen. it's like a fingerprint. that's why when we dive with them we photograph or film their abdomen in order to identify the individual creature. she's one of the first >> scientists to research the giant manta ray population in peru. and the results are alarming. >> this species is very slow to reproduce. they produce only a single pup every two to seven years, and they don't reach sexual maturity until they're about ten years old. >> peru's fisheries have a long tradition. many poor communities in the north of the country, like zorritos, depend primarily on their fishing industry. in 2012, forsberg and her team made it their mission to

convince local fishermen how important it is to protect the giant manta ray. officially, they don't aim to catch the massive creatures. but if one happened to swim into their net, some were not unhappy to bring it in. in 2015, edgardo cruz caught an especially big one. >> at first we thought it was small. but when we tried to drag it aboard, it was huge! and because we had someone interested, my colleagues wanted to bring it in and sell it. >> the catch made headlines around the world. forsberg used the incident to convince the peruvian government to ban fishing giant manta rays. that's been her biggest success so far. but it's just a beginning. >> if we want to people to commit to protecting the species, we have to start at the roots. so we need to look for

alternative solutions, like offering business opportunities that also help protect the manta rays. and we need to support educational efforts, and raise awareness in the communities. a regulation alone won't be enough to protect them. >> forsberg and her ngo planeta oceano or ocean planet are based in the peruvian capital of lima. their projects to conserve marine and coastal environments have received numerous awards. the most lucrative so far was the 100-thousand swiss franc rolex award. the organization used the prize money for their manta ray project in zorritos. it enabled them to fund the training of 10 fishermen from the surrounding area to provide marine passenger transportation. earning this diploma is one step toward their goal of starting up a business for eco-tourists to view giant manta rays.

>> we want to create a sustainable busiss opportunity here. people will be able to come from all over the world to swim with giant manta rays. a fisherman takes you out to sea and tells you about his life and his experiences. that will be a unique experience. >> one single excursion would earn the fishermen as much as they make in two weeks of fishing -- the equivalent of about 150 euros. it's an appealing prospect, so they're happy to navigate their way through all the red tape. >> the fishing business is not going so well. the training we're now getting will open up a better future for us fisherman. >> planeta oceano is also cooperating with more than 50 schools.

forberg has founded a network for marine education to encourage the teaching of ocean conservation. she conducts workshops for children, and trains teachers. she wants learning to be fun. >> you're manta rays and sharks. you take a long time to reproduce. if you're caught you have to leave for 45 seconds. >> pretty soon, all the mantas and sharks have been caught. they have to wait on the sidelines until they've reproduced. play makes it easy to understand. >> they're slow to reproduce. the manta rays are at risk of extinction. >> don't kill them. >> a living giant manta ray is more valuable than a dead one. so forsberg wants to make the children into ambassadors for marine conservation and promote sustainable conservation. the ocean giant -- both imposing and in need of protection.

>> under islamic law "halal" means "permissible". most commonly it's used with respect to food where everything is allowed, except what's explicitly forbidden. like pork for instance, alcohol and any meat from animals which have not been slaughtered in accordance with islamic rules. in our globalised world, however, "halal" has become a lifestyle -- and with more and more observant muslims now traveling, opportunities are opening for new business ideas. >> the chateau dates from the 18th century but the idea is new. imane azzouzi isabelle by her former, christian name, is getting her rooms ready. prayer mat in the direction of mecca, holy koran in pride of place. she has guests tonight at her halal b&b >> i greet my guests with a big smile, like they're part of a big family.

that's really important. if they're religious, i put them at ease about praying. i tell them the direction of mecca and that they can pray outside if they want to pray in natural surroundings. we don't have a swimming pool which is a shame as a lot of people have been asking for that now that we have burkinis. and, above all, i offer them meals provided by our halal caterer. >> i got the idea of doing a halal b&b because of all the tension in france about the muslim headscarf. in 2006 a muslim family was turned away from a b&b because the mother was wearing a headscarf. that was also a factor in our decision. >> mounir ouziz is a computer engineer. he's just driven down from paris. his wife and children are arriving later by train. their experience of non-halal tourism has not always been easy. >> meals can be difficult. when it's not halal, we can only eat fish. there's nothing wrong with fish

but it's nice to have a little meat from time to time. we've never had any trouble but people do sometimes look at us a bit funny because my wife wears a headscarf. >> why don't we go on a muslim trip, darling? there are lots of sites like this. nacer-eddine benchinoun runs a muslim-friendly travel agency called tourismeislamique.fr from his offices on the outskirts of paris. he says that, after taking off in turkey fifteen years ago, halal tourism is growing fast. >> there will be about two billion muslims in the world by 2030. in 2013, people looking for muslim-friendly holidays represented 6 percent of the global tourism market. that number has already risen a lot. this year, it's expected to be about 20 percent of global tourism.

by 2030, it's estimated that half of all tourists will be muslim. >> benchinoun's company offers holidays with single-sex swimming pools even single-sex beaches for some destinations. but he rejects the idea that halal tourism divides muslims from non-muslims. on the contrary, he says, it allows them to adopt one of the aspects of the western way-of-life and discover non-muslim countries they wouldn't discover otherwise like britain and the united states. >> french muslims used to go and stay with parents or grandparents back in the old country. everyone would climb into the car, and they'd drive across france, across spain even, and take the ferry to algeria, morocco or tunisia. the new generation of muslims is more rooted in europe and often has a lot more purchasing power. many young muslims are professionals, in medicine or other services, and they are looking for a different kind of holiday.

>> back at the chateau b&b where he's staying, ouziz is taking it easy. it's just him and his family this evening but often that is not the case. >> what i like here is that it's not only for muslims, but we're >> and that's all for today. it was great to have you with us. and as you know, we love hearing from y. write to us at global3000@dw.com or visit us on facebook -- dw global society. see you next time. take care! [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

- [female voice over]: this program is made possible in part by the town of marion, home of the wayne henderson school of appalachian arts, celebrating 21 years as a certified virginia main street community. the historic general francis marion hotel and the speak easy restaurant and lounge, providing accommodations and casual fine dining. in downtown marion, virginia. the bank of marion. technology powered, service driven. wbrf 98.1 fm. bryant label, a proud supporter of our region's musical heritage. ("cherokee shuffle" by gerald anderson) ♪