♪ michelle: hello, and welcome to "focus on europe." i'm michelle henery. thanks for joining us. many of us can often feel powerless to affect change in the world around us. but we'd like to share a christmas tale with you, one that even involves an angel who shows us how determination and mmitment commitment, can change many lives for the better. when harriet bruce-annan emigrated to europe, she never forgot the children growing up in the slums in her native ghana. 10 years ago 10 years ago, she brought some of them over to ukraine. among them were ashley, abraham, and james brown. per plan would provide a way of investing, not only this children but also in her country. despite her modest income

as a restroom attendant in germany, she seemed to be kenny she could, and with the help of donations and sponsorships, many of these children are now studying at the university in ukraine's capital, kiev. >> this is james brown today, a 27-year-old student of agriculture in kiev. he and the other former street children from ghana got an opportunity to go to university, and they're using it. they can thank harriet bruce-annan. she got them accepted at universities in kiev. they're studying medicine, law, computer science and business administration. why in ukraine? because, harriet explains, like ghana, it's a country striving for democracy. ♪ >> they're learning a valuable lesson, because the problems here are also happening in most of african countries. and then, they can learn that people stood and fought for democracy. >> the youth don't give up in ukraine. they're always there for their country.

but whilst in ghana our youth are always living their holidays to do whatever they like. it shouldn't be so. >> ukrainian law requires that they return to ghana after their studies. that's important for harriet. that was her intention when she moved to dusseldorf in 2002. ♪ she worked as a cleaning lady and sent her savings back to ghana, to build an orphanage. she looked around for sponsors and donors and founded the "african angel association." at first, the children and students didn't know that harriet was cleaning restrooms in dusseldorf to finance their education. >> i didn't know what to say, because i wasn't going to

school, and for someone to clean toilets just to take care of me. >> mary comes from bukom, a poor district in ghana's capital, accra. her parents were unemployed and unable to take care of her. to keep the girls from drifting into prostitution and the boys from living on the streets, harriet brought them to the orphanage. at first, harriet kept silent about how she financed her project. she wanted the children to concentrate on getting ahead and helping their country develop. >> if they are studying in the industrial countries, and they stay, then who cares about them? but when they take it where they really need them. that is where they can really have a great impact on the society from where they are coming from. >> i've got education, i've got knowledge. i have something i can do with my hands, so i go back home. i have a couple of businesses in my mind already. yeah, i want to become a big-time entrepreneur. >> and one of james's business ideas came from the best

chocolate maker in ukraine. he and his friend richard love the beautifully-packed pralines . he dreams of opening shops like this one in his homeland. ♪ >> where do you get this chocolate from? where do you get the cocoa from? probably from ghana. yeah, so if you can produce it there, then we help the country's economy. >> in ghana, we have cocoa, we have sugar, we have other fruits. and then, we can make this one in other flavors, too. it's cocoa. but you add something like pineapple, something like apple, something like banana, something like pawpaw, to give you different flavors. >> the young people are learning a lot in ukraine.

harriet is satisfied. >> they haggle at the markets here much as they would in africa. they can speak russian, too. they quickly win over the seller. she gives them all some free samples. harriet doesn't clean restrooms any more. she's busy managing her organization, with success. >> they're independent, they're self-confident. they have prospects for their lives. and they know exactly what to expect. that makes me very happy and proud. you can't push them around any more. they know exactly what they want. >> in 2018, james and richard plan to be the first in their group to graduate from university, and prove to harriet that if you just give street children a chance, they can compete with the best. ♪

michelle: now that is a wonderful way to pay forward goodwill. a camp where human dignity is denied. this is how the greek island of lesbos was recently described by its mayor. because lesbos is one of the aegean islands closest to turkey's shores, it was a gateway for many migrants who entered europe at the height of the refugee crisis in 2015. but instead of it being temporary, the camps there have become unbearably overcrowded, where both refugees and islanders struggle to cope. with a hidden camera, our reporter takes an exclusive look inside the camp. >> it's 8:00 in the morning after a cold night on the greek island of lesbos. even making a cup of tea is a logistical challenge for ahmed al majeed. the iraqi and his friends have run out of firewood.

they'll have to burn a cardboard box instead. ahmed al majeed has been stuck here for two months, in an illegal camp near the moria refugee camp. >> we don't have a bathroom,. we don't have a water for washing, for swimming, you know. so we have many refugees sick, but we don't have a medicine here, just for emergency. >> lesbos's official refugee camp, moria, is located nearby. it resembles a high-security prison. the camp was set up to keep migrants on the island until their applications for asylum can be processed. it's forbidden to film here. and journalists aren't allowed in either. but ahmed al majeed wants to

show us what really goes on in the camp. we follow him in, and film using a hidden camera. here it smells of smoke, garbage and human waste. the united nations' refugee agency described moria as dangerous for children and pregnant women, and yet they are the ones left languishing in the camp. many have been stuck here for months. >> they don't give documents for people to leave this place. we don't have good food. we don't have security. water, no good. no have electricity. >> because it is getting colder, many simply set fire to old olive trees to keep warm.

but these trees belong to this man, stelios kathiotis. he struggles to remain calm while surveying the devastation. this olive grove has been in his family for generations. some trees are up to 300 years old, and he has devoted his life to cultivating them. but now, little remains. >> all these trees are burnt. all burnt. there's nothing left. these trees will not grow again, they're finished. there were 120 trees and there's only four left. and no one cares, neither to compensate us, nor to stop them. every night they cut the trees and burn them. >> stelios kathiotis shows us the hole in the fence they use to go in and out. all of his attempts to press charges against the refugees have proven unsuccessful. that's likely why they continue to kill his sheep.

[shepherd calls sheep] >> the last ones here even left their tools behind, the farmer tells us. he's kept them as evidence, a backpack from the united nations refugee agency and a knife. he says this is clear proof that refugees are to blame. and he has a fairly good idea why the refugees kill the sheep. >> they're not stealing because they're hungry. they kill the animals and they sell them. one or two people can't eat seven or 10 sheep. as we found out, they sell them to other refugees. i've seen people in the fields grilling the meat on campfires. >> the village of moria lives as if in a state of siege.

stelios kathiotis and the other villagers meet here regularly to discuss what action they might take to end the crisis. the village council head, nikos trakellis, has just returned from athens. he reports on his talks with the greek authorities. he doesn't have much encouraging news. >> if the situation goes on like this, it won't take long before we have physical confrontation. up to now we've tolerated the looting of people's assets and it's fortunate that things haven't become violent. but it is only a question of time before this happens. >> ahmed al majeed fled from the violence in his iraqi homeland. he doesn't want to be equated with lawbreakers. he just wants to leave lesbos. but, right now, boarding a ferry to athens is something he can only dream of.

>> i waiting, like other other refugees. they've been waiting here for eight months ago. they don't let us travel. so, so we are planning to escape from this island. >> he's still thinking about it, but others are making concrete plans. every evening people try to get through the fence and reach the ferry unnoticed. for many it's the only way to leave the greek island, which has become their prison. [ships horn] michelle: when we think of democracy in the eu, we think of the electorate, elections and the elected, who then debate and decide our laws. but not everyone finds this procedure satisfactory. could there be another way? the irish think so. inspired by ancient greece, a citizens assembly was established, and it turned out to be rather successful.

♪ >> ireland is one of the european union's smaller members, and the scene of a revolution in democracy. finbarr o'brien, a 62-year-old postman, explains what that means. all his life, he says, politicians were the ones 'up there'. >> i didn't know anything about politics, i never discussed politics. i had no actual interest in politics up until the day i was sitting inside this restaurant, and this lady came up and asked me, so would i be interested? >> the citizens' assembly debates the big issues facing irish society. three years ago, finbarr had to vote on ireland's introduction of same-sex marriages. it was a hard task. >> you often heard of priest-pedophiles? well, something similar to that happened to me, only it was a lay person. but years ago, i had them all

under the same target. they were all the same to me, whether they were pedophiles or gay or lesbians or whatever, they were the same type of people. and i just hated them, i just despised them. >> for the past few years this hotel near dublin has hosted this experiment in grass-roots democracy. now, ireland's fourth citizens' assembly is meeting here. finbarr took part in the first, in 2014. the concept is for 99 ordinary irish citizens to debate politics for one year, young, old, university graduates, farmers, even a bouncer. they're chosen by lottery. this group is debating pension reforms. they pore over statistics, listen to experts, consider details. everything is broadcast live on the internet, no closed-door sessions here. >> the sort of experience that our country went through from

about 2008 onwards, serious crisis and a lot of anger on the streets about the mess that our economy was in, and a lot of blame being attached to our politicians. so there was a strong sense from about 2011 onwards, particularly, that we need to try something new. we need to include our citizens in debates about our constitutional future. >> they take a vote and pass their recommendation on to parliament. the representatives are not bound to vote according to the recommendation, but they do give it serious consideration. the legalization of same-sex marriage seemed inconceivable in ireland, with its conservative population and the powerful influence of the catholic church. but the citizens' assembly discussed this previously-taboo subject for three years, objectively. and finbarr o'brien changed his mind. >> and it taught me now a big lesson. and i learned a lot by doing that.

and in that case, they are not distinguished, and and the gay people are no harm, they're just their own people. they just want to live. they do no harm to children, they do no harm to other people, and that's why i stood up that day and said my part, and i said that i'd be voting in the morning on behalf of gay people to get married. >> a majority in the citizens' assembly voted yes. [cheering] that led to a referendum, and that led to predominantly-catholic ireland introducing same-sex marriage. participation and having a say in things, finbarr thoroughly approves of the idea. >> i've got everyone into it, ordinary people into it. so i showed the politicians that the people did matter, and that their opinions did matter, and their opinions were listened to. ♪ >> finbarr says politicians just need to have the courage to give some of the power to the people. michelle: many critics argue that democracy needs updating. and this could be the answer.

the question is, who do you trust when it comes to important decision-making, a politician or your neighbor? germany is often lauded as a leader in the renewable energy revolution. after the fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, germany pledged to shut down its last reactor within a few years and go green. yet the danger of radiation exposure still exists for some. in the belgium city of thiange , the nuclear plant is outdated and has had to be shut down several times due to accidents. this is worrisome for residents in the germany city of aachen, which is right across the border. and now some are preparing themselves for the worst. >> despite all the gingerbread and christmas lights, many people in aachen aren't in a festive mood. they're worried a nuclear accident might occur just across the border in belgium. aachen's city administration even issued free iodine tablets, just in case.

andrea haupt picked up her ration. she'll carry them with her at all times,to be prepared for the worst. >> i'll see them in my wallet every day. it's not a nice feeling to see these pills and think you might have to take them at some point. >> but aachen isn't just distributing iodine tablets. it has launched a court appeal in belgium and would like to see the plant closed down. the officials say they aren't panic mongers. >> it's about a potential nuclear accident, and taking the best possible disaster-prevention measures. >> andrea accompanies us on the 70-kilometer journey to the controversial tihange nuclear facility. she can hardly believe that people live so close to it. >> i can't imagine living here. i get a little queasy just thinking that i live in aachen, though it's quite a few kilometers away. i'd move away from here. >> cracks have been found in tihange 2's reactor vessel. the power plant has been shut down repeatedly over safety

concerns. belgium has also distributed iodine pills. but the belgian nuclear control agency says its plants are safe. >> when we were unsure that they were safe, they were stopped. they were stopped for more than two years until they could prove that they are safe. now we are convinced that they are safe, so they can run again. >> he might have said that, but opinions vary. ultimately, as an emergency or disaster-management agency, we need to take potential risks seriously and prepare ourselves accordingly. >> parts of the tihange plant have been in operation for more than 40 years. belgium plans to phase out nuclear power by 2025, though it's unlikely to meet this deadline. it lacks an alternative energy program for the future, so some belgians take a dim view of germany's pressure tactics. >> the germans should look after their own problems. i think belgium is mature enough to take care of this issue on its own.

>> i tend to trust germany's government. it's a country that functions pretty well. so i'm more inclined to believe what they say. >> i've never been afraid here. i'm happy enough. i'm not angered by the germans' concerns either. there's simply no reason to worry. >> still, people in aachen plan to keep up their fight. in the summer, andrea helped organize a human chain which stretched from aachen all the way to the tihange power plant. more than 50,000 demonstrators took part. they hope their protests will change attitudes in belgium, too. >> more and more you notice belgians are against it, too. at first, the belgian media held back and did little critical reporting on the issue. but now you can see belgian reports that deal with tihange in a critical way. ♪

>> that night, there's another demo. andrea says aachen is her hometown and that she wants to live here even after she's finished her studies. she and her fellow campaigners plan to continue their protests until tihange is shut down, no matter how long it takes. michelle: neighborly relations are also an issue on the other side of germany. despite the eu's promise of a united europe, east-west fault lines are deepening. the czech republic recently voted in a euroskeptic government, critical of german migration policies. but in the bavarian and bohemian forests, the largest continguous forest area in central europe, german and czech conservationists have found an issue that both countries can agree on. >> pavel becka came here with the intention of doing research on black grouse, hazel grouse, and wood grouse. these shy birds live in the national parks on both sides of

the czech-bavarian border. but it snowed hard overnight, so pavel won't be able to find any of the birds' tracks. >> these species are disappearing from commercial woodland. but here in this forest, they're doing fine. we want to find out how many of these birds there are, and where they are located. >> the two national parks are working on a joint project that will do exactly that. in fact, both parks co-operate closely on these kinds of efforts. and no one represents that spirit of cooperation better than biologist pavel becka. he works for both parks. together, the parks make up the largest primeval forest area in central europe. humans shaped the landscape for a long time.

now it is nature again, and that attracts numerous visitors. ♪ the park agencies also cooperate on book publications. most are available with texts in both german and czech. the man responsible for this is pavel huben, the director of umava national park. but he faced a lot of opposition. >> both national parks, and both directors, are working toward the same goal. we want these parks to develop together, with the same conservation policies. and we both have similar ideas on how to do that.

>> in appreciation of this cooperation, the european union has provided subsidies totalling more than six-million euros over the last two years. that money is also welcomed by the bavarian national park administration. director franz leibl says this kind of co-operation shows that european nations can work well together. he explains why the program works. >> we talk to each other a lot, and we trust each other. we try to find things that we have in common, and then put projects together. and sometimes we just sit around in the evening and discuss things over a beer. >> they're honest people, and they tell it like it is. they don't pull any punches. but our discussions are always

very pleasant. mmunication is good. a real czech-german winter fairy tale. but pavel becka says both sis will have to work hard to make sure things stay that way in the years to come. michelle: a timely story of cross-border harmony for the festive season. that's it for today. but if you would like to find out more about any of our today's reports, visit our facebook page, dw.stories, or send me a tweet. thank yofor watching, and on behalf of the whole "focus on europe team have a merry , christmas. until next time, goodbye. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] ♪

steves: i'm meeting my florentine friend tommaso at i fratellini, a venerable hole in the wall much loved among locals for its tasty sandwiches and wine sold by the glass. -grazie. -tommaso: thank you. and when you're done, you leave it on the rack.

steves: boy, it's intense in the city. tommaso: yes, it is. well, if you want to leave the tourists, let's cross the river, and let's go to where the real florentines live and work. -steves: what's that? -tommaso: the oltrarno area. steves: there's much more to this town than tourism, as you'll quickly find in the characteristic back lanes of the oltrarno district. artisans busy at work offer a rare opportunity to see traditional craftsmanship in action. you're welcome to just drop in to little shops. your key phrase is, "can i take a look?" -posso guardare? -man: certo. steves: grazie. here in this great city of art, there's no shortage of treasures in need of a little tlc. this is beautiful. how old is this panting? woman: this is a 17th-century painting. steves: from florence? woman: we don't know. -maybe the area is genova. -steves: genova. each shop addresses a need with passion and expertise. fine instruments deserve the finest care.

grand palaces sparkle with gold leaf, thanks to the delicate and exacting skills of craftspeople like this. a satisfying way to wrap up an oltrarno experience is to enjoy a florentine steakhouse, which any italian meat lover knows means chianina beef. the quality is proudly on display. steaks are sold by weight and generally shared. the standard serving is about a kilo for two, meaning about a pound per person. so, both of those for four people? woman: yes. steves: the preparation is simple and well established. good luck if you want it well done. man: i am hungry, yeah. oh, look at this. ah! steves: oh, beautiful. [ laughs ] man: wow. steves: chianina beef. -woman: white beans. -steves: okay. perfect. man: and that one. steves: so, the meat is called chianina. tommaso: that's its name, becausit comes from the chianti.

steves: oh, from chianti. okay. and tell me about this concept of the good marriage of the food, you know? tommaso: well, when you have the chianina meat, you want to have some chianti wine, and they go together well. they marry together. we say, "si sposano bene." steves: si sposano bene. a good marriage. in other words, the wine is from tuscany, -and the meat is from tuscany. -tommaso: exactly. you don't want to have a wine from somewhere else. that's it.

hepburn cultural arts center in old saybrook, connecticut, it's the kate. ♪ ♪ chuck e's in love. ♪ chuck e's in love. i was very proud, i was proud-full. i was, i know my impact, and for ten years everybody else did, too. anybody sounded like me, it was the right way cyndi lauper's doing rickie lee is that cyndi doing it? or that's another thing. but then suddenly they didn't say that any more. with the tremendous success i had and prestige and power, it was a humbling and weird moment not that long ago really when i went, wow, it's gone, it's over, it's not coming back.