>> hello and welcome to "global 3000." today we meet pioneering businesswomen in morocco and ask whether development can be the answer for brazil. here is what is coming up. >> a small revolution is on the menu at an all female managed restaurant in marrakesh. brushing up rio de janeiro. but what happens to the poor when they get priced out of their homes? and saving the inle lake -- how organisations try to protect one

of myanmar's natural treasures. >> with the new upsurge of conservative forces in the arab world, many women across the region fear for their rights. a woman living on her own raises suspicion in morocco. even those with a good education are expected to put marriage and children first. so when myra und saida chab set up their own restaurant in down town marrakesh, it raised more than a few eyebrows. but the two are determined to continue. and it truly looks like real change could be on the cards for women in morocco. >> the markets in marrakesh are a feast for the senses, brimming with bright colors and exotic aromas. myra und saida chab love strolling through the bazaars, known as souks. they come here for inspiration. the two women are sisters and business pioneers.

last year they started a unique venture. >> we're the first restaurant in morocco entirely run by women. and we want to be a role model for others. >> the restaurant is called al fassia. the working week here kicks off with a staff meeting, and it's immediately clear who calls the shots. almost all of the more than 40 staff members are women, a rarity in male-dominated morroco. saida and myra say they want to provide opportunities for young women, especially from smaller cities and towns. >> certainly moroccan women can successfully run a hotel or restaurant. we want to show that and present a different image of women -- one that's progressive and open.

>> in the kitchen, preparations for the evening service are underway. on the menu -- spicy chicken, delicious salads, and flatbreads. al fassia has an excellent reputation. 28-year-old nawal azizi is from morocco's central mountain region. working in the restaurant has given her independence. that's almost unheard of in the conservative provinces, where girls are often married off at 14 or 15. >> it's much better to work with women. it's like a big family and you learn much faster. >> in the evening she serves couscous and tajine dishes, while manager saida provides the hospitality.

a few male staff do play a secondary role, working as kitchenhands, doormen, or musicians. many guests are intrigued by the role reversal. >> we heard this was a women's restaurant and that's why we came here. also because of the great food, of course. >> it's so much fun to meet people from different countries. you can learn so much. i love it. >> the following day, it's time to restock the produce. this food warehouse is run by saida and myra's aunt, another sign of the growing women's network in marrakesh. it was only two years ago that

king mohamed the sixth enshrined the equality of men and women in morocco's constitution. it was one of the reforms of the arab spring. but saida says in reality little has changed. >> being a single woman in morocco is an anomaly. it's hard enough in private life, and as a businesswoman you have to really fight. as a woman you have to project a very serious image. >> moroccan women are taking to the streets to protest against discrimination, sexual abuse, and domestic violence. women's organizations are worried that the growing influence of islamists in the region will spread to morocco, a country already deeply divided between modern and traditional

attitudes. >> women in rural areas really suffer. the work they do isn't valued at all. they're just shut away in the home. >> khenifra in the atlas mountains -- nawal azizi's home city. she's visiting her parents. her western clothes seem out of place in the traditional household. for her family, it's hard to accept that at 28 she's still unmarried and living independently in marrakesh.

>> it was difficult at first to let my daughter go. the neighbors talk a lot, but what are we supposed to do? there are no jobs here. >> back in marrakesh, it's the start of another busy evening in the historic city center, the medina. nawal is back at work. as a woman without a formal education, she's now earning money and making her own way in life. one of the success stories of al fassia. >> that's exactly what we're trying to achieve. we want to improve the situation of women in moroccan society. i want to contribute to that. >> there's still a long road

ahead. but when it comes to creating opportunities for women, this restaurant in marrakesh is proud to have made a start. >> what's it like to live on an island many see as a picture postcard paradise? clara de la rose lives in the dominican republic near the border with haiti. she's invited us into her living room to tell us what life is like there. ♪ >> this is my house, and i'd love to show you around. let's go inside.

my eldest son works in handicrafts. he makes butterflies like these to put on the wall as decor. the money we earn helps improve our lives. ♪ a butterfly costs 200 pesos. the prices vary for the others, depending on the type. ♪ here are our family photos. this is my eldest granddaughter. and this is my eldest son. this is my other granddaughter and here's her mother sonia.

she has two children with my son. the eldest daughter is being raised here with me. everyone else in the family lives in santo domingo. ♪ i'd like to introduce my husband, bernardino lo santo. he's the father of my seven children. we raised them all here. ♪ i hope you come again. we'll definitely be here. and i hope you enjoyed your time with us here in sabana mula.

>> thank you, you're always welcome. >> and now we head further south to a country that takes its role as host very seriously. next year the football world cup comes to brazil followed by the summer olympics just two years later. the government has launched a multi million dollar infrastructure overhaul. recent protests highlight brazilians' resentment that money is being spent on new stadiums instead of improvements to their living conditions. in rio de janeiro authorities plan to tear down a favela on a hill-top right in the center of town. residents fear they'll be evicted from their homes. we take a closer look at how locals are being affected by rio's latest development drive. >> the district around rio de janeiro's central station is rundown and has a dangerous reputation. but one man has a vision to change all that.

sebastiao bruno from the city planning department is taking us to one of rio's largest renewal projects. it's a cable-car running between the central station and the infamous favela morro da providência. we had planned to meet him on the hill top. >> today there's another conflict and a police operation is in progress. so it's not the best time to go up top. >> the hill above the construction site is home to around 10,000 people. it's one of rio's many favelas where drug gangs have run rampant for decades. the cable car is meant to reclaim the area and reconnect it to the city. it's a project for residents and for tourists. the hill in the heart of rio has the potential to become a major attraction.

but the crime rate and violence have made it a no-go zone. >> the entire region will profit from the redevelopment. everything will be better. there'll be more jobs and the city will have a new vibrant district. people's standard of living will improve on morro da providência and in surrounding areas too. >> but what do the people who live there think? with the slogan: "providencia won't be silent," we find a group of residents meeting at the foot of the hill. many here fear they'll be tossed out of their homes. >> we're seeing a purge here in rio de janeiro.

they want to drive the poor out of the city. this is a pacification program with its own pacifying police unit, the upp. when they come, gentrification will begin and everything will get more expensive. >> the upp arrived years ago. the police unit was founded in 2008 to fight crime in rio's favelas. but most remain a maze of ramshackle houses, dotted with bullet holes. and drug gangs still rule the roost. we're able to safely film here thanks to mauricio hora. his family has lived here for four generations. from his roof terrace, he enjoys one of the most beautiful views of the city.

does he plan to profit from the flood of tourists, when the cable car opens? >> tourists who visit favelas don't consume anything. sure, change will come and we'll have to adapt. i just hope there'll still be residents here who can adapt. city planning wants to relocate a lot of them. >> almost 700 houses are slated for demolition. city authorities have already marked them with numbers. the people who live there are supposed to move into new apartments nearby, but construction still isn't finished. many are refusing to leave. >> they want to get rid of us? and where should we go? i've lived here for 42 years, so where should i go? i can't leave here.

>> the first houses sprung up on the hill more than a century ago. back then it belonged to no one. and morro de providencia isn't the only favela being targeted for redevelopment. >> by 2016, when brazil hosts the olympic games, we'll have converted the most important favelas. by 2020, there won't any favelas at all left in rio. >> next year's soccer world cup in brazil is already driving housing prices higher. but it's only the beginning of the battle for rio's prime locations. >> for myanmar's indigenous groups like the intha people, the struggle to secure a place in the country's future has only just begun. their home the inle lake is

, under threat. now that burma is opening up, the u.n. along with several ngo's are trying to help the "sons of the lake" as they are called. the intha are learning ways to make life on the lake more sustainable -- and the development experts that have come learn that the inle is more than just another ecosystem in need of saving. >> fishermen on myanmar's inle lake performing their amazing balancing act. to free their hands for the net, they paddle with one leg, leaving the other planted on the narrow boat. the technique is seen nowhere else in the world, nor is their unique method of fishing. both have been passed down through the ages, but in recent years there has been one dramatic change -- fewer fish. u thun win says water pollution

in the lake is to blame, as is the growing number of fishermen. an entire way of life for people around the lake is under threat. but for a long time, no one took any action. until now. u thet win htun and his colleagues are part of a united nations' initiative. they're coordinating a program to save the lake and its people. the team is passionate about their task. >> inle lake is one of our historic places in our country, so this is my chance to work here to save our inle lake. that's why i am very happy here. >> the first stop is an expanse of floating fields, anchored to the lakebed with bamboo poles. the dirt used to be packed directly on the pontoons.

now farmers are growing their tomato plants in plastic bags. the idea came from agricultural economist u myint zaw. he says farmers will have to change generations of practice, but the results are worth it. >> you put fertilizer in the bag and the fertilizer is contained in the bag, not leached into the lake water. it will prevent the degradation of the lake water. >> and the plastic bags have other advantages. >> during the last rain storm, many tomato plants only survived because of the bags. >> the team arrives in myay ni gone, one of six villages on the lake taking part in the u.n. program. it's common to see women and children using thanaka, a cosmetic paste made from ground bark that protects and beautifies the skin.

eleven organizations are working with the u.n. one of them, myanmar agro action, provides education and training for farmers. today's class is all about earthworms. one man wants to know why imported worms are considered better than the local variety. the explanation -- because they're larger and more effective at producing organic fertilizer. most here live off the land, eating their own produce and selling the surplus. so to improve their yields, they've used large quantities of chemical fertilizers. farmers were skeptical at first about finding effective alternatives, but myanmar agro action's heather morris convinced one to go organic. >> he didn't think he would get these results.

>> but growing organic produce is just a first step. >> we have linked up with organic markets, so that this organic farming will be sustainable. if we just leave and go and we don't link them up with markets, then the farmers are not going to grow organic products. >> more farmers are taking an interest in organic methods. myay ni gone has seen other changes. the village recently introduced trash containers, and now they sort their waste for recycling. this pagoda can only be reached by boat. normally the water depth in inle lake rarely drops below two meters. but it did during a dry spell several years ago. the pagoda was surrounded by thick mud and virtually impossible to reach. for locals, it was a wake-up call about the importance of protecting the environment.

in schools, subjects such as climate change and carbon footprints are part of the curriculum. here, children sing a song about saving inle lake. the message on conservation is spreading, even to this school high up in the mountains. myanmar's population is growing fast. forests are being cleared to create new farmland, and that's brought problems with soil degradation and erosion. the fertile topsoil is being swept away, and washed down the valley into inle lake. locals are using readily

available stones and bamboo to erect dams to stop the erosion. it's a simple measure that benefits both the mountain farmers and the people of inle lake. a few kilometers away is a tree plantation. reforestation is another priority of the u.n. program. despite the project's success, it's only been funded for two years. everyone hopes that will be extended. >> we have to do more. and even in the kalaw township watershed area, we cannot do all the necessities in our project area because of the limited time and the limited frame. >> back at inle lake, locals are doing what they can to support the program. fishermen are organizing a no- catch zone to allow the dwindling fish stocks to recover.

every few days they staff observation posts to make sure everyone is sticking to the rules. u thun win says he's proud to be part of the initiative. he's hoping the fish will soon be back, and that in the future his son can carry on inle lake's unique traditions. >> we here at "global" are after your brain power! if you've had an idea that solves a complex challenge, this is the place to prove your global brains. here's how it works. ♪ >> houses made of tires.

muscle-powered generators. lamps made of plastic bottles. simple ideas that can make life easier. and what about you? do you have a bright idea or know of someone who does? then write to us, and tell us about your invention. ♪ >> we certainly look forward to see what you come up with. and you can find a few ideas on our website and facebook pages. that's all we have for this week. thanks for watching, and please tune in again seven days from now. from the entire team here in berlin, bye bye. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

[captions made possible by kcet elevision] >> coming up, another huge cyber theft in asia, 20 million stolen. exposed, where china's elite puts a lot of its money. and what's really driving thailand's angry middle class? the latest buzz on social media, all here on "linkasia."