announcer:pportunity prospety. optimism. where water is everywhere, making it a veritable playground for kids, but a potentially deadly one. to benin, ere voodoos a ste religion. many are helped by it, but children oen suffer from its decrees. t first, let's look at the humble banana -- the most popular fruit in the world.

could it soon be wiped out? in one way, germany is certainly a banana republic. its citizensat 12 kilograms of the yellow fruit every year on average -- americans are the only nationality to consume more. 2016, arod 113 million tons ofananas we harvesd wodwide,ut the vasmajori of tm were froa sing clonedariety -- e caveish. invition to pes and ge monthogens.are open one of them -- a soil fungus called tr4 -- has spread rapidly in southeast asia, and caused major damage in many countries there. and tr4 is far from the only destructive fungus. experts have long said the days of the cavendish are numbered. that's csing majoroncern in uador -- banas a theus. euntry's nuer one eort.the days reporter: no, there's not an airport ahead.

the sign is warning drivers about low-flying aircraft, spraying banana fields in southern ecuador with fungicides as a preventive measure. they make their runs two or three times a week. their target is black sigatoka, a fungus that is to bananas what bubonic plague once was to humans. darwin palacios owns four conventional non-organic banana plantations. it's a family business. darwin: black sigatoka is not a disease you can eradicate. you have to learn how to live with it. it will always be there. it's a fungus that thrives under these favorable, humid nditions. all we can do is carry out regular checks to make sure there isn't an outbreak that will damage thbanana crop. and make sure that the leaves and the fruit stay healthy. reporter: once the fungus has taken hold, it's hard to fight. ecuador has been mainly spared so far, due to its climate not being as humid and rainy as

central america, for example, where fungicide is needed three times as often. bananas are propagated asexually from offshoots. the main plant produces smaller shoots at its base. they are removed and transplanted. generally, the young shoots bear fruit within nine months. darwin: this way we can select the best plants. we actually get them cloned in the laboratory, so they have the same genetic properties. that guarantees that we always get the best possible fruit -- the best clusters with the highest weight -- so we get the best production per hectare. reporter: but asexual reproduction has a major risk -- the plant is no longer able to genetically adapt, and that makes it vulnerable to natural enemies. practically all the bananas eaten aroundhe world are the fruit of a single cultivar -- thcavendish.

and unfortunately, it's not resistant to black sigatoka. the fungicides being sprayed here don't pose a health risk to consumers, but they do to plantation workers. organic bananas are an increasingly important sector, making up 10% of total production. organic growers are taking a new approach, like here in el pinco. agronomist gonzalo marx peñarreta was exposed to farming chemicals for three years. he worked for a pesticide wholesaler -- until he got sick. gonzalo: i worked for a company that sold farming products -- like pesticides, and so forth. i had to work on the fields that were being sprayed by the airplanes. that's how i got sick. pesticide use makes the plantation workers sick. once they've reached a certain age, they lose their nails, they

get cancer, they lose their hair and their eyesight. it's all too much. reporter: it's hard to get official figures on health problems caused by pesticides, but in this region, everyone seems to know someone who has gotten sick. the organic plantations only use natural substances, like manure, bacterial extracts, algae extracts, and oils that may help slow growth of pests like the sigatoka fungus. gonzalo: on a conventional plantation, you can go walking at night and you won't encounter anything on the ground. on an organic farm, you'll find weeds, worms, ants, and all kinds of different insects. reporter: ecuador is undergoing some changes. after the country switched its currency to the u.s. dollar in 2000, the economy made a modest recovery. and that's also has encouraged a new, ecological way of thinking.

on his farm, darwin palacios has standardized his production. the yields in the various parts of the farm are systematically monitored. that helps palacios apply fertilizer, water, and pesticides more efficiently -- and in the process, he can save money. darwin: here we get all kinds of information about the harvested trees. the most important information is their weight. we can also determine the age of the plant and the lot where the fruit came from. and using that information, we can see if something is wrong with that section, and we can intervene and improve things there if necessary. reporter: then the fruit is prepared for shipment from machala to europe. the bananas are still green when they're sent off. ripening will be initiated using

ethylene gas once they've reached their destination. but research continues. the goal is to breed plants that are completely resistant to the fungus. fungicides will then become unnecessary -- at least until the next phogen strikes the plantations. host: leaving science behind, let's consider matters of a more spiritual nature. practices may vary, but millions of people around the planet are united by a belief in something otherworldly. take crop rcles, f example. some see them as supernatural phenomena -- others as messages from extraterrestrials. in russia, a third of the population believes in astrology. the nation as a whole spends an estimated 22 million euros a year on spiritual services. reporter: the altay mountains -- this iwhere russia borders

mongoliakazakhstanand china. itf neratis of pilgrs that come fromiles arnd seeki spiritl guidance legendas it th this is a place to embark on a path of inner change. yelthouts come tr. say that if u it's iortant tremind yourse of th in spirual places likthese. reporter: sitors hercall thselves modn pilgrims ey're drawto yoga, hling rials, and sf-inquiry. ryelena gayun leadsroups of thstressed o city dwelrs to the tay mountas. >> i wasere a yeargo, and all my wiss were fulfilled. i came to relax, but ao to fi miracles.

reporter: gomayuleads the visitorso the iconof the viage monasty. the confluence of these two rivers is the place to wish for a spouse. yelena: i think we russians in particul were alys on asearchor. at's the w we are.i remeerd that kd of thi was normaf rereport: in aillage in southwestern russia, nadiaemeerd melgunova saysomen like r us to be burned at the stake. but nowadays, doctors refer their patients to her. shnadia offers treatments with babuwater, wax, and prayers.rch.

but she only receives people who have been baptized. nadia: there you go. you were really scared. t you're n scared anymore. everyone comes to me. rich, poor, even hlthy people. if people are afraid, i can heal them. i can help fight against the evil eye, sorehroats, ba skin, inflammation. lots of things. reporter: hundreds of kilometers away from nadia's village is another place where people arrive from moscow and beyond, hoping for miracles. nadejdstarzeva dsn't have easy. r husband cently comttedeyond, suide. alcoh was involved. and jealousy. she has additional problems.

nadea: i am scared about what the doctors say about some dk children are doing. i have a lot of children. i worry about them. reporter: thousands of peopl have sought help from vadim petrovich over the years. he tells nejda thathe osses foed by thmatches hfloati in the ter symbizem the burd of life.e years. he tells nejda thathe propheses an iless in her daue osses foed by thmatches shadows in nadejda's lungs. petrovich predicts a new man will soon enter her life. then he tells her to drink the wategive what they can.. vadim: i do my best to cleanse away all the negative energy. i was hoping fewer people would make their way here, but actually more and more are cong. rerter: in the former soviet

unio belief in the supernatural was an open secret. the psychokinetic experiments involving nina kulina, who claimed to have psychic powers, were watched by the government in the 1960's. shortly before the soviet union collapsed, a self-professed psychic named anatoly kashpirovsky appeared on tv to conduct mass healing sessions to millns throught the soet bl. and the faith healer juna davishvili was sought by many in the politburo. her famous patients included soviet premier leonid brezhnev and later, president boris yeltsin. nearly 30 years later,ountless healing seices onlin represent a major enterprise. the patriarch of the russian orthodox church considers president vladimir putin's rise to power a miracle of god. he also foresees an impending apocalypse. it's not uncommon for a police

officer accints. prit to blesstr jesus has become an antidote for misfortune. sociologists point to deessionanxiety, a a disoented ciety asn exanatiofor the rising beef in macal thinng. v: pple haveo idea whas ing to hapn in theear future. they plan ee payche to thnext, mae as ing femonths amost.ar rerter: ba in the ay motains,he spirial guide pyena gamayun insis healers arl ing femonths amost.ar enomenon she sa her clien from moow uldn't getylike h.people in a cntry whe reali is a inful perience f many, russiansope byoping fomoow uldn't getymiracleseople host: russians aren't the only ones who believe in higher

powers. so do people who practice voodoo -- an ancient religion rooted in western africa. believers pray to a supreme being and around 400 other spirits like the gods of thunder or water. benin the 1h century,he cradle region sead to themericas with the slave trade -- particularly brazil, haiti, the dominican republic, and the u.s. state of louisiana. voodoo has around 60 million adherents worldwide. in benin, around one in five people hold the belief. but some of the practices common in voodoo are highly controversial. report: performing a dance for the thunder-god. she learneit while s wasew vcoined to a odoo conve.dae.

for undedji, iwas an agonizing three years in which she had no contact with the outside world. houndedji: the worst thing was not seeing my family. and there was no proper place to go to the toilet or to wash. there was often not enough to eat, and we were constantly hungry. reporter: houndedji lives in a. peopleere believe in voodoo, and in the practice of confining children in convents in order to heal the illnessesnd drive evil spits out of their boes. when houndji was eight years d, she sufred from fquent stomach pains and a high fever. her mother brought her to the hospital, but the doctors there were unable to help. the village priest advised sending her to the voodoo convent, which meant years of almost cplete isolion. >> i knew that my daughter would suffer under the conditions there. there's not enough to eat.

here on the outside, i have enough food, but i wasn't allowed to bring anything to her in the convent. porter: houndei shows the y fromer home ck to th liesn the cent of the village, just meters away from her house. but for three years, she lived behindhis fence,n anotherworlr family. houndedji brings us to the fortune-ller whohe visit wh she wasick back tn. it was theillage ocle wh decided r fate. the oracle sd that t thunr-god hato be apased ordmeant years of isolation. achildren sent to the convent do t go to hool durg thattime. instead, they spend their days praying, dancing, and learning a

vood language. houndedji: i was head within thremonths by e prayers, the hes and the leaves. but i still had to stay. reporter: for three long years during whh time shelso hato have thtribe's syol cut into her face. houndedji: they made the these are the signs of theade. ithunder-god.t. reporter: like the ones on these boys' chests. many children are marked with scars. the cutting is a traditional element voodoo liefs, and part of many rituals. knives play a role in this ceremo, too, although the children do not actually hurt themselves. this group of children are being released today after having been confined for years in one of benin's thsands of vdoo convents attitudeare changi, but only

confingradually.rs in one of baid organizations were able to limiting the time that children prstwould have to stay in the nvent to aaximum of ree mohs. mama: the new arrangement allows the children to go to school. i self cant read and wte, so it's very awkward when i have an offial meetin i thk it's iortant for children to go to school. reporter: several hundred priests and local gornment officials have signed the agreement. it enabled the release of more than 1000 children last year, o have retned to the famili and to scol. but whe the timepent in e nvent has been srtened, th practiceas yet to be abolished completely. while fiing, we wiess how aseve stomach pains consults theshed oracle and the voodoo high priest.

she anxiously awaits their decision. thenhe judgmt -- three months isolation in the convent in order to heal her. without even being able to say odbye to h parents, e is brout to the cvent, directly to the srificial aar of theearo the girl nee a lot of me to lm down, wle the prit's ai prays and bngs initl ofrings fothe earth-god. fromhere, thgirl is ought the smallud hut whe she iso spend thnext three months. houndedji, meanwhile, is back i. the smallud hut whe she but readjusting to normal life was not easy. undedji: afirst i dn't cognize frien. it was so embarrassing. reporter: after missing three

years, she still has trouble keeping up. bushe does sll have fo years of schooling aad of her, d the chan to ma up forouble all thatrecious me sheost whe in theonvent host: in many parts of the world, the carefree days of childhd include ending war or lake. dthat makes it easy to forget that swimming is not an innate skill. four billion people around the globe are unable to swim -- that's more than half the world's population. drowning is one of the most common causes of accidental death. every minute on average, two people somewhere in the world will drown. reporter: majeda begam treasures her daughter's clothes. one month ago, six-year-old aiyascha drowned near their

village. majeda: she was such a good daughter, she was always helping me. everyone loved her. aiyascha would have loved to have had an education. reporter: aiyascha's older sister farjsana is a great comfort to her mother. she misses her sister every day. farjsana: we did everything together. we walked to school, played together afterwards, and ate together. reporter: one fifth of bangladesh is just a meter above sea level. but many here cannot swim. the statistics are shocking -- 50 childn drown evy day in swim and have a t of fun splashs ese chdren havlearned

throfrom theiromes. most n pools like this one. they're used as laundry, bathing area, and playground. >> i learned to swim last month. it's great in the water. so nice and cool. >> before i could swim i was afraid of the water. now, it's fun. reporter: children who can't swim can only watch from the bank. they need to be careful. it's very easy to slip in the mud and fall in. four-year-old rubjol says that he cannot swim, but definitely wants to learn to. for now, he only bathes where it's shallow. farjsana has set off for the next village with her mother. today there are swimming lessons taking place there. farjsana knows how to swim, and

now she wants to become a swimming teacher. so she's helping the instructor. farjsana: learning how to swim is really important for us kids. many die, as my sister did, because they can't swim. reporter: sumata tasmin schumi is giving the lessons. in this mostly muslim country, female teachers aren't a common sight. her training is financed by a british organization, which has helped to set up more than 100 courses in bangladesh. sumata: i'm in the twelfth grade. a year ago, two children in my village drowned. afterwards, i wanted to become a swimming instructor. and i'm very happy about it.

reporter: finally, after practicing on dry land, it's time to hit the water. here in bangladesh, women swim fully-clothed. a special bamboo practice area has been constructed for beginners. there's a floor, so that no one can slip and go under. farjsana's mother is still understandably nervous. farjsana and the teacher try and help the children overcome their fear of the water. sumata: she is still young and quite shy, but she'll soon get better at it. if she's determined, she'll be a good instructor -- perhaps even better than me. reporter: they practice swimming two hours every day. then they head home to help out with the chores. almost all of the children can swim after five days, according to the aid organization that organizes the courses. al-amin: children in bangladesh die all too often of diarrhea, cholera, malaria, meningitis, and other diseases.

but 18,000 children also die by drowning. we have to do something about that. reporter: darkness is falling. rjsana a her family are eating dinner. they miss aiyascha desperately. majeda: all children should learn how to swim. then they wouldn't drown, like my youngest daughter did. it's so important. reporter: farjsana feels the same. what did you think? let us know. send us an email and check out our facebook page -- dw global society. we're back again next week. see you then. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning stitute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

announcer: opportunity. prosperity. optimism.

announcer: this is a production of china central television america. may: who doesn't love a great story? so much can be learned, felt, and expressed through storytelling, but most importantly, stories can foster better understanding across cultural and social lines. whether it be through film, song, or even comic books and digital media, stories that are able to truly reflect the global village in which we live can only help open up new horizons and shift perceptions for the better. this week on "full frame," conversations with cultural storytellers who are spurring change. i'm may lee in los angeles. let's take it "full frame."