modern-day robin hood is helping the rich give to the poor. in yemen, we meet a woman trying to help the greatest victims of the civil war -- the country's children. and we visit russia, where trying to uncover corruption is a good way to end up in court. what constitutes corruption, anyway? does it count if a tradesperson takes business from rivals by working cheaper off the books?

or is it only when politicians take bribes and change laws to benefit specific companies? it's both, and more. corruption is misusing power entrusted to you for your own private gain. and it appears at many levels of society, even at organizations like the u.n. its defining characteristic? corruption always hurts the community. more than two-thirds of the world's countries are burdened with high levels of corruption. that's accccording to transparen ternrnational's 202017 world corrupuption perceptptions in, publblished last m month. rurussia didn't t fare well. it plalaced 135th ouout of 180 countries surveyed. reporter: dmitry sukharev works for transparency international in st. petersburg. he is heading to court. vladimir litvinenko, one of the most powerful men in russia, is suing the organization. dmitry: litvinenko wins every case. reporter: always? realal?

dmitry: yes, of course. >> the rector of the st. petersburg state mining university. reporter: litvinenko heads t destst tecical u unirsity inin rurussia. itit's very prestigis jojob, a it is alleged g got iin 1994 ththankso vladadim putin, , o was s the time deputy moror of stpetersbuburg. it's also algeged litvinkoko helplped pin witith s doctoror disserertation. he is nonow a manager r of the presidident's bid toto be re-eld onon mar the 1 18t presidident putin: i it is nico knowow that we havave engineeg univiversities of f such hih qualitity in russia.a. reporter: transparency claimed that litvinenko misappropriated funds. he is now suing for defamation the anti-corruption ngo and some journalists who reported on the allegations. he's demanding damages totaling close to a million euros. we wanted to film the whole

hearing, but the judge would not allow that. maxim: mr. litvinenko is a public figure. the pupuic needs t to know whate is involved in. is there any evividence of corruption? that is what needs to be adaddressed in the trial.. irina: mr. l litvinenko isis ay importrtt peperson in stst. petersburg, , very influentia. i i might be mistaken, perhaps e media will report on this, but how will they be able to if the hearings are held behind closed doors? reporter: what's more, media reports are not permitted to quote statements made in the courtroom. and then litvinenko does not show up for the hearing. we ask for an interview somewhere else, but in vain. just a few blocks from the courthouse is the main building of the mining university. the facade bears the imperial eagle and the order of lenin. whoever the ruler, the university has remained an important institution. this is where talent is trained for the mining, oil and gas industries.

when the old building became too small, construction began in 2008 on a new one. the municipality provided the plot of land. dmitry: the city said, you can have this real estate for a specific purpose. the university then said, we don't have any money. so we e need a commercial partr as an invevestor. they signed a contract, and the univerersity got part of the property andnd the commemercial outfit also got a part. reporter: this kind of public-private partnership is not uncommon in russia. what transparency says is out of line is that the rector made millions with ththe project. most of the new building is condos, rather than university

facilities. transparency says the privately-owned apartments make up 90% of the complex, and that some of them belong to members of staff. >> they are great apartments. i work for the mining university and i bought one. reporter: expensive? >> not very. the university helps its staff a little. reporter: transparency says it has proof that a company owned by the wife of vladimir litvinenko owns 658 of the apartments. dmitry: the rector of the universityty, vladimir litvinen, signed a contract with his wife's company. lo and behold, this company ended up owning apartments worth 230 mimillion euros. they were built on the plot belonging to the mining

university. its rector should be doing everythingng in his power r to benefit the e university.. but litvinenko evidedently confuses his personal interests with thohose of the e universitd ththose of the state. reporter: : that's the way he operates, says his daughter olga litvinenko. we went to see her in the latvian capital, riga. she e says her father uses p pc officials for his own purposes. olga: many people who work for various govevernment bodies wee given apartmtments. i sasaw myself how it works. the prices are very low, and fake purchase contracts s are drawn up. they pretend the purchasers were involved from the start in the construction project. they pay a nominal price and suddenly they are condo owners. reporter: olga litvinenko had a falling-out with her father in 2011. she was then a m member of the . petersburg city parliament, but

did not vote the way her father told her to. he then got a court to take away her daughter, who was just a baby at the time. olga fled the country and has not seen her child since. she is willing to testify against her father. olga: i am frightened. they could kill me. i am sure of that. but above all i amam a mother fighting for her child. and you cacan't hold motother ck who isis fighting fofor her ch. reporter: back in st. petersburg, dmitry sukharev says he expects the court case will drag on for months. dmitry: we are going to prove that we are righght. we are going to unmask those who are corrupt t and demand that ty be pununished accordingly. reporter: sukharev has some degree of protection, as he works for a well-known organization.

climate protection. this week takes us to uganda, where just one person in five has access to a steady power supply. firewood is the e primary soure of eney here. one suainable alrnative is solar power. but panels are expensiveve to install, and few people here can afford them. so what are the options? reporter: it's just 6:30 in the morning, but the cooking fire is already going, like in millions of other ugandan households. grace baguma is preparing peanuts for breakfast. her children pitch in, including 21-year-old wilfred. he's training to be an electrician, and is the family's hope for a better future. grace: i see that wilfred is a good boy, and my hopes are high for him. something big is going to happen here.

we'll get electricity and he will help us. i can feel it. reporter: the family has no electricity, just a small patch of land and a few chickens. wilfred is one of five children, and luckily he's got a state scholarship to support his training. wilfred: it's true that i bring for to them electricity, especially when i am through the certification at the institute and i get some work. whwhen i am being paid, i will make sure that i wilill have de something for them. reporter: every morning, wilfred baguma walks almost four kilometers to school, nothing unusual in uganda. at the technical school, young people can train for various professions, such as electrician or car mechanic. the electricity is out again today, so the students make do with manual tools. the sewing machines have also stopped. they need to get the generator up and running again.

for the deputy headmaster, it's a familiar problem. frfred: you know, our power is t stable. one day it's on, another day it's off. we receive power from very far, so thehe distance is very lon. so any instance along the wayy logging out t our grid, that's y we have power instability up country. reporter: the power supply is centrally controlled. it's expensive and in poor condition. one solution is to use local solar panels, but few schools can afford it. during their training, the budding electricians learn all they need to know about installation. mariam angeyango wants to use her skills to help her family. she's already installed a solar panel at home. mariam: it gives us freedom of not buying paraffin, you don't lose any resources and other things. it's me who goes and mounts it, and i feel that we can do this so that i can gain that

experience in mounting grid. reporter: electric ovens are a rarity in rural uganda. efficient use of firewood here is a big issue. a year ago, with the help of a south korean bank and the ugandan government, this school got a new oven. it uses 60% less firewood than the old one, and requires less work to operate. alina: the new oven is the best for me. fantastic. no smoke, no what. i like it very much. it is fast in cooking, very fast, and you put very little firewood. reporter: justine akumu from the ministry of energy is visiting the school. she wants similar ovens to be installed across uganda, some 15,600 in the cocountry's schos alone. the deputy headmaster shows akumu where she cooked before they got the new oven. justine: i know, deforestation is so bad.

i mean, our rate o of -- the percentage of forest that we have today in the country stands at 9%, you know, from 36% that we had about 15 years ago. so in the last 15 years we have had a rate of deforestation at about -- we've lost about 25% of our forest cover, it's so much. and if you look at the root cause at deforestation, it is harvesting wood for energy, for cooking energy, because we use wood as our primary source of energy for cooking, in schools, at households, in restaurants, in all institutions, even in the industries as a source of process heat. reporter: trees are felled everywhere, whether it be for charcoal, or clearing large areas for agricultural land. 200 kilometers south of kampala lies the new africa primary school.

the school uses a lot of firewood. the headmaster says they can't afford a new oven. justine akumu tries to convince the headmaster to get one. she argues that it's possible for schools to take out loans with favorable conditions. justine: so far with improved cocookstoves we've been able o construct more than 100 cookstoves in education ininstitutions, and that was oa demonstrations basis, whereby we just wanted to create awareness about improved cook stoves so we did demos across the country so that other schools within those regions can benchmark. reporter: but the school has already taken out a loan for solar panels to provide light in the bathrooms. there's also a light bulb hanging in the classroroom no, the result of an initiative from the school, parents and community.

james: actually, the government has no hand so far. we are strugglining with loanso put up with buildings like this one because we cannot teach the children when they are outside. so what we do is we go to banks to get loans and put up classes so that children, ugandan children are able to access quality education. reporter: like mariam angeyango, the young woman who, thanks to her good education as an electrician, was able to install one solar panel on the roof of her family home. her family of 12 hopes there are more to come. host: for 13 years now, the washington-based ngo fund for peace has published a fragile states ind that memeasures

social, political, and economic stability in states around the world. its most recent findings indicate things have grown especially critical in south sudan, somalia, and yemen, where a proxy war between saududi araa and iran has been smoldering since 2015. it's markeked an entire e genern of chihildren. around two million of them aren't going to school. 1.8 millllion childrenen are undederfed. of those, around 400,000 are suffering acute maourishmement and desperatately need mededil care. reporter: it's the start oa ng and b by day for pediatrician ashwag haharram. toy she e wi be makiking house calls s in the countntrysid. but she'e's first askeked to p here, at the entrae e to the central clclinic in hodeidida. this eldlderly woman d doesn kw how e willll get home. she has no money.

moharram calls herriver over and tellhim to fina taxi and give the woman 2000 riyals to cover the cost of her ride home. a ther has bught his emaciated ughter to e pediatrician. moharram's occupation requires her to remain optimiic, but she's frusated. during the three years of fighting, the number of undedernourished c children hass explodeded. for r,r, the suffering is unbearlele, espeallyly wn the childrenen are broughtht to the hospitalal when it migight alry be too late. moharram drives to the hbobor in hodedeidto find out whatinind of humanitarianan aid has beeen dedelivered thisis time. but when she arrivives, she cn hardly belelieve her eyeyes. the e united nations has sent ts ship.

ashwag: is that it? ththat's a thehere ifor yeyeme that's theedicinine fromnicef? for the entirere cntry? reporter: : moharram asksks the harb wororkersf theyey kw why such amall ship was sent, bubut ththey say they y don't know e reasason. ashwag: it's not enough. unicef s sent that shihip? we need unicef for mededicine, r foodod to fight mamalnutrition children, for treating cholera phththeria cacan unicef onlnly lease shipis small? is thahat supposed to be enouh for r 27 million p people? reporter: : hodeida is t the lat and most important port in the area held by houthi rebels. it's under constant attack by the saudi-leled coalition.n. mohaharram says ththis, itsel, is bad enougugh. bubut even more e criminal aree bombardments of civilian heses.

ashwag: : this districict is ce to mililitary bases.s. the airport is neay.y. thatat's w it's s alys beingng bombed, inincluding the e univey medical fafaculty. reporter: momoharram dveves toa vivillagsouth h ofodeida.. people in the countryside are especially a afflicted by y the. the few w aid deliveriries thao arrive bararely make it t ouof e city. that is whththe doct regegularly mamakes these trips. adaddimnahs nenear t coaoast. ry poor fishermen lilive here. moharram is able to help them because e of her relatively od come. when s she arrives, , she cane how w grateful thehey are. moharram is pretty much thei ly c conta to ththe outside world.d. the war's effects are hilyly vible e herein tererriy

undedernourished c children. >> i used to be ab t to gi my chilmimilk ery twowoays. but i haven't reivived athingg for two nths n now reporter: e e pares are gratulul to morramam f treatiting their chihildren fo freeand d giveer henenna it a s sma gesture, a signff respspecand thanks, presteted with d dignity. mohaharram has madade it her min to help peopople. but it's becoming increangngly didiffict to d do . she sees no o end to the w ward has madede a professioional dedecision. ashwagag: the healthth of te children is s deterioratinig bebecause they a are not gettg adadequate treatatment. i've decided that if we can'tt provovide food to o adults, wee to at t least guaranantee it te chchildr, becacausthey neeee nourishment more uenently. repoer: momohaam says s e precious little th does extt stst be gin toto thehildreren. that's's the only opoption. that's whyhy she only brbrings

powdered milk when she visitis addimnmnah. ashwhwag moharram m says it ise chchildr who m mussurvive,e, becaususe they are y yemen's y hopepe. host: what would the world be if there were no heroes with big hearts out there? the people who make itit their mission to help others in need? there are many more moving stories about people who help others on our facebook page. follow us on dw global society. in the un's universal dearation n of human rights, a fundamental one is the right to adequate shelter. around 1.6 billion people worldwide, however, still don't have safe housusinto c call thr own. around 150 millionon are homele, and live rough out in the

street. how can they be helped? they first have to at least receive warm sleeping bags, tents, or other temporary housusing, along w with mobile showers. and of course, food. providing those basic necessities to all begins with solidarity, especially in n te world's growing cities. reporter: this is not a cigaretttte machine bubut a wa lp o other as ththe iter iss happy to explain. when youou put money in,n, youe sosomeone a fr shohower,omome brbread,r a cucup coffee.e. it's just one of the features the bin n hoodestaururan where the rich p pay for the p poor. outside,e, it looks like any otr eatiting place in madrid. but the entire profits made dung t the d go toto pviding free m meals for the p poor ine evening. the proprietor is fatherngngel, a caolic p prit who's s de it

hihis mission toto fight povered hunger. faer a angelthe momost imptantnt things herare community, frieship, and gngnity. reporter: gngnity ght seem like a dtant dre to ma ving on thstreet drid haseveralhousand homele people. the modest upturn in the spanish economy has yet to reach them. but they can get help in what's become known as the church o o the poor.. here in n st. antony's's, anyono needs it can bed down, getet a mealal, or simply y celebrate . the church is always open. faer a angelas lononbeen coconcerned about t the needyd ththe marginalized in society. it's's a concern s shared by e francicis. faththerngel: the first ining i heararhim say was thate want a urch tt t is itsf f poor and a urch thais thehereo

helplp the poor. reporter: : pensioner luluis vivincente gets s foodoucherer the robin hood. the urchch encrages s the who come to o look after t themselvs bestst they can. ese days he's happy to make an fort. luis: for two yearars i didn't wear a s suit or anyththinlike that. no t tie, no b t tie. thenen one day my y dauger saia me, dad, today you w will be le a king when you go to the restaurant. a king, i said? me whatevever dyou mean? and d she made sure i dressedd opoperly so thatat i would get some resespect, and out t of ret for fathther angel. rererter: is vincentlostst h job, tn his marrge collapd. he lives on e ststreet but he don't wanto show uthat part of s life. stead, hs inviteus to co ba to the staurantn the eving, wn he will t his me.

right now ththe restaurantnt is still cookining lunch. diners during the day pay ros.s. the profitits are then u usedo provide fofood for free e inhe evenings. as always, luis s vincente has dressesed up for thehe occasi. fatherer angel takeses it very seriously ththat everyone e is l in the eyes s of god. a personon's worth, hehe says, should never be decided by t te amouount of money y he has. fath a angel: so often we crss the e stre to avavoid the homeless. it's a problem the polititicias can't sosolve. it's's about h human rights. it doesn't matatter whether peoe have moneyr r not, tirir digni needto be preserved. portrter: lunteeee also meme here tseserve e poororn the evenin. >> they giveve us volunteeeero much more e than we giveve th, at's the way i see it. and eyey're soratetefu

we mayay be fine at t the mom, but any y of us could d lose ouy at any time. we couldasasilbe in theirr position t tomorrow. reporterjustst bore 8:00the tabl arere laiinsidede and the gueststs start to ararrive. the whole e project is a aimet helpining people to o find thr place e in society a aga. and today there's go newewfor lu. the city authoritieses have fod him m a room. not just a h m meal ten inin gngnified rrououndgs, but a don't forgrget, though, , thae love hearingng from you, s so gn touch. send an email to global3000@dw.com, or drop us a line on facebook. thanks for watching. goodbye for now. ♪

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[monkeys reeching, birds chirping] [cheering and applause] ausubel: when jon stewart launched "the daily show" as a satirical fake news program and stephen colbert introduced truthiness into the lexicon, little did they know they were foreshadowing the coming fakenstein monster. [laughter] soon, kellyanne conway's "alternative facts" would give entirely new meaning to being pro choice. [laughter] this is the moment of post truth, but really, disinformation warfare is as old as the hills, andnd we're hardwireded for it. we need to look nono furtherer than nature, which wrote the bo