♪ obesity is a serious problem. the solution? finding strength in numbers. nearsightedness is skyrocketing in asia. we go to taiwan to find out why. and in uganda we meet some courageous animal-lovers who are helping to save the rhino. rhinos are one of the world's most endangered species. in africa, only zimbabwe, kenya, namibia, and south africa have

reasonably sized populations of them. the reason is poachers who are keen to profit from their valuable horns. they fetch a fortune on the global black market. traders get around $60,000 u.s. per kilo. in uganda their numbers have slowly been increasing in recent years. our reporter julia henrichmann paid a visit to a privately-run sanctuary and met with some committed conservationists. reporter: they're safe here in this sanctuary. it covers 70 square kilometers and is sponsored by the rhino fund. the southern white rhinoceros has been wiped out in other parts of uganda. but here, 24 of them roam the savannah and woodlands. raymond opio is trying to find one for us.

the ranger sometimes has to trek far into the bush to track one down. finally we catch a glimpse of uhuru and her baby, who was born in june. the gestation period for the species is 18 months. we have to be cautious. rhino mothers are ferocious in defense of their young. raymond: uhuru is like mother, like daughter. the mother is the same character. the mother will hear just a small stick breaking, she is very alert. she is already facing that area, that direction. that is what uhuru is. uhuru is a no nonsense lady. so, anything coming around, she will attack. reporter: three rhinos cross our path. the driver is getting a little nervous. raymond: she is just coming to check.

reporter: the safest move when you see a rhino is to freeze. then it understands you don't represent a threat. raymond: ok, we can continue. reporter: about 90 rangers work here. angie genade is in charge. she's been running the rhino fund since 2008, and has brought a lot of new staff on board. and the number of animals in the sanctuary has almost doubled under her direction. angie: the situation of the rhinos has been dire for a long time. there was a short period, maybe in the 1970's, early 1980's where rhinos were pretty secure, and then the poaching spiked. the problem is, it doesn't just spike in one country, it spikes all over. reporter: poachers haven't killed any animals in the sanctuary. the rhino fund has been breeding them here for 18 years now. the first was brought in from kenya, others from various zoos.

when out in the bush among the rhinos, it's important to remain quiet. walkie-talkies can make the rhinos restless. the rangers observe the animals' behavior during the day and at night, documenting where they graze, sleep, and wander. the data are shared with researchers and zoos all over the world. martin lokiru is more involved with the rhinos than he is with his own family. he only sees them twice a year. martin: the rhinos are my second family. they are the one paying my school fees, they are the ones helping my family, keeping them save and free. reporter: the rhino fund is financed largely by tourists, who come here from around the globe. the sanctuary is one of the few places they have a chance to see rhinos in a natural habitat.

karen: we've been all over africa, western africa, and southern africa, and the rhino is the one thing that we have not seen. so, anywhere where we have been looking for the big five we've seen them, but the rhino have just evaded us. so this looked the one opportunity to be able to see them. reporter: the rhinos are only safe in the sanctuary because so many rangers work here. raymond opio explains their strategy. raymond: the thing is, we are very successful up to today because of the community around. because we work hand in hand with the community around. and for this kind of project to stand, the first people is the community. a poacher cannot come from china area, anywhere to come and poach rhinos right from where they are. they have to use the local people, and if the local people are your friends, it is the best. now the local people are our informers.

reporter: and that includes the farmers in the area. they are allowed to graze their cattle in the sanctuary, up to 40 animals each per day. daniel: this sanctuary, they help us to grass our animals. they have enough grass, which helps the animals to increase in the amount of milk. reporter: and the children in the area can now also attend school. it's financed by the rhino fund. the rangers regularly come to talk to the kids about the rhinos, and explain why they're so important. raymond: all of you know what a rhino is. what do rhinos have on their head? >> horns. raymond: how many horns? >> two. raymond: rhinos use their horn to protect themselves. how do they? they fight using their horn. if the enemy comes, they will use their horn and fight. did you know that?

when we started here, people within this area, they were like, it's fine to kill an animal, to kill a wild animal. it's fine to do anything to the wild. cutting trees, it was fine to them. and when we came to be here, it was a big tug of war to get a grassroot person to understand why we should conserve. reporter: raymond opio spends a lot of time out on patrol. he hopes that one day rhinos will again be able to live free, without need of protection. raymond: it will happen that the rhinos go back into the wild in uganda, but we need a very tough law for that, and also we need people that are very much committed in conservation. my dream is to see the rhinos being put back into the national park and multiplying in numbers in the national park of uganda.

reporter: but that will take at least 20 to 30 more years. only then will the organization have bred so many southern white rhinos that some can be released from the sanctuary to roam free in uganda's national parks. host: according to an international survey of eye doctors, in 30 years, half the world's population will be short-sighted. that means everything past a certain distance will be out of focus for 4.7 billion people. researchers sadly predict that a billion of them will be almost blind. short-sightedness can be hereditary. but that can't possibly account for the dramatic increase in numbers. the condition begins in childhood, while the eyes are still developing. if you don't practice looking into the distance, you can end up short-sighted. in many countries, children spend too little time out of

doors, and too many hours staring at phones or tablets, starting at a very early age. this development is particularly acute in countries like singapore, south korea, china, and taiwan. reporter: a dragon boat race in taipei. an exciting event, especially if you can tell who's out in front. yet many here can see about this much -- practically nothing. some 80% of taiwanese children like peggy are severely ortsightedy the time they leave scho. peggy's mother only realized this when peggy was 12 years old. she was constantly falling behi in class tsai: one day she came home and couldn't read anymore. the door told that peggy woulneed an operation if i didn do someing abouit straightway.

reporter: peggy was about to go blind. thentragicallyher father diednd her motr couldn't afford laser eye surgery for her daughter. and so, from their small flat, peggy's mother began selling insurance policies. she'd then sew until t early hours of the morning, scraping together enough ney for a treatment at's becomvery popular inast asia -night nses. the tra thick coact lenses reshapthe patiens cornea while th sleep. but they're only effective if worn every night. and peggs mother h to keep buying newnes. tsai: it's expensive, but the eyes are the windows to the soul. and if she didn't see anything, then the world would be a very dark pla. her thoughts, too. i want her to have light thoughts. chen: i was so scared of going blind. my mother had already prepared meor it. she gome a sleepg mask, an ught me how wash and ld

my socks with it on, for when everything eventually went dark. reporter: peggy was lucky. yet cases of sudden blindness as a resu of shortshtedness a beming ever re common taan. th're mainlyue to the mense presre of succding at school and university. and the continued use of old chinese characters is also problematic. they take a long time to learn because they're complicated and difficult toecipher. ss khan waa successful i. mager and had st develop a nesoftware pgram whehe woke up e mornin looked his ll phoneand couldn't see anything. he h a detacd retina he'dgnored h shortshtednessor too lg. khan undwent 12 erations thout suess. russ: actuallyried to ll myself, d i fail, of coue. because en you'rblind, is difficult do anythi, cluding suide.

so, it was ironic, but then it was to the point that my family made me realize no matter what happened to me, if i blind, i can't hear, i can't move, they're always going to be there for me. that's the love. and because of the family bondings, it made me realize that perhaps if i settle down more melf, i can do something. i n still doomething f myself and others. reporter: since then he's been toing taiwan schools, a livi warning tothers. this principal invited him personally. shwants to move away from conventional, teacher-led classes, which can be bad for the eyes, and instead bring in a more plaul way of learning. khan first describes what it's likeo wake up and not be ae toee. then he tes the studts how st to he a blinderson. it's lesson th's become fixed rt of thtimetabl

the principal wants to attack the probm head-on. toy, two pfessors e viting. she showthem hertudents' hi marks. thprofessorsre here beha of the vernmentnd are analyzinstudy meods. a highanking oicial si in the backound. wu: ort-sighdness isow a natial secury problefor iwan. wee struggng to fi engiers and ldiers. anif our sdents cat see, en in thend theyan't lea anythi. repoer: the udies ar equivoca what needed e fewer teacr-led leons, mor eaks, anmore natural lig. : our rent experents wit chkens andonkeys he clearly own thategular daylightan reducmyopia i ildren b30% a ye. reportereveryonegrees inhe stf room, o.

it's the parents that are the principal's ggest problem. huang: they keep telling me that there are no grades for being able to see well. it's exa they carebout. th say it's more important for their children to do well in ose thant is for theto be able to e. kh, meanwhil is breang more taboos by suggesting the children learn less. ss: every lf hour weive our eyes areak. fohow long? 10 minutes. russ: and how long do you have to play outside each day, at the very lst? >> two hours. reporter: it's something many of their parents uld ratherot mit, but mr. khan is tir childr's ideal tcher. a real pson, talki from his own perienceinstead deliring a cventiona lesson ang: he'a very scial person re in taan we say he fl from the clouds into a deep valley, and hato start a

over ain. the childr understanthat. and i admire him for his courage in sharing his story with us. repoer: khan'secommendatns are mediately t into practice. it's time to get out of the classroom. from now, all ternoon clses will be held outside. the pupi here arnow learng thathe health their eyeis more important than intense study and good grades. and that this sort of learning can be really fun. for most of those here, in any case. host: the fact is, we human beings sit around too much. according to a study by the world health organization, 42% of people in germany are couch potatoes. that's more than the global average. in kuwait, it may apply to as many as 67% of the population.

and that's bad for our health, too. too little exercise can give rise to diabetes, heart and circulation disorders, and weight problems. 2.3 billion people were overweight in 2016. in the small town of naron in northwest spain, people are actively tackling the issue. reporter: hard as it may be, they set off at 7:00 in the morning. and carlos pineiro knows only too well just how hard it can be. that's why the general practitioner always accompanies his patients on their daily walk. 20 to 40 people take part depending on the weather. some are overweight, others have heart problems or diabetes. but after three-quarters of an hour, they all feel great. jose: my friends are all round like barrels, drink too much beer, and then it's coffin here we come.

carlos, our doctor, says move around, don't eat so much, don't take so many pills, that's healthier. and i'm trying to do that. reporter: you don't want to end up like your friends? jose: no, i still have some fight in me. reporter: you need to be pretty optimistic to believe that you can persuade thousands of people to change their lives. at first people used to say, carlos is crazy. but the physician's got naron moving. in this small town in galicia, in the far northwestern corner of spain, almost 4000 people are taking part in this collective exercise. young and old, healthy and sick. and they have discovered a new sense of community along the way. sowing beans is pretty tough work. but this group of pre-schoolers doesn't seem to mind. now it's time to add a kernel of maize to each bean. and of course, everyone knows

what maize kernels are there for. >> it grows into popcorn. reporter: well, not exactly, but that's where lorenzo comes in. he explains maize cobs come first. and they grow on plants that are this big. he can show the kids the apples where apple juice comes from. and the children are even allowed to collect the eggs laid by lorenzo's chickens. the 80-year-old is one of the many volunteers who have embraced the health project. he believes children should learn where food comes from. lorenzo: i show them that salad and cabbages are healthy and completely normal food. how can they know if they like something or not if they've never seen it? reporter: alesandra has lost nine kilos. she's a veteran of carlos pineiro's project. miguel, a relative newbie, is also here for a weigh-in.

carlos: if you keep up your 2000 eps every morning, then you're on the right path. reporter: everyone who has signed up to the project thinks that the most important thing about it is that they're not alone. miguel: there is an advantage to doing things together. you don't want to look stupid in front of the others. so on some days when you really don't feel like getting out of bed, you do it anyway. spain are overweight, and obesity rates have doubled in the last 20 years. in galicia, a relatively poor region, the development is particularly visible. unemployment here is high. many people don't get enough exercise. obesity is frequently linked to poverty. carlos: of course, everyone is responsible for their own health. but it would be a mistake to blame individuals for this

disease. the problem is more common in particular social backgrounds. reporter: seafood and fish used to be a staple part of the diet here in galicia. today, many of these products are fairly expensive. meat, bread, or eggs often end up in people's shopping carts instead. restaurateur diego platas says that doesn't need to be the case. he's making sardines today. they are currently in season, and he says they're full of healthy fats and very affordable. ten restaurants in naron, including diego's, are participating in the health project. their mission is to return to atlantic cuisine with simple-to-prepare food that people can also cook for themselves. and the chefs are happy to tell customers how. diego: this is not sorcery. prepare good quality products well and enjoy them, whether it

takes three minutes or an hour. but people don't take the time to cook these days. reporter: at medical and public health conferences, delegates are being informed about this health project that draws on the expertise of chefs, retirees, and patients. researchers say what is happening in naron is trailblazing. evan: their initiative really attempts to engage the whole community. they're talking about interacting with almost every single member of the city. and that really doesn't happen anywhere else. reporter: and if it's to work, it must be fun, too. that's the line that local schools are taking. sports teachers say kids should be motivated and not preached to. children are getting a chance to try out games and pastimes that their grandparents used to enjoy. >> everyone had forgotten about the old games. now we're playing them again.

>> if i forget a rule, i just ask my grandparents to remind me. >> boys and girls always play football separately. but we can play the old games together. reporter: over the next two years, the aim is to get up to 12,000 people moving. the project leaders are convinced they'll achieve this goal thanks to new ideas and the revival of past traditions. together, they have taken a big step forwards. >> i am a globaleen. host: today, our global teen comes from costa rica. ♪

sharon: my name is sharon pamela pinell analiz. i'm 17 yrs old a i live rtago, cta rica. i have three sisters and my mom in cachi. i get ong really well with them. one sister is engaged and one lives in pueblo nuevo. makes me ally happyo be with my faly. nothg makes happier. when'm away from them i get d. ey're whatakes me haiest life.

in my fr time i li to watch tv oplay with sister. sometis i play ftball, or listen tmusic. when i'm older i'd like to open a beauty salon with my sister. we'd run it together. that my dream. if that doesn't wo out, i'd likeo design cthes. i'd also like to have children with my boyfriend, and i want them to finish high school and not drop out like i did. then ty could doomething with the lives. there are serious oblems her pele leave tsh all ovethe

place. there isn't enough money. some peopllive on thstreet. othersan only ford to nt a home. th don't he enoughoney, and theyuffer alg with tir chilen. announcer: who cares about the flower industry's destructive impacts? >> i do. announce who cares about global lgbt rits? >> i do. announcer: who cares about homeless people living on the streets of l.a.? >> i do. annncer: who pports sustainable farming in the amon? >> i do. nouncer: who cares about equality for women in africa? >> i do.

we're back next week, and in the meantime don't forget to write to us, global3000@dw.com, or on facebook, dw global society. see you next time. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

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