♪ desperate life has become for mama farmers i in australia. we meet members of a very special orchestra in egypt that offersrs visually impaired womea unique opportunity. and we head to zimbabwe to look at what conservationists are doing to protect an endangered species. african wild dogs are extremely successful hunters.

their kill-rate per chase is around 80%, that's far more than lions, for example. the pack animals are key to culling herbivore populations, which helps keeps the ecosystem balanced. but they're under threat. wild dogs used to be a common sight in africa's savannas. in the mid-20th century there were around 500,000 of them. but their range has grown more and more limited, and their numbers have been decimated. in this week's global ideas, we head to southeastern zimbabwe, where our reporter jürgen schneider visited the savé river valley to meet conservationists working to give these unique animals a futurere. reporter: as the day cools down, life slowly returns to the bush in southeast zimbabwe.

the african wild dogs spent the hottest part of the day sleeping in the shade. now in the late afternoon, the pack comes together, ready to go out hunting. the perfect time for jessica watermeyer to check up on the pack. she heads up a conservation project for wild dogs in the savé valley conservancy. it's a protected area that covers 3000 square kilometers. she's spent years working with these animals. jessica: this is our festive pack. and we've called them that because as you can see, they've got t beautiful and very d disc and colorful markingngs. and d they also ppppen to be oe of thehe biggest packs i in the conservancy. so, there are about 11 adults now. started off the denning seseas, or the year, with 12. they had 14 puppies but we're down to seven now, and they're also obviously a very relaxexd and habituated pack, as you can see. so, fantastic for us for working with them and for monitoring and research purpoposes. reporter: wild dogs are among the most endangered carnivores

in africa, with population numbers of around 7000 at most. the savé valley conservancy provides a large area for them to roam freely, which is exactly what they need to survive. impala antelopes are their first choice of prey. jessica: they are incredibly social pack animals. so, just the way that they interact with each other, the way they take carere of each other, the w way they take caref the puppies, how all pack members pull together to look after each other, very different from other social carnivores, for example, lions. when wild dogs had a kill, the adults will let the puppies eat first. they will look after the injured. they will take meat back to the injured. reporter: the savé cononservany was originally formed from an amalgamation of large private ranches. it finances itself through tourism anand controrolled sustainablble huntnting. this means endangered species are protected and the area is

not sacrificed for farmland. outside the conservancy, little of the original bush remains. the local populatition has gro, and more and more land has gone over to farming, leading to increased contact between wildlife and humans. the conservationists now work closely with the local communities to protect the animals. victor chibaya teaches school students about how the wild animals live. he and his team visit thee schools three times a year. many of the children are fascinated. the local villagers often have a very different take on how to deal with the wildlife in their area. vivictor: the trtraditional knowledge, basically, around the conservancy is they normally chase them away if they are predators, but if they are herbivores they normally kill

with even the large carnivores and also the prey species as reporter: chibaya teaches the children about the food chain and explains what happens when one species dies out completely. the idea is s to help the childn see e the importance of conservation. arnold: i think it's great to learn about protecting the animals. and now i know that if poachers come i need to report it to the police or my t teachers. reporterer: the wild dog projet also finances books and teaching materials and even pays the tuition fees for some of the students. this school started working with the conservationists in 2013. headmaster elia ngwenya says a lot has changed since then.

thing. it's there to live because it's very important for the ecosystem. of those kids that have actually passed through this school, we have never had a kid who has been arrested for poaching. reporter: back in the conservancy, the pack are hunting. close to a kill. but this wildebeest is a little too big for them. still, it provides a good sparring partner for the younger dogs to hone their hunting skills. so a after a little excitemen, predators and potential prey dedecide to go their separate ways. but african wild dogs are themselves exposed to danger, even inside the park, as we discover the next day.

ranger cain kodzevhu is out on patrol when a colleague contacts him. cain: they found a carcass of a wild dog dead from a snare. reporter: the ranger immediately heads to the scene, where jessica watermeyer is waiting for him. it soon becomes clear the situation is even worse than they thought. jessica: we got a report this morning g that there were two ds that were caught in wires. they were still fighting the wires. so we rushed here as soon as possible and got here within 20 minutes of the report. but unfortunately by the time we got here the dogs had already strangled themselves and suffocated. reporter: it's a senseless killing. the dogs weren't even the target of the poachers. they set the wire traps to catch antelopes. ththe dogs tried to free themselves b by biting through e wire, but ththe copper was too tough. worse still, it's the e alpha me that's beeeen killed, , along h

another adult dog, the best hunters in the pack. jessica: the nexext step will e for our scouts to o work with se of the local ranch scouts and to move through this area now and sweep and make sure we can pick up as many of these wires as possible. ideally, you pick the wires up before this happens. reporter: the wire is almost invisible in thehe dense bush d ththe area is vastst. but the rangers manage to find around 50 wire traps. jessica: dogs are unique to africa. we won't find them anywhere else. and as conservationists working in africa, we have a duty to protect them, to make sure that they stay here for future generations. and they are a completely genetically distinct species. and once they're gone, they're gone. reporter: the rest of the pack will stick together until the juveniles are fully grown. fortrtunately the alpha female s survived unscathed, , otherwie the pack would have broken up. but with her mate now gone, hopes of gaining a new litter of puppies this year now look slim.

reporter: almost half of the australian land mass is now devoted to agriculture. somef the e rritory used to raise grai but much more i giveover to vestock. nely 80% othe couny's agricuural procts are ld abad. inin017, harvests we particularly goo th a droug in 2018hrew the seor into tailspin still, pduction ntinues to ri. but only lge-s-sca farms a king in bstantiaprofits. the las30 yearsaround 4 austral's smallarmers ve givenp. that's h an oftedevastatg fect on em and tir communits. reporter: steve germon is a farmer. and twtwice, he's coconsidered committiting suicide.

just getting through the days is a big challenge. the family-run farm is now in its fourth generation, but it's no longer making a profi a and slolowly ing crcrusd by debeb steve's father and grafafather alsoad upsps a downs. but the sisituation has s nevern worse e thant is n now. and ththat hurts hisis prid. steve: i i don't want t to got because of t the financialal reasons.s. i'd like to o be able to p picy own time t to go out. but t it's making g it very draining, , and makingng it vy hard to o be able to k keep go. it ds have a huge e mental burden on you. reporter: the price of cow's mi hasas dropped by y nearly 2% in t the last threree years. and then camame a drought.t.

steve had to slaughter 57 lvlves wiwithinour momont becausesee couldn't afford toeed d them. he was goingng to take hisis n life, but something stopped m.m. ste: p probay my l litest girlrl becae e her ther h h found the letttter'd left on the vs s at the dairsaying that i wa't comimi home. anand thsquealalg, i could hear em squealing tryg g to fd meme, so thinknkhat's sort of wh pulled me up a ttttle b. reportermary guys a 56-year-d widow. her sband coitted suide in late016. she saysames was strong ma wi a z zest for li. but even w with her salalary wog as a n nurse, they c couldn't e ends meet. mary: 'd b been a farmer since he was 15. and we had made the decision to

get out bebefore that hahappe. reporterer: it was a r rational decision, but her husband couldn't cope with it emotionally. james hanged himself. mary: it's a lifestyle, it's our life. weive and breathe the land. they lovitit, theyrulyly do. to the point of not lolooking after themselves. yeahah. reporter: mary is convceced that ifmall f farmers were e able o earn morore at the jobob, hr husband mimight still bebe al. farmers in australia d don't rereceive any susubsidies. the e number of fafarmers has fn by 40% in ththe st 30 yeyes. mary: we'r're so bususy just tg to survive on our own farms, we don't often get a chancece to e getherer a supportach otherr

reporter: mary managedo o lease ththe farm she's very open abt t tellin james' story. alst everye knowowfarmers o susuff from depression she says ty y needo talklk more out the strain they'y'render. mamary: tting g rmers to do it is whole differentetettle fifish because a all farmers e vevery stoic, ththey all tendo carry on just doinwhwhat ty need to o dond toughing it o.. report: martinutler habeen a farm and socl workeror mo than 30ears. he ss you ne to appriate e nice ments, li heading outo the sep on a nny morning. with droughts, ienense fincialal pressure, , and globalizizati, auaustralian fararmers have a ao worry about. in rural areas, the suicide rare isis at ast twtwice as high h n the cities, , says martin.n. deprpression is cocommon.

he says people likhihim are the bestst position to h help. other socicial workers w who a' farmers ththemselves donon't understand the proemems they ha. martin: they might come from a larger town or a capital city, and theyey come with g great intentions, , but really, , je, they just do n get it. they just don'geget what the moodod is. and thahat's very --y themselves, , they becomee disappointed, and the opople who th were e heing gett dippoiointed reporter: martineadsds to the olabrais farmersshop.. it's a convenienent ace in the areao meetethe farmers and findnd o who needs help. in the feed aislesr r those r spare e trtor partrt sometimemes it's just t a chat. sometimemes he arrangeges for m to meet doctors or financial exrts s in t city.y.

martinin: if you endnd up in memelbourne or s sydney, you'r'e likely to be picked up more quickly ththrougoutreaeach seservices or memental health.h. whereas if you've got ththat n alicice springs or if you go o plplaces've wowork, a placac called achicha, which is in the midd o of nowhe, t turkecreek,k, you u don't see doctors for blby months. rereporter: backck on steve's , itit's n only y fincial prprlems that are weiing him wn.. hehe also had a stayn hospital, d is trying to g through a brokenararriag but ste e can'see anan alternate fofor mself other than to cay y on farming. his twdadaughterhaveve to lp out, mililking the cowows beford afteter scol. how do ty y dealith thth situatio jessica: donon'treally. i don't knowi i justaven't'tad meme fort. i've got to ma somome me, a lot of time. repoer: ststevnow has a

erapapisin the city, whoee lls whwh he can't cope. hetill somehow hop t that 'll all work out steve:'d like believen it, but ople thi t the tth fairy and ntnta cls are e ue too. so,o.o. you knkn, i don't know wt ththe outcome isalall i ow is wee justotot to ep pluluing on for a bibit nger. porter: when ste gerermo els down now, heriries tnks abt his s o daughters, and at everything ist t alwayss dark as it might at times seem. host: one of our reporters discovered a tasty snack on tenerife, and it's home-grown, too. reporter: the largest t the cacanaryslandsds, nerife, , s formed by vovolcanic activivity several millllion years agag the island i is a paradisese r peopople who love e potatoe. with fertile volcanic ilil and a mi climamateear-rounun they

thriveve there. we stumbmbled on the c chipssn tenerife's capital santa cruz. everything here revolves around the beloved fried version of the potato. the e snack shop i is run by a canaririan-italian c couple, de decadenti and massimo gerola. so who came up with the name? denise: itit was my husbsband's idea. wewe we lookining for nameme, n of course ititad to have something too with potatoes. chips, chipspssy. inin the end, chchipssy won o. reporter: ththere are nearlyl0 difffferent varieteties of potan the e canaries. the tuber r was first dodomestid around 13,000 years aginin south america, andnd they were introduced to europe aerer the spananh conquests ther tenerife, potatoes s are a staple. dedenise: there are virtually o dishes on tenerife that are not served with h potatoes. they'r're boiled, roroasted, fd and baked.d. potatatoes are alwlways pa of e

equation. reporterer: the frenchch friese are never frozen, like in ma restrantnts, b cut f fre every day. freshsh vegetable o oil iso importrtant, say thehe locals. but which potatoesake the best fries? denise: it has to be a reall llow poto thatatoesn't contain too much starcrch. otherwise, it will still b be w inside when it's crispy ouidide. rereport: the e chs are avaiailable with a wide vaetetyf sauc. denisese: the sauces make all e difffference. we're the e only ones onon the islandith h 26 of them.. rereporter: : there are diffet kikinds of mayononnaise, ketc, guguacamole. there's s even a chococolate s. so what dohe custors l lov most abo chihips? >> they take the dish to a who w lelevel. it's quauali productct. ifif youo somemewhe else, , te

potatoes just aren't as goodod,r they use f frozen fries.s. d sometimes you just feel li hang f freshnes, l likthese. reporterer: so if you're in th od f for aelicioious fried popotato dish with amazing sauc, you should definitely stop by. chipssy is also easy on your wallet. a memeal deal coststs between r eueuros d six x euros. host: according to t the world health o organization,n, aroun6 million peoplele around the e d are complete blindnd, d 217 mimillion have moderate to seve visual impairment, which makes it verery difficult to participe in society. in developing countries, estimates susuggest up to 90% f blind children don't receive an educatn, and tha80% of blind adults are unemployed. so it can be life-changing when the visually impaired are given opportunities.

reporter: arm in arm, they walk to their final rehearsal. tonight, these musicians are playing at mansoura university in the nile delta. it will be their fifth concert in four weeks. the musicians don't use music stands or sheet music. their conductor walks around, checking tuning. as once the concert begins, the orchestra will be leading themselves. mohamed: when we start working on a piece, we give ourselves plenty of time. the women haveve to engrave eah note into ththeir memory. they d don't have a classical score in front of them. they have to learn the entire thing by heart. and for some pieces, that's a lot. reporter: the music school lies

visually-impaired girls new opportunities. the scschool has its fourth generation of students. nearly 100 girls live, learn, and play music here. now well established, the school was a daring venture when it was founded in 1961. when zeinab khalil joined, blind people were often sidelined in society. today, the 57-year-old is a coach and confidant to the young girls. zeinab: when i got my place at school, my life was really tough. everyone who trains here has a bright future e ahead of them. reporter: to learn an instrument without eyesight requires not only talent, but also endurance and an empathetic teacher. zeinab khalil discovered her love for the oboe at 12, and then l learned t to read braie musical l notation. years later she won her place in the orchestra, the c crowning achievement. today, she teaches other girls

because she wants to give back to the school. zeinab: it is our duty to teach the young. the generations learn from one another. i would be very proud if one of my students here were able t o make it into the orchestra. three of them have managed so far. reporter: but music is by no means everything here. the students learn other subjects too, including english. english is schaimaas zakareia's second great passion, after the violin. helpless in foreign countries. shaimaa: as a child, i loved

langnguages. i wanted to make frienends abrd and learn about other cultures. reporter: the orchestra's program is demanding. it includes both classical and popular music from around the world. at the final dress rehearsal, there is still work to be done. these are long days for the musicians. they start at 5:00 a.m. and finish at 9:00 at night. they have to study, play, teach. but they say there's nowhere else they'd rather be. shaimaa: i feel very proud. when i play music, i feel like i am in another world, i am no longer on earth. i forget everything, the problems, the fatigue.

i am one with myself, in the world i love, where i like to be. reporter: and yet it's a world under threat. the girls' lodgings and lessons are free of charge, but it's not clear how long that will continue. donations have decreased in recent years. but there e is little thought f that on the night of the concert. with seconds to go, the conductor hands over the stage to the musicians. ♪ at the end, after a total of 14 pieces, many are visibly moved. >> i wasn't expecting them to play so well.

i am so impressed by the cononct anand the musisicians. it's amazing, wonderful. i wish them all success and lots of luck. reporter: and for this orchestra, that is what it's all about. ininspiring othehers through m, and redefining what's possible. host: who cares about thflflower indury's d desuctive i iacts? >> i do. host: who cares s about global lgbt rights? >> i do. host: who careres about homeles peopople living onon the streef l.a.? >> i do. host: who supports sustainable farmrming in the a aman? >> i i do. host: who cacares about eqequay for women n in africa? >> i do.

we're back next week. don't forget to send us your comments. write to global3000@dw.com. bye for now. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

narrator: the heart o of many large cities lies in their historic neighborhoods, but across the world, the cultural vitality of these neighborhoods is threatened by the forces of gentrification and crumbling structures. hear from the people of boyle heights in los angeles and the old quarter in hanoi, vietnam, aathey work to improve andnd preserve their communities.