straddling the border between the two countries. hundreds of people are waiting in the queue. the midday heat is oppressive. ruben: nahum, will you take mayte to be your wife, to love her, respect her, to support her, in good times and bad? if so, please answer "i do."

reporter: there's no shortage of witnesses here. but it's still somehow romantic. >> it was lovely, and a nice distraction from all this waiting. mayte: i am so happy. reporter: now though, there's some more waiting ahead. four days after the wedding. we're back in mexico, in a city, and a house, whehere the coupe didn't ever plan to live. nahum: now we'll submit the papers for the visa. but we don't know how long it will all take. and until we get the good news, we'll be living here. reporter: currently it takes up to two years for visas to be issued. but then the happy couple will be able to start their life together in the united states.

host: just over a billion people worlrldwide have a physical or mental impairment. some 15% of the global population. 80% live in developing countries, and that can make things even more challenging. people with disabilities are less likely to finish school or get a job, and often end up living in poverty. down syndrome, or trisomy 21, affects an estimated six million people worldwide. it's caused by one extra chromosome, which can lead to a range of developmental and health effects. in egypt, one young woman is determined that none of that will stop her achieving her goals. reporter: rahma khaled has truly swum her way to freedom. the 23-year-old has down syndrome. here, with her new friends, she's in her element.

rahma: i'm happiest when i'm here practicing with my friends. i chat and play with them. and i feel like a champion. reporter: they're training for an upcoming international competition. their coach specializes in working with down syndrome children. he says military-type drills are a dead end. the children need affection. wadi: they're very e emotiona. loving comes easily to them. but so does hate. they like me, so they follow my coaching instructions. reporter: rahma's mother is often hurt by the cruel discrimination her daughter endures. but swimming has helped make up for that a little. after all, rahma has already won several medals in international competitions.

but away from the popool, thins havet t been easy.y. rahma: the hardest part for me was when i wanted to go to kikiergarten a and school. many people were against me going to school. they said be thankful that you can walk and talk. they don't understand down syndrome. i am not disabled. i have down syndrome. that makes me special. >> i fulfill rahma's wishes and tell her "go try it." when she was studying tourism, she told me she'd also really like to get into media. i asked her why. she said she wanted to change things and that tv is good f fr that. reporter: and rahma khaled realized her ambition. she co-hosts a morning show on the popular egyptian tv channel dmc. ahead of the show, rahma chats

with two of heher guests, twis who are also both engineers. them the three of them make their way to the studio. a presenter with down syndrome was a courageous step for the station, but one that many welcome. mariam: we found it a little unusual at first. but then we thought itit was great, because the resulult is fantastic. she can speak very well. reporter: rahma has been presenting the morning show for nine months together with a colleague. she always opens the show, one of two main anchors. both rahma and dmc are pushing boundaries. rahma: i'm proud and happy. because i'm doing something to enlighten society. society knows that we can do

this now. that we are integrated into society, that we belong to it, that onene chromosome dodoesn'te a difference. down syndrome makes us special. we will not be discouraged by that label. reporter: rahma khaled says her message is well received. she has already succeeded in convincing mothers of children with down syndrome that they are a gift from god. host: china seems set on expanding its global reach. beijing is investing more than 800 billion euros in new trade routes across asia, africa, and europe. it's an economic stimulus program on a vast scale, and one which is also, inevitably, altering the lives of people in local areas. one key route passes through pakistan's hunza valley. what does this mean for people there?

how do they see their future along this new silk road? reporter: we are travelling along one e of the highehest rs in the world, the karakoram highy inin paktan. police are accompaining uso a hugege building sisite where noo otheher western journalisthahae bebeen pmitteded tfilm up p til now. and where they are bu reconstructing and upgrangng the routas parart china's'selt and road initiative. it's going to be a long ururney throrough dramatic m mountan scenenery. an archaic w world dominatatey men and guns. but then suddenly we come acssss thisis pla. a carpenters' workshop where women hahave the say. and where e they work anand en momoney -- sometething unheardrn this region.

this regegion. aqeela: someme years back,k, pe arare very aggressive, and we he a loof q questns frorom them, and they saiaid this is nonot a woman's job,b,o stop thihis. reportrter: but the e courages aqeelala bano and heher colleas didn't s stop. impressed byby the standarardf their r work, more a and moe customerers bought fururniture, wiwindows, and d doors built be wowomen. and thahat couragededh. a a restaurant a and a music sl wewere built alolongside the workshshop. the projt t is unie inin thi part of pakistan. aqeela: the sosociety is completely patriarchal soctyty. soso thefore t theare sepapate. as iaiaid, tse bararers, we e gogointo break them, a hofully some yearsftfter, ybe these questis arare ybe remove repoer: : aqla bano comes fr the huhunza valley, , a place e titime sms to o ha stood s sll, anwherere le and female ross are e rictlylyefined.

where e women normally mind childrenen and men sit arod plplaying games,s, something w spsprang up. it was the r rebuilding ofof ad fort in n tharea thahafirst lit the spark. internioional rearchcher drted in teegers from or famies to help among them, aqeela bano. eelala: ey gave us a sma opportrtity for young gis anand ysys whoere mamainalized and ulultrpoor. and i was onofof the and therore thisort is very portananto me because th fort changed my life, in a positive w.. repoporter: was harwork.. theyey had to rebuild old llls ing g tradional l meods devised by their ancesto.. meods s thatade bubuilngs likeke this earthquake-proooof. aqaqeela bano hahas retained r respspect for thisis ancient knowledgdge. she also draws on it iththe stauauranthat ththe men builil o. they o offer tradititional dis

aqeeeelaif one of the won n is a usewife and she comomplely doininthe same job in r homeme it's ok r r all,ecausesehe didn't get sommoneney. but here, e e is ening m mey to take e care of her r kids anl stf lilike ts. again, we arare fighting w with thosose people whoho are questig us. reporter: huhunza is no ststrar toto trade, situtuated as it i s alalong the old d silk road, wh led d across the k karakoram mountain ranange to china.a. when they play on their ancient inststruments in h hunza, you l asas if you're b being transpod back to a lolong-forgottenen . but many here fear theirir valy could sosoon be changeged beyd rerecognition. china wantnts the karakokorm highwaway to become e part f beijing's nenew silk road.d. the section near hunza is fifinished and it's alrlready turningng ts upside down n here.

ali: thehe change is q quite r, and d i would say y that the ls are not even prepared d for i. and it's's chaing ththe whole dynamics of f the area. you know, , the income c comingm the soututhern part ofof pakin and ththe chinese siside. reporter: aqeela bano believes thatat the changes w won't necessssarily bring g more frem for r women, but s simply maket rich richer at t e expensef e poor. she agrees that the inststments wiwill cate a a coletely dierent t hua valleyey and so she's determinetoto use her busineness to help a as my poor womenen as she can.n. aqeela: now it still looks like hunza. but later on maybe we can call hunza a different name just because of t this change h he. so, we're nonot into it, t to d a huge hotel andrereate mess.. but, as you see, we ha t to he those women who e rereal ultra-poor, and theyey support their fafamilies.

reporter: : and that's w why e won wantnt to carry ononith the projecect. ththey say they owowe it to tr chchildren. announcer: repression and discrimination are part ofof le for many women around the wowor. on our new facebook channel, dw men, you'll findtotoriesbout those taking a stand, and inspiring others t to do the sa. dw women gives a voice to the women of our world. host: 2.1 billion people worldwide have little access to clean drinking water. agririculture uses m more watern anything else -- 69%. then comes manufacturing. meanwhile, private households use just 12% of the world's water. the effects of global warming and an ever-expanding world population will almost certainly

lelead to widespread water shortages. the potential for conflict is great. parts of the u.s., india, and africaca are already experiencg acute shortages. the nile river basin is one place of potential conflict, and people here are looking for a solution. reporter: siproza charles makes baskets. she even made the chair she's sitting on. papyrus grown on the banks of the nearby mara river, along with its water, are the raw materials for her business. but that's's not all the river provides for the people of marasibora village. siproza: during the e dry seas, the mara river is the only source of water. so we use e for drinking, bathing,ndnd washi clolothes reporter: the mara river in northwestern tanzania is a lifeline for local villagers. they have to travel almost three

kilometers to collect fresh water. people here only use a small amount of water for their homes, livelihoods, and animals. but populations upstream are growing, polluting the river and putting pressure on the water supply. siproza: if the pollution continues and is not prevented, the marara river wl l dry up. and if it dries up, it won't only aect t masibora, , but also those liliving further up rive. they are the ones poututing the water, b b it's us at the lower end who o are mainlyffecected. reporter: siproza charles is village chief and chair of the water users' association in the village. the organization was set up to conserve and protect the village water resources. but there's only so much they can do. charles thinks the government needs to do more. john situma is a coordinator for

a project working with the government to do just that. he's come to marasibora to find out how much water people use, and how the river has changed over time. he and his team want to make sure there's enough water for people living all along the river. they want to boost biodiversity, too. john: we also require water for environmental flow, basically the minimum amount of water that should bleleft withihin the rir to flow dodownstream and take ce of both the animals and the vegetation within the river basin. reporter: the mara river project is funded by the international climate initiative and implemented by the nile basin initiative. the social survey is just one element. this farmer is looking to expand his field of crops. to do that, he needs to be able

to access water more easily. but that could cause problems in the river. fertilizers and herbicidides fm agriculture are among the pollutants that sully the water. john: the people are farming up to the river banks, and by that, you know, they cause soil erosion, which gets into the water channel and goes all the way down to lake victoria, and also reducing the depth and the width of the channel of the river. reporter: the river's source is in kenya's mau forest. from there, it flows over the border into tanzania through the serengeti and into lake victoria. deforestation and large-scale agriculture upstream damage and pollute the river, and that has an impact here. scientists are collecting data to form a water allocation plan

and facilitate a political agreement between the kenyan and tanzanian governments. they want to make sure people on both sides of the border have access to water and avoid any future conflict. the current health of the river is an important aspect of the project. the scientists examine water quantity, , ph balance, temperaturure, and otherer fac. al: wewe msure thehese parametersrs because if wewe d they are o outside of ththe cot range, t then we know there is pollution n in theiverer. and thatat is somethining that d affectct all the lifife in the r as well asas other usersrs, lis human n bein. reporter: today,he waterh h is nonormal but water levels both in the wet and dry seasons have fallen over the years, which could be a problem if that trend continues.

a problem also for these water users in the serengeti. here, the mara river provides an essential source of water for animals, including more than a million wildebeest who migrate here every year. the migration brings in tourists, and with it, income for tanzania. the mara river post hotel does not use the river's water, but the river does give the hotel an advantage. raphael: i think the hotel will not be here if the river will not be here as well, because the river attracts a lot of games, of animal, so it attractcts a t of clients, , a lot of touristso come here because of the animal. reporter: making sure those animals get enough water on both the kenyan and tanzanian sides of the border. that's also an important part of the agreement that will be drawn up. raphael: they dodon't know the borderer that this is tanzania d this is kenya. and the migratioion, when they

moved from serengeti whereby is found in tanzania, they go into kenya, whereby it is a massive mara game reserve, so they always overlap the whole territory. so, we have really a very big task for the two countries to make sure that we presesve this river. reporter: back in marasibora, siproza charles fears there could come a day when the water in the mara river stops flowing. siprozoza: the mara a river isy important for me because as you know, without water, t there is life. reporter: only an agreement between tanzania and kenya will ensure there is a future for siproza charles and for all the people and wildlife who rely on the river.

host: that's all from "global 3000" this week. thanks for watching. we'd love to hear what you thought of the program, so drop us a line to global3000@dw.com. and don't forget, we're on facebook, dw women. see you soon. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

announcer: on this episode of "earth focus"... we vivisit oil-rich communitiesn california's san n joaquin vavay and along alaska's arctic slope, where residents are asking tough questions about the consequences ofof fossil fuel extractction. it's been t the bedrock of their economicic livelihoods for deces but is now fracturing communities and threatening the planet. [camera's shutter advancing]