host: welcome to "global 3000." cattle rananching is devevastag brazil's natural environment. yet so far, there are few sustainable alternatives. doctor andnd entrepreneur ernet darkoh is determined to revolutionize africa's health care system using big data. fifirst though, , we head to c, to find out why hundreds of thousands of citizens are taking to the streets. angry protests and widespread unrest.

people are demonstrating across south america people. they're calling for an end to corruption, social inequality. some are alleging election fraud. bolivia's s president hahas aly been t toppled. venezuela's is in the midst of a power struggle. and in chile, hundreds of thousands ofeople are demandining constitutitional d economicic reform, as s well a higher basic wage and affordab althth car reporter: the trade union flag that francisco is carrying is well-worn. it has been carried aloft at every strike of valparaiso's port workers. tattered though the flag may be, it could now be leading the workers into a new future. francisco: president piñera has to go. it's going to be difficult, but we'll succeed. i am marching for my children. they are still young, and i want them to have a better future, to have the chance to go to college and find a good job.

reporter: conservative president sebastián piñera is the target of the peoples' anger. his pro-business policies have led to stronong economic growt. but many people have been left behind. income inequality is high. a program of extensive privatization since the early 1980's has seen prices soar for many services. erich: piñera out. patricia: no more piñera. reporter: erich, patricia, and their son santiago live on a hillside overlooking the bay of valparaiso. the old town is a unesco world heritage site that is popular with tourists. still, life is tough for many people here, and there has been coconsiderable unrest. even middle-class professionals like erich and patricia, who are architects, can hardly make ends meet. papatricia: a fifth of what we earn each month goes on our

private medical insusurance. but if youou fall seriously il, you have to pay more on top to get treaeated. our son was sick, and we had to spend two weeks' income on his treatment. in chile, health is not a right, but a privilege. reporter: one factor behind a declining birth rate is the fact that life has become so expensive. patricia and erich say they doubt they will have any more children. erich: having only one child means we can truly provide for him. a good school that we have to pay for, good hehealth care tht we have to pay for. we can afford that with one child, but with two or three it would be very difficult. reporter: such basic choices are constrained by the economic conditions in chile. many people feel they have no power over their own lives, and are subject to a harsh and unjust system. erich is also a painter, and

uses art to express his feelings. erich: my paintings show this explplosion. the colors are in part translucent and in part opaque. you don't know what's going on behind them. the red stands for the shots that have been fired. people have been killed. i feel anger and anxiety. these feelings need to find expression. what we are seeing on the streets is a rebellion. reporter: the colors of rebellion. this anger is also visible in the capital santiago. protesters have posted photos of some of those killed during the unrest. they blame the police. some protesters have also committed acts of violence, torching shops and bus stops. rocks and rubble are used as makeshift weapons. crews are meant to remove them before the next demonstration,

but rarely manage to keep pace. in valpararaiso, most demonstrations h have been peaceful, though there have been violent clashes there, too. at a bar near the harbor, carousing soon gives way to calls of "piñera must go," the main rallying cry, and "we demand reforms and a new constitution." at the counter, we meet francisco, who's here with his dockworker colleague, martín. martín: we need new politicians who come from our social class and understand our lives. francisco: we are angry. everything's getting moree expensive. people have to take ouout loas just to get by. how can families feed theieir children if two incomes still aren't enough? reporter: it is a common problem. protestors blame neoliberalism and privatization.

services and goods are expensive, wages and pensions are low. up the hill, we witness an example of grass-roots democratic initiative. an "open cabildo," or council, is rather like a town-hall meeting. it's a traditional institution in parts of south america, and is now enjoyoying a revival he. santiago: : we want to createa better chile, starting with this kind of micro-politics. we want to initiate the process of drafting a new constitution. it shouldn't be some grand document written by others. it should be generated by the people. reporter: patricia and erich are also at the meeting. they say it's time to show solidarity. patricia: we've been focused on living our own lives for too long, oblivious to what's going on around us. that's what neoliberalism has done to us. we have to change that. reporter: the constitution enshrines this economic model

and the primacy of private property. the prospect of a sudden about-turn is slim. but the concessions on pensions and taxes offered so far by the government have not satisfied the protestors. they are demanding more fundamental changes to the system. prosperity for all, that's their dream. host: inadequate healthcare is a big concern in many places around the world. according to the world health organization, a third of all countries have less than one doctor for every 1000 residents. that leaves half of the global population with no access to decent medical care. the situation is particularly pertinent when it comes to fighting hiv-aids. in africa alone, 26 million people are hiv positive, two-thirds of the world's cases. but one entrepreneur in south africa's cape town is determined to revolutionize the continent's health care system.

reporter: ernest darkoh lives in cape town, south africa. he has an md and a master's in public health from harvard, and an mba from oxford. but he always knew he wanted to work in africa. ernest: we are literally one of the most richest and vibrant continents you can imagine, right? and alththough i technically dot have what i callll a home couny in africa, because i have moved around my whole life, i really do feel africa as a whole is my home, and i am a product of africa. and this is really a place where i feel like i am in my element and i can make the biggest difference. reporter: darkoh is visiting a new clinic for transgender patients. he's an expert in public health-care management. his company, broadreach, is helping the clinic optimize its operations. many of the patients are or hahe

been sex workers. many are hiv positive. there is still a lot of stigma attached to transgender in south africa, and healthcare has been sparse. but here, both patients and staff are accepted for who they are. gigita: i choose to loveve ane truly to myself and not fit into your box. i decicided, and i chosese tot out of the box and just be me, and let me be a transgenender woman, that's me. and if you don't like it, get back into your box and see if you are going to be comfortable in that box. reporter: many transgender people struggle to survive. there is an urgent need for access to care and counseling. igshaan: their families have abanandoned them, their communy has abandonened them. so there is no support from anybody. and a lot of them say when we go to the community, we do outreach, they say that "yes, there is an hiv program, we do

need the serviceces, the healthcare services, but can we start with us as a human being, you know, me as wanting to be a female?" reporter: broadreach will analyze patient data from the clinic in order to establish what issues have to be addressed. ernest: it is critical for us to always be able to focus on populations that have the most need and to bring our services to bear for them to make a tangible difference in their lives. i always feel like if we are not helping those who are the most hardly done by, the most marginalized from services, then we are actuaually not doing or job as a company. reporter: transgender people are just one of several constituencies that are marginalized and hard done by. unemployment is around 30% overall, and 55% for young people in south africa. the world bank says it's the country with the highest level of economic inequality in the world. while the constitution says

healthcarere is a basic right, e public healthcare system that serves the vast majority of the population is sorely overstretched. hiv-aids, for example, continues to be a a major problem. ernest: the usa has one million people with hiv. one million. south africa, eight million. kwazulu- natal alone, 3.4 million. so meaning one province in south africa has three times the amount of hiv than the whole of the usa. reporter: ernest darkoh is convinced that better data can help optimize health care. for example, if a district knows how many residents are hiv positive, they w will know wht medications will be needed. ernest: when youou think aboutu, it's all again about data and your ability to receive that data, and when you don't have this data available, in essence you have failures of care, and largely speaking across the african continent at the moment, you have massive, massive failures of care.

reporterer: broadreach uses artificial intelligence in its mission to strengthen and deliver healthcare services to underserved populations. it has grown fast, and now advises governments, donors, implementers, and the private sector. ernest: when i look at the scale of our organanization right no, it sometimes feels quitete unbebelievable, bebecause whee started it, literally it was just us founders and a volunteer, and we finally won our first contract and we were able to pay the volunteer who became our first employee, and then now fast forward from 2003 to now, 2019, and wewere over 1200 people. so, it is quite the enterprise at the moment. reporter: poverty and social inequality are exacerbated by inefficient healthcare management. in the right hands, big data can help make medical care more efficient and treat more patients across africa.

host: brazil is home to the world's largest rainforest. its well-being is essential for our planet's climate and bio-diversity. but cattle are a major threat. there were just under 215 million of them in brazil in 2018. cattle farming is responsible for 80% of brazil's deforestation. and the destruction has accelerated this year. brazil is the world's biggest beef producer. last year, the south american nation exported 1.64 million tons of it. most of brazil's cattle are found in mato grosso. that's where a sustainable alternative is most desperately needed. reporter: this is a daily pastime for these youngsters, herding cattle, or "meschér com boi" as they call it. they've grown up with the animals. cattle breeding is king here in this region.

alta florésta, a municipality in the north of the brazilian state of máto grósso, is located in the amazon biome, and it's cowboy country. many locals say that 30 years ago, there was nothing here. by nothing, they mean rainforest. since then, they have opened the land for development, and they're proud of that. thiago: they came here with the government's encouragement. they were encouraged to deforest, encouraged to cultivate the land. then new laws were passed, and they were told they couldn't clear the forest anymore. first they're supposed to cut down the trees, now they're supppposed to reforest some are. that change of course has led to conflict. reporter: this conflict is a rereality acrossss much of thehe regigion. the soil on n many far i is no long produducte enoughgho support cattle. one w rerequir a hececta of land. that's land that doesn't go toward feeng people,nd the environmtal cost ihigh.

wi the fort gone, e cattle ro freely,estroyinthe remaing vegetaon and polling the rings. urent: t situati here is coletely bkward. this area should never have come under cultivation.n. it's under permanent nature conservation. there shouldn't be any cattle here, and it should nener have been deforested. this is how it looks on most farms in the area, because this is how the animals get access to water. that's why we want to bring the water to the cattle rather than ththe cattle to the wawater. reporter: laurent micól's company pecsa aims to transform cattle ranching here in compliance with environmental laws. he and his partners came up with the idea, and it's urgently needed.

it all startrt three years ago on thiraranch. the soil has been replisished, and ere's s a w producucon model.l. it i iolves fenced-in paddocks, rotationalal grazing, anand, t importanantly, a new s sourcef water and a specl cattle feed. owowner célslso beláqwput hiss faith in micol, the environmental conservationist, as many here view him. the experiment paid off. now the ranch can sustain 3500 head of cattle, a larger herd on much less land. and they're ready for slaughter after just two years. laurent: this is how the cattle management works. when the grass has reached a height of about one meter or 80 centimeters, we let the cattle into the paddock. they eat the best part of the grass, thehe leafy part at the top. after two or three daysys,e close that paddock and open the

gate to the next one, where the grass has reached the optimal height. reporter: in the meantime, the other pasturure areas can recov. this system is easier on the soil. the farmers also grow a different type of grass than is usual for the region. mombasa grass is rich in protein, but requires the grazing cattle to be rotated regularly. celso: it's changed a lot. the entire area you see here was totally degraded. for 25 years all we e did was exploit the land, until it could hardlyly produce anything anymo. through the partnership with pecsa, we'e've turned it intoa flourishing garden for t the cattle. and productivity has increased a lot. it's practically quauadrupled. reporter: the land aunund the spsprings and onon the river m s hahas been refororted. in some e cases, even n more n ththe law demandnds, accordino mil.

water for the cattle is now piped to the pastures from the basin. improved water quality also helps increase yield. the rehabilitated soil can take up more co2. and the modified fodder means the cattle produce less methane. pecsa's business model aims to reap both environmenta otecectionnd prorofi. the compmpany helps inincrease yiyields, and inin return receca large share of the surplus for six years. soil remediationon is expense.. itequires seraral pass witith heavavy machinery y and lare quantitieses of nutrientnt the addeded lime alone a amouno one toton per hectarare. laururent: the ranches are bi. we're not talking about farms of 10 or 20 hectares. we are talking here about ranches of 700 hectares and more. that quiuickly brirings costso about 1.5 million reais, more than 300,000 euros. that's a sum that momo ranchers can't cocome up with on their o.

reporter: what happens then? ranchers who can't afford to invest such large sums risk going under. and that makes them easy prey for the soybean lobby. it's an increasing presence in the region and benefits from the current political climate in the country. the focus of this event bringing together producecers and politicians is expanding the agricultural front. in his speech, the district chairman says the region takes great pride in its potential for growth. he says alta f fresta was once a city of gold prorospectors and loggers. now it has bececome a centeref cattle ranching. and finally, agribusiness is moving in, too, he says. the widespread view here still isis that only deforested lands productive land.d. forests s cost tax mononey and t bring in big yields. thpepecsa fodersrs taka

pragmac approa. they don expect forestatn to happen on a grand scale here. but it can succeed on a small scale, and chip away at entrenched beliefs. thiago: our main argument in favor of reforestation is the protectionon of water sources. what use is a cattle ranch if you have no water on your land? that's a strong argument to win them over. reporter: the idea is that it's better to preserve the region's cattle ranches. if they shut down, new ranches will crop up elsewhere, and that will bring more deforestation. livestock farming doesn't look set to disappear anytime soon. laurent: many forecasts indicate that global beef consumption will continue to rise for decades to come. that production has to come from somewhere.

all the studies suggest that the place with the greatest potential for meeting this demand is brazil, and the amazon regionon. so, wewe have a cho. where do we produce? we say it should be done on land that's already been deforested. and on those areas, we can increase productivity by a factor of two, three, seven, or even 10. reporter: in the amazon alone, there are an estimated 12 million hectares of degraded pasture land. that offers lots of potential for sustainable and profitable land management. host: from brazil's male-dominated cattle industry, we now shift to the traditionally male preserve of football. in egypt, however, ever more women are taking to the pitch. reporter: they are strong, quick, nimble, and controversial. the female footballers of the pegasus club. the team's coach, rama guweily,

played for the egyptian national team. she says the experience was often rough. rama: no one said anything nice when i was on the national team. when we trained, we played against the boys. it was l like a war. if i outsmarted one of them, they would often foul me. in their view, girls don't outsmart boys, and no boy wanted to be shown up in front of the others. reporter: sedra elghareeb is 14. she has been in the all-girl team for six months. boys are not welcome here. it is not just the boys who sometimes get agitated about girls and women playing football. sedra: my mother had a hard time accepting it. she wanted me to stick with tennis. but i was really determined to play football.

reporter: sedra lives in a leafy suburb of cairo, quite different from the congested and dusty city. her brother encouraged her to play football, but he doesn't think she is a pro quite yet. mohammed: she's ok, but she's better at tennis. she's played it longer than she's played football. rereporter: sedra's mother has changed her mind and is now a passionate advocate of women's football. she says it's not only good for the body. nashwa: my daughter has become more sociable. she knows how toto deal with people now. not everyone on a team is the same. everybody's different. she knows when to joke and when to be serious.

the way shshe talks has change. reporter: egyptian soccer star mo salah is sedra's hero. she loves to watch men's football. the african cup is her favavore competition, even if egypt didn't make it into the finals this year. sedra: men are a bit better thtn womemen becaususe they tend toy a lot more. but i hope my y generation wil change that, so there will be more gender equality in sports. reporter: coach rama is training her team in the art of football, and in the art of standing their ground, refusing to be intimidated. there's no reason for women to be excluded from a sport. self-confidence can beat macho talk.

sedra: i play with the boys at school. it's normal. while my friends cheer me on, others make fun ofof me becausi am a girl. but i don't care. it doesn't bother me. reporter: that's how her teammates see it, too. and they have every reason not to let anyone take the ball from them. rama: i think it's slowly dawning on society and on boys that we are in fact t equal. on the samame level. society is changing its perspective. women don't simply belong in the kitchen. they can do much more. fofootball has often been a mae preserve, and i don't know why. wowomen can play great soccer. reporterer: they can also o take pain, without the theatrics. host: that's all from "global 3000" this week.

as always, don't forget to send us your comments. our address is global3000@dw.com. and 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]

>> today on "earth focus," killing wolves, rocky mount and wolves face a new battle for survival you can hunters, ranchers and conservationists find a way to live with wolves? coming up on "earth focus."