>> global 3000 - thanks s for joining us! >> women doing traditionally male jobs? long incononceivable in syria. bubut the long-running war has pandemic c continue to. the effecreverbatate:ronavirus south africa's wildlife reserves are struggling to survive.e. and, we e meet the bababies in ukraine waiting for their parents. why aren't they coming to collect them? ♪ whether hetero- or homo- sexual, many couples worldwide share the same dream: to have a baby.

for some, though, this does not happen naturally, and that's where surrogacy can come in. surrogate mothers become pregnant and bear a child on behalf of someone else. usually for a fee. surrogacy is a multi-billion dollar business and growing. according to one study, by 2025, the global surrogacy sector will be worth $27.5 billion u.s. dollars. that, even though it is banned in many countries. india is the world's leading market for surrogacy: with costs averaging $25,000 u.s. dollars. in ukraine, it's more like $30,000, often much h more. the coronavirus pandemic led to ukraine closing its borders in march, denying entry to many foreign visitors -- including couples eager to collect their baby. ♪ [baby crying]

>> olena umanets and her colleagues have their hands full these days. >> we look after each baby as well as possible. >> they are caring for about 100 newborn babies, stuck in this hotel in kyiv. they were carried to term by ukrainian surrogate mothers, for their biological parents in other countries. but then, ukraine imposed a ban on foreign visitors, because of the coronavirus crisis. >> it began in march. we suddenly had children, but no parents, , after the bobors were closed. and the parents could not come and pick them up. we look after the babies dayay and night. we try to be like parents to them, even though that is impossible. >> when video of the babies was released recently, it drew the world's attention to the scale of commercial surrogacy in ukraine. this woman -- we will call her natasha -- is working as a surrogate mother.

she usually y lives with her parentnts in a c country vill. she has two children of her own, is divorced and otherwise out of work. her dream is to have a home of her own. ♪ >> this will lay the groundwork. i will have my own four walls and a roof over my head. i will find a job and build myself a house. she is spending the final weeks of the pregnancy with another surrogate mother in kyiv. the surrogacy agency found her the apartment. today her case manager has come to visit. natasha gets 300 euros a month and then 14,000 euros after the birth if all goes well. there is an extra fee for twins or a caesarian. she has got to know the biological parents and is in regular contact with them. >> it's a couple in denmark. very nice people.

we talk with the help of the agency, because i don't speak english. we send each other videos and stay in touch. >> the surrogate momothers hae toto surrender the babieies rt after birth to prevent any emotional attachment developing. that is the deal here. the parents of natasha's baby girl are worried they won't be able to collect her at once because of the travel ban, and she will join the others in the hotel. >> of course i'm very worried that w we cannot come to ukrai. but if we cannot we just have to wait until he can, and make sure somebody can take care of the baby to make sure that we hire , somebody, a nanny, to take care of her. >> in denmark, , commercial surrogacy is b banned.

in ukraine it is permitted and it has become very big business. the biggest company in the field is biotexcom. it charges 50,000 to 70,000 euros per baby. this is the in-vitro-fertilisation lab. the company is happy to show us around. and this is where the sperm is kept at minus 170 degrees celsius. the company is owned by albert tochilovsky. he has been in the headlines in ukraine, on suspicion of human traffickcking and tax fraud. he won't tell us how m much profit the company makes. but he does set out his vision for the future of the industry. >> there e e going toto be special incubators, and surrogacy as we know it will die out. women who can't carry their babies themselves, will then have their fertilised eggs placed in these devices. it won't be long. i think they will be invented within ten years.

>> svetlana burkovska useseto workrk as a surrogate mother. now she heads an organisation that helps those still in the business across ukraine. she says there have been many problems, especially with the agencies. >> there was a case in the autumn, when a father didn't collect his baby. there had been complications during the birth. the child was shunted from one flat to the next, and from one nanny to another. in the end, the baby died. >> such stories might never have come to our attention, were it not for the video of all those babies waiting to be collected, which has focused fresh attention on the practice of surrogacy in ukraine. [baby crying] when the babies will finally be united with their parents is

anyone's guess. ♪ >> for nine yeyears syririas been embroiled in war.r. nine years of fighting and suffering. and with more than a dozen different groups and countries involved, all following their own interests, there seems little h hope of peacece. it's no o longer even n cler exactly who is fighting whom. [gunfire in the distance] but what is clear is that people are dying as many as 400,000 have lost their lives since the war started. nearly 12 million people have been displaced from their homes. the economy is in ruins, with gdp just a third of its pre-war level. skilled workers are in high demand, and that includes women. nesreen's career is still a very unusual one in syria. she rereirs the connections on high-tenension power cabables. a woman doing this wou have en unthinkable before the war.

she rereirs the connections on >> i fifirst worked in the office and never went out.les. but with the new situation, the war and the crisis, i wanted to go out into the field like the men. to share the work. i wanted to prove that a woman can do the job as well as a man. >> gender equality is not the norm in rural syria. in regions like the conservative west, women have very little say. except in nasreen's family that is. here, the daughters play soccer and with their brothers, of course. they're growing up as equals. their mother wouldn't have it any other way. nasreen helps her children with their homework. she wants her daughters to also have good jobs. there are opportunities nowadays

, women are in demand everywhere. nasreen is a qualified electrician. >> we're at war. it's misery. three quarters of all the young men were drafted into the military. three quarters of them went to the syrian army. i've been married for 10 years. to begin with i was only a housewife. then they advertised jobs at the electricity company, and i applied. >> nesreen is making her way to the next broken electricity pylon. her husband works in the financial sector. he didn't have to join the army because he is an only son. they live in the province of homs. like so much of the country, it has been devastated by the war. reconstruction is an enormous challenge. millions of men either fled or were killed.

others are still in the army or militias. without women in the workforce, syria would collapse. thousands of power pylons have been destroyed and there's no end of work for nesreen and her colleagues. and no end of criticism either. for religious conservatives, it is scandalous to see women in tight trousers climbing poles. >> thank goooodness i was s abo get over thehe socl stigigmahat says, 'women can't!' no! we can! a woman is as good as a man. we can help. i hope we overcome the idea that woman can only do office work. we have to get outut and deal with reality. and it's a great experience. >> they are something special out here in the countryside.

the family are going out for supper after a long day's work. for nasreen, it's important that her daughters learn to ignore conservative bigotry. >> i'm proud d of mama. shshe works at home and outsid. she has a great and difficult job. >> i'm the one who encouraged my wife the most. for us, men and women are equal at work and elsewhere. >> nesreen worries about what will happen after the war, when the men come home from the army and want to go back to normal life. will they turn back the clock on nasreen and other working women? >> when we started, there were just one or two of us. but now there are 20 women at the power companany. they all w work outdoors. it's a lovely experirience. ththere are problems, but i thk our numbers will grow.

>> nasreen says women's time has come they're irreplaceable when it comes to reconstruction. there is more than enough for everyone to do, after nine years of war in syria. ♪ >> reessiononnd discriminaon a areart of le for many woman around the world. on our new facebook channel, dw women, youou will find storied inspiring others to do the same. dw women gives a voice to the wowomeof our world. ♪ and now we head to mexico, a country deemed to be one of the world's most dangerous. last year, mexico recorded 36,000 murders and 60,000 missing people. most of the violence is linked to drug cartels. but it can also devastate the lives of those trying to be a force for good. 2019 saw 23 environmental activists killed. their efforts to protect the

country's plant and d imal life got in thehe way o of those we priority is making a profit. ♪ >> amado gómez takes cacare f his older brother's grave. homero g gómez was an enviroronmental activist. he disappeared on january 13 and was later found dead. >> he was our pillar of strength, he always encouraged and supported us. my brother was the greatest. i don't think you can ever get over such a loss. he'll always be in my heart, and i will always look up to him. ♪ >> homero gómez was devoted to the cause of monarch butterflies. many members of one subspecies migrate 5,000 kilometers from eastern north america to this corner of the mexican state of michoacán, where they spend the

winter. they always manage to find the same area of lush forest across generations! ♪ inin 2017, we came to visit homero gómez. he had made it his life's mission to protect the monarchs. it's amazazing to host this natural l wonder. we're really proud that the world's largest colony comes here. it's unique. when we walk through the forest, it's an indescribable feeling. we protect them day and night. the butterflies have chosen an enchanted place. >> why do the butterflies need protectingng? because logging, much of it illelegal, is devastatining the forests of michoacán. there is strong demand for timber from the us and china. avocado growers want to clear more land. gómez and his colleagues organised patrols to prevent illegal logging, which proved successful.

>> he had such good ideas to protect the butterflies and help our community. he started many projects. for example, he said, 'let's plant new trees.' and we all agreed and said, 'yes, homero, let's do that!' >> two weeks after homero disappeared, his body was found floating in an agricultural pond here. there was a wound on the back of his head. amado had the dismal task of identifying the corpse. > to be honest, i felt fear and anguisish. i was nervous at the thought that it could be my brother. i prayed silently, please, let it not be him. after searching for 16 days, i didn't want to find him dead.

but it was homero. >> those 16 days of uncertainty had also been agonizing for his wife and their four children. >> thehey were beside themselv. they cried. they called for their father. [sigh of anguish] it was painful and frightening. i wantnted to cry ouout, 'where you?' >> publblic prosecursrs have o far failed to identify a any suspects or likely motive. homero's wife, rebecca, is certain that it was not an accident. she thinks his environmental activism made him enemies and that he was murdered. conservationists fear others

will now be too scared to get involved in protecting the forests and the butterflies. >> whatever the reason was -- timber, a personal vendetta, avocados, it is better to know what happened than live with the uncertainty. > but wilill the case evere solved? homero gómez was known as a a kindnd and caring man, who saw butterflies as a gift of nature. >> this butterfly makes us very happy, because it gives us life, income, and a way to preserve the forest. >> the chances are not good. 98% of all killings in mexico never get solved.

♪ >> t there are actctivists e homero g goméz all l around the world. working hard to protecect locale in africa too, manpepeople a continent's safari parks. it's a balancing act: what do the animals need to thrive? how many tourists can they cope with? right now south africa has a strict coronavirus lockdown in place. ♪ safari tours are off the cards, but we headed t to the eaeastern part of the country, home to the famous kruger national park. next to it is the malamala game reserve, which is doing all it can to survive the current isisis. >> they'r're on patrol around ththe clock. since e the lockdown, , the fd rangers fromom the malamalaa wildlife reserve have even enent the ght t out the sh, to guard the animals. e e reservoffefers se of t the most l lurious safaris in southern aicica, drang

ousands ofof tourists everery year.. since ththe lockdown, , the ans have beeeen largely alalone, d criminal poaching gangs knowt.t. ey arere keeto expxplo the situatioion. more r recently, aninimals that sell well for their meat have. malamala lies in one of ututh africa p poore regioio, and the raers s arconcerned about >> t the pandemic c has put mk masuounding g threservrvututh they h have no moneyey and mane hungngry. we animals for their meat. wil the wild aninimals also sesensel someme residents o of the pa he tlostst their fear r completelyd are coming much closer tththe ca thahan noal.

manager at t the malamala a res. vnow he's hololding the forort k tells them about fresh tckcks om t theiratest visitor.e an elephant papaid a visit i ie ninight and damamaged a numbef trtrees. the rereserve was ononce privay owned. but 2013 saw an historic lan restutioion ca, in w whi the govevernment boughght up the a and gaveve it back to o locl residedents. now w the land andnd buildings belong t to 11 local c communi, who also h hold a stake e in e company ththat operates s mala. the firm pays rent to the local community and provides training to residents. the rereserve employoys 180 pe, many o of them from m the local area. but few arare currently y work. with the onset of the conanavirus stririctio, thee

reserve e lost its incncome. neararly all the s staff were t so f for them as w well, likee staff,f, they are soso worriedt theyey might not even come bac, you know. evenen for those who are in te camp.. if the c company does not t ope at all, might t as well closost down. alall of us. and we are feeding aotot of famililies, you knowow. lot of f families are e depeng on maybe o one person woworking hehere is feedining, like 10 pe atat home, or more than that. every dayay, vusi mpandza speaksks to hiboss o online. she is doing a all she c t to serere additional l funding. soso far her stataff have reced unememployment benenefit frome state. they are alslso getting a a sl amountf money frfrom malamalaa on t, , so that eachch oneas enough to o live on. > initially, ththe temporary employ relelief schememe was y

for a period of three montnth. howevever, we are hohoping thar induststries such as t tourisme vernrnmentwho rerecoize andd see e the importanance of toum in south africa, will continuer toto at least assisist the toum indudustry and the hospitality >> vusi mpandzaza and rangerr lucky makukukula are h headi ot to kildare village to delive faceasksks andther i ite to guard againsnst the coronanavi. kildldare is one o of the 11 villllages that susubmitted a m undeder the restititution prom to g get the malamamala land b. [sewing machine running] >> precious zitha is a local tailor. right nonow she has ststoppd mamaking clotheses and is sewg face masks instead. >> t they cost the e equivalenf >> ok, yone euro a apiece.dred thatat is too expepensive for y in thehe village. soso staff from m malamala arere buying t them upo gigive o. ey have already bought 400 sksks fromer..

since e the land wasas returnea lot has s changed in k kildare villagage. the olold hutshat stood hehere during the time of apartheid, are now few and far between. they have been replaced by new houses, that are a lot more comfortable. [conversation nin local language] >> they wewere financed d by e rerent and wageses paid to thehe community by the malamala reserve. >> i don't know which colour you like, so you can choose. rhulaninidlovo has worked at the reserve fofor 15 years,, rising to become a kitchenmaman. she, too, is building a ned at the reserhouse.or 15 years,, but nonow she doesn'n't know n it will l be finished.d. she hahasn't worked d since thd of marchch. her wageges have been n cut and she's worrieied abt the e fure. >> i i stop everytything. ththe money thatat i get frome company, i keep it for t futu. because i don'n't know what'ss gonna hahappen tomorrorow. ththat's why i c can't spend y cent.. i only spendnd the money t thi get for food a and ectricicity

thatat's it. anand keep the rest. >> n n suh uncertaiain times, it't's especially importatant to stik totogether and h help one anot. the e men from malalamala also provide tips on how resident can st p prote themsmsels fromom the virus.. they, totoo, benefit f from the contact with local residen.. >> w whave people on the ground, who o listen and getet infoformatioion of any aempt f popoaching. t that assists a l. hence, you see we have g got ls poaching in our land, because our peoplele are part ofof thao make sure e that they prprotect what is s theirs. so we get ininformation befofot happens. we can b be able to tatackle it before it happens. > another ththing the rans are e doing right t now is producing footage to p post ononline, as no o one can como

> anotthe park.ng the rans at the momen t they'reocususin on the so-call bigig fiv- that's elelephan, lionons, rhinocerosos, buffalo anand leopardsds. the e videos of ththe animals a re h hit on socialal media. >> we are mamaking these f filo that we can n brinwildlilifeo yoyo home. because of thehe covid-19 thtt you are not abable to come a d enjoy y the ride aroround hert mala mala. the rangngers have hadad a good. lar onon, they spot ananher leopard. [junglrustling, growls] ey're really hoping ththe touriststs will a able toeturn soon, bringing desperately needed income to safeguardrd te fufutu of the malamala game reserv >> that all from us at global 3000 this week! we are c curious to ow what you liked abt ththis wk's s show

drop us a line to global3000@dw.com. see you next time! take care. ♪

07/03/20 07/03/20 democracy now! test 07/03/20 07/03/20 democracy now! test 07/03/20 07/03/20 democracy now! test 07/03/20 07/03/20 democracy now! test 07/03/20 07/03/20 democracy now! test 07/03/20 07/03/20 dedemocracy now!w! test 07/03/20 07/03/20 democracy now! test 07/03/20 07/03/20 democracy now! test 07/03/20 07/03/20 democracy now! test amy: from new york, this is democracy now! james: what, to the american slave, is your fourth of july? i answer, a day that reveals to him, momo than all l other days of the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is a constant victim. to him, your celebration is a sham. amy: what to the slave isis the fourth of july? wewe will hearar frederick douglass's 1852