■é■í host: welcome to "global 3000." moving for change -- women in saudi arabia are gaining new rights and freedoms. slimming the waste -- a young woman in nigeria is determined to shrink the mountains of trash. and life in chaos -- lebanon's poverty levels are rising, and with that, people's desperation. ♪

the eighth of august 2020 was a dark day for lebanon. a huge explosion in beirut's harbor decimated areas of the city and destroyed much of the country's grain stores. that damage is still taking its toll. grain prices shot up. and now wheat imports from ukraine have ceased. around 80% of the population lives below the poverty line. many who can are now trying to leave. ♪ reporter: perhaps the most telling sign of the collapse of any country is garbage piling up on the streets of its capital and people rummaging through it. the lebanese have lived through so many wars, but they have never gone hungry like this in any of them. >> i'm picking scraps from the garbage. i have no money for food. hopefully, the war will come back, sooner than later. even war is better than what

we're going through now. reporter: lebanon is over, the pensioner says. lebanon no longer exists. before midnight, in a large bakery in southern beirut, they quickly sell what's available. bakeries here don't have large stocks of flour. many places are running out of bread. the country imported much of its wheat from war-torn ukraine. that's making the problems here even worse. >> there's no more bread, and i have seven children at home. may god help us. may god help this country. >> my family in beirut has no bread. they asked me to buy some here. there's none. i've searched everywhere. reporter: beirut may look pretty on a postcard. from afar, you wouldn't suspect the tragedies behind every door. marwa younes, a special education teacher, takes us

into her children's room. a little intact world. but appearances are deceiving. her daughter alumi is four and is battling an aggressive form of cancer. but there is no medicine in the country for her. marwa: we have reached a point, psychologically, where we wake up suddenly and fear that she's no longer with us. reporter: for alumi's parents, the search for medicine is a 24-hour job. through friends, acquaintances, and networks, they organize cold chains and buy her medicine in france, in switzerland, and nigeria. at the same time, they watch their currency losing its value, their savings disappearing and their daughter's chances of survival rapidly sinking. marwa: we had a 90% hope that she would be cured, but the lack of medication and the medical

complications arising from that have pushed her chances down to 40% or 45%. reporter: the family only has electricity for a few hours. the generator outside needs diesel, and since the war in ukraine, it's become a luxury item. but their daughter's medicines have to stay cool. marwa: this is our treasure chest. we tap electricity from the neighbors. someone with their own power generator sends the electricity to us to keep this cool at all times. reporter: for lebanon's wealthy and the billionaires in lebanese politics, life goes on as before. the decision-makers simply expect the arrival of humanitarian aid. a un report blames the state and the central bank for the impoverishment. the economic and financial crisis could have been avoided.

the lebanese recently elected a new parliament. but there is little hope the system will change. christian: if we don't vote out this corrupt leadership, we will all die here. our youth will emigrate. all my friends have already left. there is no electricity, no water, no reforms, nothing. mounir: our government should go home. from the very top to the very bottom. that the president is not ashamed to open his mouth. reporter: those who want to escape lebanon's poverty risk their lives. in tripoli, the poorest city in the country, the numbers of people who die trying to flee are rising. and there's more and more rage. the victims of the latest boat disaster are being laid to rest. youssef el jamal is mourning his

granddaughter, his daughter, and his wife. they died in the mediterranean. seven of them wanted to flee to germany. their simple life, he says, had become increasingly unbearable in recent years. they set off full of hope. the last cell phone video before setting sail. pray that we don't drown, they say. to pay for the boat trip, they sold their car, furniture and mattresses and went into debt. the survivors tell us that hours later the lebanese navy rammed the boat and it sank within seconds. 39 refugees died. yousef: they pointed their guns at us, but we didn't stop. i told the officer to go away, that we had women and children on board, that we were not terrorists, we were not doing anything wrong, and we were just emigrating from a country that can no longer support us, can no longer feed us. reporter: the family is in shock.

they sit in the only room with windows. a dilapidated, leaky home. a son and daughter-in-law have come from germany. they're worried about their sick father, who they say often can't afford more than tea and bread. they feel helpless. zeinab: we've been here, looking for pharmacies. just to find medicine for him. but we can't find any. reporter: they ask us, can germany help us recover our dead women and children from the mediterranean? their own country abandoned them long ago. ♪ host:he piles ogarbage onouri

an extra 3.4 billion tons of by midtrash every year.l be wealthier countries are the worst culprits when it comes to waste production. but more and more is produced in africa, too. by 2050, it's set to reach more than 500 million tons each year, that's more than twice as much as today. about 90% of it ends up in landfills or is dumped in nature. with around 21 million residents, lagos iafrica's most populous city. according to the city's waste authorities, every day more than 10,000 tons of rubbish is discarded, damaging both people's health and the environment. less than half of all waste is collected, just 13% is recycled. but there's reason for hope.

♪ oluwaseyi: without the environment we are non-existent. imagine, walking through your normal day in life, there is no way you can't interact with the environment. from the soil underneath your feet to the air that you breathe to the sounds that you hear, nature is a very huge part of our existence, and we shouldn't live in disharmony with nature, but understand that nature needs to be preserved, so that we can be preserved as humans. reporter: a changemaker bootcamp in lagos, nigeria -- 20 year old environmental activist oluwaseyi moejoh founded an ngo for training the next generation of movers and shakers. her students here explore ways to make saving the environment creative and fun. such as separating waste in pairs with their legs tied to one another. [laughter]

at the end of the workshop, the best project is decided on. the ngo u-recycle supports the winning idea. moejoh's ngo has reached over 6,000 young people in eleven african countries. esohe: i've learned new ways to upcycle, recycle, how to talk about it and how to be a leader amongst my peers. i want to continue actually educating my peers and people younger than me about the impact that they have on the environment. the good impact and then the bad impact so they can also have on the environment. i also want to teach them how to be leaders and be changemakers amongst their peers. and other people around them. oluwaseyi: someone described the climate crisis is, for instance a young child is standing in front of a bus that is coming straight on her, just smash her at the blink of an eye. and nobody really does anything about it. reporter:

students from the bright achievers school have spent several days selecting and cleaning plastic bottles. with a touch of paint, they are transformed into street decorations for their neighborhood. oladele: when you look at the other side of the school, you'll see a lot of dirt there, which contains a lot of plastic bottles. and we can see that we can make use of this plastic bottles. and now we come together as a team, to think what we can use it for. reporter: last year, the young people collected over 12,000 bottles as part of similar projects. oluwaseyi: what they are doing is called upcycling. upcycling is a process of converting waste into something of value. this process is not like recycling. because for recycling you have to break it down to raw material. and use this raw material to create something. but with upcycling you add that stuff to create something like art work, a monument or something that is basically

aesthetically pleasing. reporter: the sprawling city of lagos has a special waste management authority. oluwaseyi moejoh is hoping to get support from the department which has just acquired 100 new garbage trucks. the local government is also investing money in local recycling incentive programs. currently, hundreds of recycling containers are still waiting to be installed in lagos. oluwaseyi moejoh wants to ask the waste management director why the city is still choking in garbage. ibrahim: 15 years ago these plastics never existed. the law was, we're using glass bottles, where you drink and then you return your bottle back to the bottling company, to refill. but with population challenge and growth, it's necessary to find it easier and quicker for

them to bring all their products to us. so if there is a way we can prevent their usage is all the -- always going to be better than recycling. reporter: the young activist unexpectedly finds an ally in the managing director. the two quickly agree to plan a joint conference for high school and university students. and there is plenty of work to do before that. ♪ oluwaseyi: nigeria's constitution has so many laws. but it's just written, most of it. they are not put into practice we need to make laws, effective laws, implement laws, enforce those laws concerning preserving the environment. for instance, an issue like climate change and gas flaring, oil spillage, that had terrible impact in nigeria delta region -- there are laws supposed to protect those communities. but they aren't followed

because people are choosing, companies are choosing profit over planet, profit over lives. reporter: when oluwaseyi moejoh is not busy saving the planet, she studies law at the university of lagos. here, too, her focus is environmental protection. but sometimes even the most dedicated climate hero needs a break. spending time with friends is a welcome reward after all the hard work. oluwaseyi: i'm still tired of sitting back and watching the planet deteriorate to a very horrible state, right? and we don't have much time, we need to take action as soon as possible to preserve what we love. and issues like climate change for instance, is actually a threat to those things. ♪ no one is too young to make a difference. you've probably heard that before, and it's a fact.

don't look down on yourself, you r circumstances, your background, your family, where you came from. you have so much potential. host: women have driven cars ever since they were first invented. in 1888, bertha benz, the wife of carl benz, inventor of the motor car, drove the first model a distance of 106 kilometers. and the first person to drive a car around the world was also a woman -- clärenore stinnes in 1927-1929. today, across the globe, women work as truck drivers, they drive taxis through cities, and compete in motor races even in a highly conservative society like saudi arabia. ♪ >> there is no visibility when we cross here. reporter: interpreting all the numbers and arrows can be bewildering

for beginners. iole de simone is schooling two budding racing drivers in the art of finding your bearings in the desert. >> we studied the manual yesterday. reporter: saja kamal and elham alfahad and are newbies to the world of motorsports, and are preparing for their very first race, which is a historic one -- the first ever women's rally event in saudi arabia. saja: driving is so new to us. it's only been a few years that we've been driving in saudi. but the off-road is our backyard. literally. we've grown up racing, having fun on the weekends. so it comes naturally to us. we're excited that it's finally an official, legit event. reporter: the final training before the big race. elham, 32, is at the wheel. >> my job is to look at this and focus so i can give her advice. reporter: co-pilot saja, 34, loves the adventure -- even if not the navigation. for iole de simone from motorsports-crazy italy,

preparing the two friends for their race is a labor of love and also a challenge. iole: they certainly have the passion. but what's difficult here is that you can't train year-round because of the weather. plus, you don't have the number of garages you do in italy. so there are more challenges. but on the plus side, we have the most beautiful desert in the world here. reporter: a new era has dawned in saudi arabia. traditionally, roads here were strictly reserved for men only. until 2018 this was the only country left on the planet where women were barred from driving, before a major political u-turn. the kingdom's all-male leadership, headed by crown-prince mohammed bin salman, introduced vision 2030 -- a set of economic and social reforms including limited freedoms for women. but the regime's human rights record remains anything but visionary. loujain al-hathloul was among

the activists who fought for women's right to drive, but who have since faced a government crackdown on dissent. she's currently subject to a five-year travel ban. saja enjoys the recent changes in the country. she chooses not to wear a headscarf. her western style of dress is now permitted in public. but still, there's a long way to go for equal rights and issues with divorced women -- how to take care of the whole situation with children. there's issues with how you're treated in the workplace, women in business. we're a minority even in sports. it's very new to saudi, but universally it's been a difficult thing. reporter: but the obstacles to progress, she says, are not only from the men. saja: because some of the women didn't do it in their generation, they feel they shouldn't teach their daughters to do the same thing.

so for example if my mom wanted me to go into ballet or something girly, per se. but my message is that there is no gender when it comes to sports. reporter: breaking down societal norms and traditions takes a huge effort. men and women can work out together at this gym in the capital, riyadh -- unthinkable back when saja and elham were still kids. annual membership costs a "princely" $13,000 -- no problem for the two businesswomen now more eager than ever to stay in shape. their big race is just around the corner. it's just before 6:00 a.m. as the sun rises over ha'il, a city in the north of the country, and the host of the country's first rally event for women. over at this mosque, local men ponder the changes underway in their nation. opinion is divided. while some have reservations, others welcome the idea of

women at the wheel. >> we really encourage that, and we are standing beside that. >> it is too fast, because we have our own traditions and our own criteria. reporter: not far down the road, there's a flurry of activity in and around a parking lot, as 68 drivers fine-tune their vehicles, while some also record that vital instagram video. just two competitors have yet to show up. iole: i'll check on the girls and see where they are. >> they're not here yet? iole: no. the race is only in 10 minutes. so it's ok.

by saudi time, it's good, eh? [laughter] reporter: but their team chief is relieved when they finally turn up. it's a particularly proud moment for saja and elham as they get to apply their names to the car, together with the saudi national emblem. after a quick photo and just minutes to go, saja gets down to her principal job for the race, navigating their way through the road book. >> 3, 2, 1 -- reporter: the race takes competitors through the rub' al khali -- the largest sand desert in the world. saja, elham and their car have put in a good performance, and they cross the finish line sixth. >> how was it? elham: it was amazing. the landscape was spectacular. reporter: saja banged her head at one point along the at-times very

bumpy ride. saja: at one point when i was dizzy she had to go race and drive at the same time. and these types of experiences really test your partnership. i feel really happy that we're taking responsibility and learning ourselves. i feel like we're capable and we did it and we're so proud of ourselves and all the other girls, to be honest. reporter: the headache will soon fade, unlike their pride and delight. women who have written a new chapter in the history of motorsports. >> in the curve, we were waiting for you. host: how do different people live around the world?

this weeshirley:d to the hi, my name is shirley and we are in almere right now. this is close to amsterdam. and we built own happy home here. so let's get inside and i will show you something. ♪ so now we're in our living room and we designed it as one whole area and without any walls, just connecting. and on this side we have our television room, relaxed room. it's also the darker side of our house. ♪ and this is our kitchen. we tried to design it, as we call it "stylish," because i feel like the

typically dutch cozy, as we say in dutch -- gezellig, but we do like it very strict and stylish. and so this is one of other our favorite parts and that this our wine cellar, where we also store our own wine because we live on our own small urban vineyards and we make our own wine. and that's this one and it's called oosterwolder. ♪ so now we are in our extra living room where we also love to hang out. it is really, really light. and on this part you can see the horses and the donkeys from a neighbor. so that's very lovely.

and this is really a favorite spot of mine because in the morning you have the morning sun on this side so i can drink my cup of coffee, looking at it from my own house and the outside and enjoy the morning coffee. so this is our most favorite place of our house because it's like a painting and we designed it as a painting. so when you enter the house, then you can see our own small paradise looking at the woods and during spring and summer our vineyards. so we're at the end of our tour now, and i hope you enjoyed it and took a little peek in our way of living in oosterwold, and you are welcome to stay with us and explore almere, which is a lovely city to visit. bye bye. see you soon.

♪ host: that's all from us at "global 3000" this week. what did you particularly enjoy about the program? send us your feedback. write to global3000@dw.com. and check us out on facebook, too -- dw global ideas. see you soon take care. [captioning performed by the

berlin. ukraine's president says his country is ready to help ease the world's food crisis. ships loaded with previously blockaded grain are ready to set sail from ukrainian ports. elsewhere, dozens of ukrainian prisons of -- prisoners of war are killed.