http://viewchange.org Videos from ViewChange.org (Filtered by topics: Technology) en-us Tue, 27 Mar 2012 08:28:00 +0000 Copyright 2011 Link Media, Inc. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/viewchange-unleashing-innovation What is social innovation? Solving some of the world's most pressing problems -- including global poverty and development -- requires innovative thinking, unusual partnerships, and entrepreneurialism. And it's already working. Find out how in Unleashing Innovation. Tue, 27 Mar 2012 08:28:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/viewchange-unleashing-innovation Social innovation, Technology, Social entrepreneurship, Environment, Water & Sanitation, Change Makers, Foreign Assistance, David Kilcullen, Tanzania, Dar es Salaam >> TITLE: Soccer is the world's most popular sport >> BILL CLINTON: An idea for clean energy that I think it's fair to say hardly anybody else on the planet had ever thought of. >> TITLE: One out of five people live without electricity >> BILL CLINTON: It's quite extraordinary really -- kick a ball, turn on a light. >> TITLE: Thirty minutes of play generates three hours of light >> BILL CLINTON: It's an off-grid solution that gives us a way to bring power and improve quality of life, working capacity, learning capacity. >> TITLE: Soccket: innovate, play, empower >> VOICEOVER: Soccket, and other social innovations, in this ViewChange special. >> VOICEOVER: ViewChange is about people making real progress in tackling the world's toughest issues. Can a story change the world? See for yourself in ViewChange: Unleashing Innovation. >> VOICEOVER: That was Soccket. It's gotten a lot of attention recently, and not just from Bill Clinton. Which isn't surprising: it has all the trappings of a game-changer. Soccket is clever; it's creative; it's relatively cheap; and most of all, it takes on one of the biggest challenges in the developing world -- access to electricity. Soccket is unique, but it's one of a growing number of projects with a similar goal: tackling the world's toughest problems from surprising and inventive new angles. Problems like hunger, disease, clean water, security -- problems that are crying out for a fresh approach. Lynn Taliento from McKinsey & Company's Social Sector Office, and Tom Freston, chairman of the ONE Campaign, are two leaders in this field, which goes by the term "social innovation." It's a field that sits at the nexus of industry, entrepreneurial thinking, and philanthropy. As they explain, understanding social innovation takes some nuance. >> TOM FRESTON [Chairman of the Board, ONE]: Social innovation's sort of a category that wasn't even around ten years ago and has been booming ever since -- and it's really about identifying new ideas, new organizations, new strategies to attack social problems. >> LYNN TALIENTO [Partner, McKinsey & Company]: For me, social innovation is about looking at a social challenge and coming up with different ways to address it. A lot of people think it means coming up with a new technology or a new solution, sort of a point solution. But we see it way broader than that. If you think about it you can come up with a new solution but then you can come up also with a new way to deliver that solution. It might be an old solution that you deliver in a new way. >> TOM FRESTON: It's clearly an area that is growing. We see the White House has a Social Innovation Fund. We see in various countries all kinds of government support. There are all kinds of exciting people doing things. >> LYNN TALIENTO: So, some of the groups that are social innovators are pretty well known to us. Think about (PRODUCT)RED, products you can buy in the stores like the Red Apple iPod. Or think about TOMS Shoes, which many of us wear. Kiva.org, where you can actually make a loan to a micro entrepreneur in another country and get paid back and then reinvest. Or think about Ushahidi, which is revolutionizing crisis communications. >> TOM FRESTON: Ten years ago, if you got out of a good school, there's a good chance you were probably headed to Wall Street. Thirty years ago, if you got out of a good school, there was a good chance you'd want to be an investigative journalist. I think a lot of the bloom is off the rose on the Wall Street, money-making culture, not all of it certainly, but a lot of people are attracted to this realm because it combines their innate desire to do something good along with a possibility to tie it into something innovative in terms of technology, or approach, or so forth. >> LYNN TALIENTO: There's a whole spectrum of social innovation, and it really can be found anywhere. That's really what's so exciting about it. It can be found in labs that are developing new vaccines. It can be found very commonly on the ground in a nonprofit, say a midwifery clinic working with moms to figure out how to deliver their babies more safely. But increasingly it's happening in corporations. Companies are engaging more and more in social issues and figuring out how to use their supply chains, their people, their skills to address a social issue in a location where they're operating. >> VOICEOVER: So where does this "spectrum of innovation" begin and end? From the smallest villages to the world's top tech labs, these innovators are changing the face of their industries. Here are four short films, entered in McKinsey's Social Innovation Video Contest, pushing the boundaries of the expected around the world. >> TITLE: ViewChange >> WOMAN: As I watch my child sleep, I feel a sense of inner peace. I will do everything to protect him, and I want to always be there to give him unconditional love. But the day my child was born, the only thing I wanted was to help him live. >> TITLE: Twenty million low-birth weight and premature babies are born every year around the world, 450 every hour >> VOICEOVER: One of the biggest problems these babies face is staying warm, but traditional incubators cost thousands of dollars. The Embrace infant warmer is a simple solution to this problem. Embrace consists of three parts: a sleeping bag, a heater, and a pouch of phase-change material. Once heated, the phase-change material is placed into a compartment in the sleeping bag. The product stays warm without electricity, and allows for close mother-to-child interaction. Embrace's mission is to give every infant a chance for a healthy life. >> TITLE: ViewChange >> VOICEOVER: You may already know the story. Uganda, plagued by a twenty-five year long war. Two million people displaced, left homeless, jobless, and desperate. But when we actually went to Uganda, our perspective changed. We met women with names and stories. Women who are ready to step forward and get a fresh start. The identity of 31 Bits was born, combining creativity with recycled paper to make incredible jewelry. We realized that we had a market, and they had a skill. Together, we made a business. We believe true economic sustainability is a result of holistic care, enabling a person financially, spiritually, mentally, and physically. After four years in our program, a woman has an education, a career, confidence, and a voice. She is empowered to rise above poverty. >> TITLE: Buy a necklace. Share their story. Give hope. >> TITLE: ViewChange >> MIKE LIN [Founder & CEO, Fenix International Inc.] With over 1.6 billion people without access to power, we need scalable solutions. The name Fenix comes from the mythical bird, and it's about rebirth and renewal. And we're focusing on renewable energy for frontier markets. The Fenix ReadySet system is a renewable power center that can charge from virtually anything. It can charge from solar, it can charge from a bicycle generator that we've developed, and it can even charge off the grid. We aim to reach massive scale, installing megawatts, gigawatts of power, in areas that never had access to energy. An entrepreneur can use the ReadySet system to power a small business, they can charge cell phones and they can power lights at night so they can keep their stores open longer and generate new, meaningful income. We're hoping to actually innovate a new business model where we're thinking about people, prosperity, and the planet. We're hoping to address not just the environmental issues but also improve the quality of life for billions of people around the world. >> TITLE: ViewChange >> TITLE: Meet Kamala. Kamala and her mother spend hours every day collecting water for their family. This leaves little time for school, for play, or for work. One billion people on the planet lack reliable access to safe water. This means they must travel at least half a mile to reach a safe water source. Transporting water is time consuming. Average time spent = 25 percent of a woman's day. Water is heavy. Five gallons = 42 pounds, or one piece of checked luggage. People need at least five gallons of water per day to stay healthy and hydrated. Kamala and her mother struggle to meet their family's daily water needs. Would you rather be the woman on the right, or a woman on the left? Wello is a social venture with a bold mission: to deliver clean water to a thirsty world. Now that they have a Wello WaterWheel, Kamala and her mother spend their time in more productive ways. This gives Kamala and her family a chance at a better future. In a single trip, one WaterWheel delivers enough water for an entire family. By re-imagining the water crisis as an opportunity, Wello has reinvented the wheel. >> TITLE: ViewChange >> VOICEOVER: Those are only four of many stories happening around the world. Meanwhile, governments and aid groups have been targeting challenges like water and electricity access, and children's health, for almost a century. Lots of progress has been made, but there's plenty of room for more. Problems this deeply entrenched require more than just another look. They need a whole new outlook. >> LYNN TALIENTO: If we're going to solve some of these increasingly complex social issues we definitely need fresh thinking. We need unusual suspects if you will. We need people who haven't spent their lives necessarily thinking about social issues but who have talents and capabilities in areas like gaming, or design thinking, or financial engineering to put their talents to work to solve these issues. The essence of social innovation is finding new solutions to old problems. >> VOICEOVER: Consider the case of Mozambique, the site of a severe landmine problem. Leftover from a 16-year civil war, the mines are a national menace. Untold thousands remain hidden. Bart Weetjens, a Belgian engineer, studied traditional demining methods and found them dangerous, expensive, and slow. And that's when he tried enlisting the help of an indigenous ally. This ViewChange film has the story. >> TITLE: ViewChange >> TITLE: Bomb Squad Rats >> VOICEOVER: Here in Mozambique, the Cricetomys gambianus, or, as it's better known, the African giant pouched rat, is no longer feared or reviled. >> ALBERT ZACHARIA: Mostly in our African culture, rats are considered as a useless animal. So, at first when I heard that rats are being used for demining, I didn't believe it. >> VOICEOVER: Here at this rat training camp in Chokwe, near the Limpopo River, these furry heroes are going through their final training. When the rats detect some explosive, they indicate by scratching the ground. The trainers then make a clicking noise to let them know they can return for a reward. >> ANDREW SULLY [Program Manager, Apopo]: What we are trying to do is here the rats are an African solution to an African problem. >> VOICEOVER: Andrew Sully works for Apopo, the Belgian NGO that runs the rat program. He says the inspiration came from scientific work dating back decades. >> ANDREW SULLY: Well, rats have actually been used for the detection of explosives for many, many years. I mean, there were experiments using laboratory rats back in the 1950s if not before that. >> VOICEOVER: Putting that research into practice hasn't been easy, and each rat takes two years to train. But they have some distinct advantages over their canine counterparts. Unlike sniffer dogs, they're loyal to food, rather than one particular trainer. And they can also be more effective on windy days, like today. Demining teams have spent more than a decade trying to clear Mozambique of land mines. Millions of them were laid during the ten-year fight for independence and the two decades of civil war that followed. Today, the rat team is on its way to the former garrison village of Hate-Hate. >> ANDREW SULLY: From the initial surveys that have been done I think there have been at least five or six mine accidents in this sort of horseshoe shape which was the mined area around the barracks. >> VOICEOVER: Alfredo Adamo gave up his job as a schoolteacher to work with the rats, and he's proud of his new career. >> ALFREDO ADAMO: Because I know every time we find a mine and we destroy it, I know if it continued there something bad should happen, either to a person or to an animal, actual cattle or whatever. >> VOICEOVER: The area the de-miners are working in today lies either side of a track leading down to a borehole, the area's main water source. >> VENDELINE SHIRIMA: So they put mines in this area in order to protect those local people inside here. >> VOICEOVER: By the end of today's shift, they've already found two live land mines. The final job of the day is to safely detonate the rat's haul. >> CERVEZA: It's TNT, almost all of it. There's 150 grams. This is the detonator. >> VOICEOVER: It's slow and painstaking work, but bit by bit, Mozambique is being cleared of land mines, and it's all thanks to the work of man's new best friend. >> TITLE: ViewChange >> VOICEOVER: So far, the organization has cleared more than 2,700 explosives in Mozambique's Gaza province. And it plans to make the area completely mine-free this year. Apopo is one of three demining groups in Mozambique today, and they've branched out to Thailand and Tanzania too. This new approach was met with skepticism at first, but the rats have proven themselves worthy allies. The United Nations, many governments, and foundations support the program. And the rats themselves? Like any specialist, they're subject to regular testing. >> VOICEOVER: So who are the social innovators of today? It turns out; they come from some pretty unlikely fields. Professionals in areas like engineering, design, and finance are realizing that they too can make headway on social causes. That's a powerful discovery. Enter design thinking -- usually something that pertains to things like art and architecture. But as Dave Kilcullen and his team at Caerus Associates know, it's a way of engaging social problems, too. Kilcullen has been an advisor to the Bush and Obama administrations, aid groups, and governments around the world, but he is best known for his work in postwar reconstruction. In his bestselling books, Kilcullen shows how social challenges require the same kind of engineering. And the most important part of design thinking for social problems? Understanding the local environment, and the local issues. >> DR. DAVID KILCULLEN [CEO, Caerus Associates]: I founded Caerus with a bunch of like-minded people, with the objective of identifying ways to solve complex problems, things like poverty, urban overstretch, energy shortage, and particularly conflict, understanding how those problems overlap and figuring out simple design-based solutions to resolving them. Design thinking is a way of thinking about problems, and it's a way of bringing in the environment where something's going to be used. And the people that are going to use it, and the system within which it's embedded, and wrapping all of that up into the production of a particular type of thing, an object or a product, or a service. I'll give you an example. Things that are happening in the rural areas around cities lead people to move into urban environments. And the urban environment can't handle the people that are now putting pressure on its infrastructure. And you end up with what we call peri-urban areas, so slums and shantytowns and a variety of different unplanned development happening around the outside of preexisting cities. So you can intervene to make things better by looking at the cluster of urban problems that result from that movement. And what we try to do is look at it as a whole system, and think where we can intervene in concert with local populations together. People talk about making things population-centric, but often we just pay lip service to that. We treat the population like she's a silent movie heroine tied to a railway track, and the bad guys are driving the train down the track. And she's like, "Help me!" You know, and we say, you know, "hang on, we'll rescue you." Our experience is it doesn't really work like that. You actually have to, no kidding, treat the population like they're the principal actor. They are the clients, and you have to work with them as an architect would work with a client to design a solution that really meets their needs. >> VOICEOVER: So what happens when smart design is applied to a tough problem? Look no further than the latrines of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The city is saddled with an overtaxed sewage system and thousands of overflowing pit latrines. But some engineers in Colorado have designed a solution that mitigates the need for central sewers, while also reducing disease. It's a clean answer to a messy question. This ViewChange film explains. >> TITLE: ViewChange >> TITLE: The Gulper, Rockhopper TV, Tanzania >> VOICEOVER: Only ten percent of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's biggest city, is connected to the central sewage system. Eighty percent of the city's population lives in settlements that have sprung up without planning permission. They rely on a huge number of smelly, dirty and unsafe latrines. But a solution is at hand. Meet "The Gulper." These motor tricycles, and the equipment they carry, are transforming the way pit latrines are emptied here. In the past, sewage often ended up contaminating water supplies, particularly during the rainy season. >> ERNEST MAMUYA [Environment Health Officer]: You wouldn't get surprised if you were finding fecal matter rolling with the storm water. It was common. In those areas, we had a problem of widespread cholera and other infections related to the disposal of waste. >> VOICEOVER: The Gulper is designed to reach customers who live down even the narrowest streets. >> JULIUS CHISSENGO: We have gloves, masks, helmets, and gum boots. Then, when we arrive, we assess the toilet for any risks. >> VOICEOVER: Many of the latrines are unsafe because of the old way of emptying them. >> JULIUS CHISSENGO: We used to completely demolish the toilet to drain it. The owners would get upset because it was completely broken. >> VOICEOVER: Julius used to earn his living this way, and saw how dangerous it could be. >> JULIUS CHISSENGO: There was one time when our colleague died because the toilet collapsed in on him and covered him completely. >> VOICEOVER: It's The Gulper's pump that has made life safer and cleaner for Julius. It's not motorized, so it's easy to maintain. It's cheap and, above all, it's effective -- he can clean up to six latrines a day. All the sewage is removed, and very little spills on the ground. >> JULIUS CHISSENGO: We have a container that can hold fifty liters. We usually drain into this, and when it is full, we put it on a motorbike. Then we take it to a place specially designated to pour it all away, and that is that. >> VOICEOVER: There's another way the Gulper has made life sweeter for Julius: he's paid better. Yet customers pay less for the Gulper's services. And it's this affordability that's key to improving health for everyone living in the unplanned settlements. The more sewage that gets dumped centrally, the less risk there is to local people. Cholera is not the only disease in decline. >> ERNEST MAMUYA: The Gulper is getting rid of intestinal diseases: strongoloids, hookworms, tapeworms. There's a reduction of typhoid, amoebic dysentery. If the coverage increases, we are sure of reducing these infections quite a lot. >> TITLE: ViewChange >> VOICEOVER: Mobile sewers, super rats, and electric soccer balls. It's an almost unbelievable spectrum of ingenuity. But all these projects are very real. They're the result of business savvy; of irreverence toward the expected; and of design meeting need. Projects like these are turning aid work on its head, and turning heads in the business world too. That's the promise of social innovation. It's redefining the power of creativity in social causes, and it's blurring of the lines between what's good business, and what's just good. >> VOICEOVER: Want to learn more about innovation, design, or anything else you saw here? Head over to ViewChange.org/TV, where you could watch, read, and get involved in projects that are making a real difference. Watch the films you just saw, and over 400 more from around the world, at ViewChange.org/TV. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/where-the-water-meets-the-sky Written by Jordan Roberts (March of the Penguins) and narrated by Academy Award&reg;-winner Morgan Freeman, Where the Water Meets the Sky tells the inspiring story of a group of women in a remote region of Northern Zambia who achieve the unimaginable: they learn how to make a film as a way to speak out about their lives, raising an issue that no one will discuss - the plight of young women orphaned by AIDS. Fri, 04 Nov 2011 08:23:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/where-the-water-meets-the-sky Zambia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Gender, Samfya, AIDS, Africa, Technology, AIDS orphan, Lake Bangweulu, HIV >> VOICEOVER: In a remote region in northern Zambia, deep in the Congo River Basin, is a lake with a perfect name. In the local language, they call this place "Bangweulu", which means, "Where the water meets the sky." Built along the shores of this lake is the town of Samfya. Home to mostly fishermen and their families, it is one of the poorest places in the country. Abibata Mahama and Dominique Chadwick are filmmakers and teachers, and this is their first time in Zambia. And they're traveling the 300 miles from the capital to find some new students. Their goal is simple - to bring together a group of women and girls and ask them to speak out about their lives. But they won't just be talking with each other. If the project succeeds, a group of women from Samfya will be heard by their entire community. And they'll be sharing their views in an altogether different way, using a tool that most here have never seen before. >> TITLE: Where the Water Meets the Sky >> ABIBATA MAHAMA [Project Co-Director]: When we got to Samfya, in northern Zambia, we decided to get a group of women and girls together from different backgrounds. >> VOICEOVER: The search for their new filmmaking students begins at a local high school. Here, the head teacher has found seven young women keen to join up. Their next stop is the Samfya market, where fresh fish and local produce are sold daily, mostly by women whose average income is less than a dollar a day. Here, they find two young women selling vegetables who agree to take part. Their final stop is a fishing camp on the edge of town, the poorest area in Samfya. The people here live in straw huts without electricity or running water. Very few have ever attended school, and most cannot read or write. At first, the women seem reluctant. But with a little encouragement from Mabel, the project coordinator, here too they have success. >> MAN: They're saying, "We've just come for the women", so we asked, "What about the men?" And they said, "No, no men, it's just for women." So we said, "Things will be difficult for us, looking after the children, washing, cooking for ourselves." But we're allowing them to go ahead and do their work. >> MABEL [Project Coordinator]: This Agnes, this is Anna, this is Lillian, then she is Beatrice, she is Anastasia, this is...I've forgotten your name. Doreen, okay, and this is Royda. So we have about seven from the fishing camp. Don't worry; we'll bring them back later today. >> DOMINIQUE CHADWICK [Project Co-Director]: I'm Dominique, and I work together with Abibata to run some training for women. We're going to teach you how to use a camera so you can make films that will tell your stories. Once you make a film, produce a film, you can show it to your family, then to your community, to your village, to the other communities in Zambia, and then to the outside world as well. This thing is a microphone, and it takes the sounds, what you hear. >> VOICEOVER: Only half the population of Samfya has electricity, there are no cinemas, and few people own televisions. Although most of the women in the group have never seen a camera or a microphone before, in just three weeks they will produce a film to show the people of Samfya. >> MWELWA [Project Coordinator]: This thing you see here, it records the sound. For example, what I'm saying now, this thing can capture it. >> ABIGAIL [Student]: In the beginning, I was scared of holding these things. I was even scared of getting close to them. But now I have learned they are not difficult to use. And I'm ready to work with them. My life has been like this: I was born in a rich family. But my father wasn't looking after my mother, so we decided to leave our village and went to live with my aunt. I noticed my mother started changing. Every now and again she would go into hospital. So, then in 1995, I think I was in grade two, my mother's illness got worse. So I said, "What are we going to do?" She said, "We'll just leave it alone and God will look after us." My grandfather said, "Daughter, your illness is getting worse. Please bring Abby so she can start living here." So that's how I went to live in Mabumba. One year went by. In 1997, we got a letter saying that my mother had passed away in Lubwe hospital. So I said to myself, "Now that my mother has died, what am I going to do?" And so I left the house and I went to the bush, where I stayed for two days. While I was there, I just cried. >> WOMAN: Through our suffering, we've looked after her. Whatever we had to eat, we shared with her. Whatever we had, we gave her, to make sure she grew up well. I want her to live well and be settled in life, to take care of herself and be independent. >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: So you position them and make sure that the camera doesn't face the sun. So put them somewhere, maybe there. >> BRIDGET [Student]: The thing that pleased me the most was how to use the camera for filming. I never knew how to use a camera. I would see people filming and just admire from afar. They would be showing off, not letting anyone touch it. Now I'm happy because I have learned how to use a camera. >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: Who else wants to take the camera, and what else does the person want to do? >> ANASTASIA: I want someone to go over there and talk. >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: Okay, so press the red. Ask her to press the red button. Good. You see that is dark, because they are in the shade. >> VOICEOVER: After their first introduction to the cameras, the group must now turn their attention to themselves. The women are encouraged to open up about their lives here in Samfya. >> MWELWA: Let's talk about issues for our film that could make a big impact. After we make the film we'll take it to the villages. It will bring a message and help teach people. Can you see us doing this? >> MWELWA: It was difficult for some of the women in the group, because they had never shared their life stories with anyone. In our Bemba tradition, from the time one is born, it is customary for women not to speak their minds in front of men. Women are not given the opportunity to speak out about their problems, or other things that affect people's lives in the villages, so they're not used to speaking out for themselves. >> MABEL: Ladies, we've come together to talk about the hardships we're going through. The problems that we go through, ladies, are many. We have to talk about them. So now is the time to be open. We don't get opportunities like this everyday. >> LYRIEN [Student]: I really wanted to go to school but my father died early, and there were ten of us, but my mother couldn't look after all of us so we were forced to get married early. All we have found in our marriages is suffering. >> AGNES [Student]: With AIDS you could be a married woman, sitting at home being faithful, while your husband sleeps around and brings you the illness. >> FRIEDA [Student]: What can we do so that this disease goes away? Children are suffering because their parents have brought this disease. What can we do to reduce the impact of parents dying from AIDS? Had it not been for the parents bringing in the illness, they wouldn't need to turn to prostitution and we wouldn't see our communities filled with orphans. >> FRIEDA: Because women here don't talk about the problems we're faced with, we've been held back. But if we spoke out about the problems we're faced with, it would lead to progress for the women in our society. I am happy to be a member of this group of women, because this group is helping us to talk to each other and to share ideas and explain the problems we are facing. It brings me a great deal of concern, this disease of AIDS. The reason I'm talking about this is because it's gripped my heart. If I were to die of AIDS, what would happen to my children? Will they be like those children of other dead parents who have to struggle with all sorts of problems and maybe become street kids because they don't have anyone to help them? All of these are challenges. >> VOICEOVER: It's their second day. The women must now focus on their film and decide which story it will tell. >> MWELWA: Now we should talk and tell each other stories, things that have happened to you, your family, or your friends. From all of these stories, we will choose one story that will suit us best. >> LYRIEN: In grade three, I was only allowed to stay for half the year. Then I was told, "You will no longer be going to school. You always come back late from school and it doesn't leave enough time for you to work at home." >> WOMAN: I left the village and came to my sister's place here in Samfya. I've been trying to earn money by selling fish but it has not been easy. >> VOICEOVER: As the women share stories from their lives, one story emerges which strikes a chord with them all. >> JOSEPHINE [Student]: My friend was born into a very happy and rich family, whereby the parents were able to support her with everything she needs at school. Just as she reached grade five, her parents died of AIDS. >> VOICEOVER: The story of Josephine's friend Penelope brings up an issue familiar to every member of the group: the plight of young women orphaned by AIDS. But in a community where AIDS is rarely spoken about in public, no one knows if Penelope will be willing to talk about her experience, especially in front of a camera. Penelope is a student at a local high school. The group asks Mabel, the project coordinator, to try and find her. >> MABEL: So are you okay with being open and telling your story? >> PENELOPE [Student]: Let me tell my friends to look after my books. >> MABEL: You don't need to be afraid; you can be open with them. You can explain everything. Are you ready? >> PENELOPE: My name is Penelope. I was born into a rich family. My parents died a long time ago, when I was in grade five. When I joined this group, I explained everything that had happened to me. I came from a great family. My father was a miner. He became ill when I was eight years old, and then he died. One year passed, and then my mother died. Before she died, she explained that she too was going to die. She said, "Your father's death certificate says he died of AIDS, so I'm also going to die of AIDS." She died when I was ten. After my mom died, we didn't have a source of food, so my older sister started taking what was left in the house and exchanged it for food. After everything in the house was sold, she started sleeping with men who would provide us with food. After that, my sister also became sick and died. When my sister died, my aunty came to get us to go and live with her in a fishing camp. >> PENELOPE: My uncle would go fishing, and when he came back, we had to take the fish to the market. >> VOICEOVER: With Penelope now a member of the group, filming can soon begin. Their film will raise issues that affect them all. >> FRIEDA: Penelope's story is similar to mine because when she lost her father they grabbed all the property and left them with nothing. That's the same thing that happened to me. >> BRIDGET: I was seven years old when my father died. My father's family came and took everything. Everything. So when I heard what had happened to Penelope, I felt really bad, and I thought, "I'm not the only one this has happened to." >> ABIGAIL: I know that many of us here in this group have lost both parents to AIDS. Both my parents are gone. Victoria lost her parents; Josephine's lost her parents. Bridget lost her father and Exildah lost her parents too. >> MWELWA: The way I see it, it's not easy for Penelope to reveal how her parents died of AIDS. But our friend is courageous enough to stand in front of our group and is prepared to share her story. >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: We asked you to think about somebody who is between twelve and thirteen years who looks like Penelope. Can you see their faces? Do they look alike? This is Cindy, and in their drama Cindy is going to act Penelope when Penelope was between twelve and thirteen. >> PENELOPE: So you will act the part when my parents died from AIDS. You take your bags and go live in the fishing camp. There you will catch fish with your aunt. So you will act these parts and I will follow up when I'm older. >> CINDY [Actress]: Now is this a true story? >> DOMINIQUE CHADWICK: Yes, it's her story. I think you look enough alike. Thank you, that'll be great. >> VOICEOVER: The filming of Penelope's story begins, and they're heading to the fishing camp, home to some of the women from the group. Their camp is a perfect setting for a scene from Penelope's life. After her parents died she went to live with her aunt in a camp much like this one. >> MABEL: Hello, nice to see you again. >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: How did you collect this, with your hands? >> PENELOPE: With my hands. You will start throwing them there. After finishing sweeping, she could be throwing them there. >> LYRIEN: Action! >> MABEL: Make sure you don't cut off her head. Point up, point up. >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: Because the person whose story is being told is around, we make sure that she checks because it is her story. She owns the story, so she checks to make sure that everything that is being said is authentic. >> PENELOPE: I've even explained to my brother that, well, he should look so sad to show that life has changed. You have moved into a community - to a fishing camp - so life has changed. So you have to show sadness. They have done very well, they have done very well. >> DOMINIQUE CHADWICK: So you must tell them. You must say thanks. >> PENELOPE: Thank you, you've done great work. >> TITLE: Agnes >> AGNES: Today was really great because I took my first photograph. I was really happy that I could learn to zoom in and out, what to press, how to open the lens in front, and how to switch it on. That made me really happy. I asked them to show my husband what I had filmed, and they showed him, and he said, "Wow, did she do that?" And they told him, "Yes". He said, "She has learned," and I felt really good. Penelope's story is similar to mine. The death of her parents reminded me of when my dad died. I really wanted to go to school, but my mother was alone and couldn't send me. For Penelope as well, she didn't have support to go to school, so her story touched me. There are lots of problems here, like buying clothes and blankets for my children, and now one should be in school, but she can't and this hurts me. We had her registered and she wants to start school, but we can't afford a uniform. At school they don't take children unless they have a uniform. I wish all the children here could go to school. It would be good if they could work in offices. We won't have the chance, but they should. They should progress in life. >> DOMINIQUE CHADWICK: So what do you do when the camera is not straight? You just undo that and you hold the camera. >> MAKUKA: Oh baby! She doesn't want her mommy off having fun. >> DOMINIQUE CHADWICK: Is that your baby? >> MAKUKA: Yeah, yeah. >> DOMINIQUE CHADWICK: You go and feed him, feed her. Who wants to do camera? >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: People settle on different things. Some people will automatically say that, "I want to be on the camera." Somebody will say, "I want to be the sound person"; "I want to be the director." So they don't all go for one thing. >> DOMINIQUE CHADWICK: When you think it's ready, you say, "Action," quite loud. >> MAKUKA: Action! >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: Take control. >> ELIZABETH [Student]: No! >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: Director, take control. Find out whether your sound is okay, your camera's okay. >> MAKUKA: Are we recording? >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: Please go back. Then you ask your cameraperson to roll before you say "Action". >> MAKUKA: Oh, I thought it was just a try. >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: No, no. We are going for a take now. >> MAKUKA: We are recording. >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: Okay, okay. So ask everybody to stand by. >> MAKUKA: Be on standby, please! Action! >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: I can see that they are progressing, and they are happy, and they are eager. They are using technology to tell their own story, and they're really happy about it. I'm very optimistic that at the end of the day they will have a very good story that they will be proud of. And we will also be proud of them. >> DOMINIQUE CHADWICK: Shout, "Cut!" >> MAKUKA: Cut! >> ELIZABETH: That's what we want! >> VOICEOVER: The next location is the Samfya market, a challenging place for filmmakers, especially for those with only a few days' experience. >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: Directors, once the camera is recording, you people shouldn't be talking. When you go back and you play, you see that all your noise will be there. And when you are actually filming, you don't need that. So once she says, "Sound ready. Camera ready. The actor is ready" and you say, "Record. Action", all the crewmembers should stop talking. And the one controlling the crowd, if there's somebody making unnecessary noise, you go and drive those people away. >> VOICEOVER: After moving in with her aunt, Penelope had no choice but to leave school and sell fish in the market. But she would earn very little money. By this time, her situation had become desperate. >> PENELOPE: At the market, I would bump into my friends who were also orphans. They said, "You are wasting your time here at the market." I saw how well they looked and I thought I could join them. I thought maybe if I go into the same work as my friends it might help me. But my friends hadn't told me what work they were doing. That's when they showed me the house and said, "This is where you should come." I became a prostitute when I was 14 years old. What made me become a prostitute was hunger at home. I didn't want to be a prostitute, but the hardship had become extreme so I did what my friends were doing. The men didn't treat me very well. When I said, "Let's use a condom," they would be very difficult. They would say, "What makes you think you're so special?" When I saw that I wasn't earning enough money with the condoms I could have started doing it without using them, like my friends. Maybe now I would be sick, like my friends. Prostitution is a big problem here in Samfya because there are so many orphans. There's so much AIDS here, it's as if it was born here. When AIDS takes the parents then their children suffer, then they become prostitutes, and if they have children, it will just continue. When people see this film they will see the truth. This gives me the strength to continue with this work. Sometimes I want to stop because what I am acting is difficult, but then I think, "I'm not the only one that this has happened to." There are others who are going through the same situation. Let this film teach them. >> VOICEOVER: With help from Benjamin Chama, the headmaster of a local school, Penelope's ordeal came to an end. >> BENJAMIN CHAMA: I've seen so many girls fall into this trap of trying to get money. They go into bars, they will stay in the bars with their friends, they will be abused so much, and they will end up maybe getting HIV/AIDS and it will result in death, most of the time. When I first met Penelope, she was in a group of friends. I think those friends did not really want to have anything to do with me because they knew I was headmaster of a school. But Penelope stopped, I could see that she was quite a polite child and maybe she had just gone wayward because of the influence of the friends. So I offered that she should come back into school, and I could see the radiance in her face. This is a child that was very, very happy! I have in the school, a school of about 1,700 pupils, about 500 orphaned children here. And most of these, you know, it's as a result of HIV and AIDS. As the school head, I have now become a counselor to these children, because I think they need to be given encouragement that they can continue, despite losing their parents. My greatest hope is that every child in this school will finish their education. That will be, I think, I will die a happy man. >> STUDENTS: [Singing] Stand and sing of Zambia, proud and free, land of work and joy in unity. Victors in the struggle for their rights. We've won freedom's fight. All one, strong and free. >> VOICEOVER: With only a few days left before they show their film to the people of Samfya, the women double their efforts to finish on time. >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: It's really amazing - you see that in the first place, they are coming from different backgrounds. They don't know the people they are coming to work with. But once you bring them together, then there's a kind of unity, a kind of force among them. The women we bring together, they have to believe and trust that we can guide them to come out with a film at the end of the day. >> JOSEPHINE: Action! >> PENELOPE: How are you? >> MAN: What are you doing? Don't you know that prostitution can lead to HIV? >> CHRISTINE: Is this one your brother? >> PENELOPE: He's my brother. >> CHRISTINE: I want to tell you that there's nothing like that. >> DOMINIQUE CHADWICK: Okay, what was the sound like? >> FRIEDA: Nice. >> DOMINIQUE CHADWICK: Nice? Okay. >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: And we have to believe that no matter where they are coming from, the skills that they are going to be given, they can use it to get their voices heard. >> BRIDGET: I've seen a big change in myself because before this group I didn't know how to find a story, or how to find out about other people's lives, how to ask questions. I've never had this kind of strength, but now that I've been in this group I can stand up and talk in front of people in English or in Bemba. I can talk and they can hear me. Now I can do it and I won't even be shaking. >> DOMINIQUE CHADWICK: The VCT scene is a very, very important scene in the film because it will inform people of the urgency to be tested. >> VOICEOVER: Samfya has one the highest rates of HIV infection in all of Zambia, a country where one in six adults lives with the disease. Life expectancy here is under 40. The group has come to a local clinic to film the last major scene of Penelope?s story. She came here as a 16-year-old to be tested for HIV. >> PENELOPE: I was 16 years old when I realized that it is important for me to go for the test at the VCT Center. Because I know that through my background, I was a prostitute, and I realized that the men I was sleeping with, I couldn't tell just by looking at them. So, in order for me to be free in mind, I should go and have a test. >> DOMINIQUE CHADWICK: Okay. Action! >> NURSE: How are you? >> PENELOPE: I'm okay, how are you? >> NURSE: I'm fine, thank you. So, you've come for the test. There's one thing I want to find out from you. Have you ever been exposed to any risk factors? >> PENELOPE: Yes. >> NURSE: Was there protection or there was no protection? What I mean is, were you using a condom, or were you not using a condom, each time you used to have sexual intercourse? >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: People have gotten to know other people and they are becoming friends, becoming a family, so it's not that she's just acting, but we have feelings attached to it. And people are sharing her pains; people are sharing everything that she went through. Because she is reliving all that she went through, and that is not easy for her to have gone through that and now reliving it for the film to be made. >> NURSE: Okay. Your results are out. Are you ready for your results? >> PENELOPE: Yes. >> NURSE: Okay, here you are. I see that it says "one", that means it is HIV negative. >> PENELOPE: Yes. >> NURSE: So what do you understand about HIV -- >> MAN: There is an event this evening, at 7:00pm tonight, a film made by women from Samfya. For those of you who like joy and learning, at 7:00pm tonight, a film will be shown, made by women here in Samfya. The film is called, "I've Found My Way." >> VOICEOVER: On the day of the film's first showing, the women decide to get the word out on their own. >> PENELOPE: At 7:00pm there will be a film shown tonight. It tells the story of how orphans are mistreated and what our community can do about the problem. >> ABIGAIL: This film is made by the Samfya Women Filmmakers. We are teaching one another, and we're teaching our friends. >> MWELWA: We don't know how people will react after seeing our film, or how they will look at us as a group, and especially how they will respond to our friend whose story we are telling. >> WOMAN: If you have time, we hope you can come and watch it at the high school. >> VOICEOVER: With only a few hours before the screening of their film, Penelope returnS to the village where she lived with her parents, to the place where her family home once stood. >> PENELOPE: When my parents were alive my life was good. I'll never forget how close we were with my father's relatives, but when death came to my parents, my father's family changed. They came and took our beds so we had to sleep on the floor. We used to have a TV and a stereo, and although the house didn't have any electricity, those things made the house look good. The fact that they grabbed everything wasn't easy, but what could we do apart from accept what's been done? I would like my father's family who grabbed our property to see my story. This is my cousin. This is my auntie, the sister to my father. We are going to show a film about what happened to me at the high school at 7:00pm tonight. Will you be able to come and see it? >> WOMAN [Penelope's Aunt]: I can't come because I am too busy. The farmland your father left is a long way off and I don't have time. >> PENELOPE: I just pretend to be happy when I'm near them. If you could get inside my head when I sat with them, then you could have seen what I was thinking. The thought of them grabbing our property still haunts me. When I'm talking to them I can still picture them taking things from our house. That's what's stayed in my mind; I don't know how to get rid of it. >> VOICEOVER: At Penelope's request, their film's premiere will take place at a local school. It will be the first film ever produced in Samfya. >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: It's really brave of her. Not everybody in this school knows Penelope's story. But today, after the screening, everybody will leave knowing that, "Oh, this is what she's gone through." >> ABIGAIL: When I think about how Penelope has shown us all her suffering, I want to urge people to give her the respect she wants and deserves. It has been difficult for her to tell her story. It is not easy to tell people what you've been through, but I'm hopeful that people will respect her for it. >> PENELOPE: I'm Penelope and I'm from Samfya in northern Zambia. My parents were very supportive and loving. But one day, my father died of AIDS and that's when my mother disclosed to us, me and my brother, that she is also going to die. It is so difficult to believe that your beloved one has died. Then, our auntie came and she offered to take me in her fishing community, but my aunt didn't have enough income to support me to school, so I had to start selling fish at the market. My friends, who are also orphans, they've engaged themselves in prostitution. When those friends came, they passed through the market and they started saying that, "We are making a lot of money". So I was eventually convinced to join them in prostitution. I was in prostitution for three months, but I wasn't a happy prostitute. My auntie wanted me to stop prostitution so she went to see the head teacher. So one day, I met him in town. He said that if I'm ready to stop prostitution, he could help me in school. >> BENJAMIN CHAMA: I met your aunt yesterday. She came to see me at the office. She's very, you know, worried about you. Are you willing to come back to school, Penelope? >> PENELOPE: "I'm very much willing, sir. If that could happen, I could be the happiest person in the world!" Because I engaged myself in prostitution, I was worried that I might be infected with AIDS. So I decided to go to the VCT Center to be tested. >> NURSE: So what do you understand about HIV negative result? >> PENELOPE: In my body, you have not found the germ [virus] that causes AIDS. >> PENELOPE: So now I'm back at school. I'm now a changed person. It was because of poverty that I left school and engaged in prostitution. I'm now very happy because I have a future. My story needs to be told to show people how vulnerable orphans are, and nobody should take advantage of them. >> VOICEOVER: As the film draws to an end, the women sense an opportunity. Without prompting, they take to the stage one by one. >> FRIEDA: All the people who made the film are here, and you can start asking questions. >> WOMAN 1: From what I've heard, when you have HIV/AIDS your life is very short. Is it true? >> PENELOPE: Yes, this is true, but the problem is us young people are scared of the VCT Center. We think it's just for adults. But as the film showed, young people like us can go there too. >> WOMAN 2: This shows us that leaving the house and going into prostitution is a very bad thing. Prostitution involves some real dangers. You can get all kinds of sickness and it can end in death. >> ABIBATA MAHAMA: I don't think most of them will ever forget today. Most of them spoke so confidently, and it's all part of what the whole filmmaking and advocacy is all about. Build their confidence up so that their confidently talk about contributing to change attitudes. And I think it's really working. >> FRIEDA: We appreciate your comments; we'd like to hear more. >> BENJAMIN CHAMA: That was very nice, you know, that film that we watched. I want to thank you for being very brave. Thank you for a job well done. Thank you. >> VOICEOVER: With the success of their premiere, other screenings soon follow across Samfya. >> PENELOPE: At the end, people were passing some comments and I was happy that the comments they were passing, they were good. They didn't know that in Samfya, there would be a group like this. >> BENJAMIN CHAMA: The things you've seen do happen in our village, right? Especially to orphans, when property is grabbed from them. >> MAN: This film is very good. Next time, I would like even more information. >> PENELOPE: I'm proud because we want to make a difference. So even my fellow friends, they are proud. >> WOMAN: Stop making noise! We're really thankful for being shown this film. We never expected to see a film like this in Samfya and we really want to thank the people who made it. >> VOICEOVER: After their screenings in town, the women have one important audience left to face. They bring their film back to the people of the fishing camp, to the husbands and children of their fellow filmmakers. >> PENELOPE: Making a film about your life story is not easy, but if you really put your heart into it you can explain everything, because if you keep something to yourself it becomes a burden on your heart. But if you share it with people it becomes lighter. Because of our film, by telling my story, and showing the film to people, my heart has slowly, slowly started to open up. Because of this, I started forgiving my father's relatives. People say, you never forget, but I'm putting the past behind me. >> AGNES: I want to thank those people who picked us up. We never imagined that we would do what we have done, and for that we are on our knees. >> MAN 1: This group has been really good, and they've enlightened us. We've seen firsthand what happens when you leave a child and the child is suffering. I want to say thank you. You who have come to visit us have brought us happiness; you've left us with joy. >> MAN 2: Orphans like me used to shed tears when we saw other kids with their parents, seeing them happy together. This used to bring us misery thinking back to those times when we were with our parents who we've lost. I really want to thank this group, and I'm left speechless. And I ask this group, are we going to see you again? >> SIGN: Sweet After Sweat Shopping Center >> AGNES: This project has brought joy to us women in Samfya, especially us women in the Samfya Women Filmmakers. People in other areas who are not in this group are really envious, and they say they want to join us. Others came to us and said, "It's great what you're doing. You should make more films, you shouldn't stop." I'm hoping this group will continue. Just like a fire, when it's burning, it should keep on burning. >> TITLE: Abigail graduated from high school. She hopes to study business in Zambia's capital, Lusaka. Cindy is finishing primary school. She wants to be a lawyer one day. Frieda cares for three young relatives and her five-year-old daughter. She wants to be a teacher and hopes to begin training soon. Agnes has started her own small business selling vegetables. She is now in school taking literacy classes. Bridget cares for her sister's three young children and her own daughter. She has been elected secretary of the group and is studying social work. Penelope graduated from high school. She has started her own small business and hopes to start teacher training soon. >> TITLE: The Samfya Women Filmmakers went on to show their film to over 3,000 people across their community. The group is already at work on their next film, a documentary about child marriage. This project was made possible by The Campaign for Female Education. For more information about how you can help educate and empower girls and women in rural Africa, visit www.camfed.org. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/kiberatv-voice-of-kibera-workshop KiberaTV reporter Wilfred Masea checks in on Voice of Kibera, a citizen journalism project that is working to improve the communication capacity of the community. It is an initiative of Map Kibera, using the innovative Ushahidi platform to curate and map reports. Thu, 01 Sep 2011 09:27:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/kiberatv-voice-of-kibera-workshop Africa, Community media, Kenya, Ushahidi, Technology, Media, Kibera, East Africa, Nairobi, KiberaTV >> TITLE: KiberaTV >> WILFRED MASEA [Reporter]: Voice of Kibera is a community-based organization that is an initiative of Map Kibera. They recently held a workshop at Mchanganyiko Hall in Kibera Karanja. The workshop was organized to spread the word about the site and to involve the community in collecting news. Voice of Kibera is an online news collecting and information-sharing platform. The site aggregates news through people sending in short text messages and submitting online reports. An editorial board, consisting of youths from six different organizations in Kibera, approves and verifies the incoming reports. The site collaborates with other community media contributors, such as KiberaTV, to help gather news. Today was a day to attract and train more SMS reporters and also take participants through the process of news verification. >> SANDE WYCLIFFE [Voice of Kibera Editorial Member]: I'm Sande Wycliffe, and I'm here to run a workshop on the Voice of Kibera. We are introducing new people to the Voice of Kibera platform. People are in favor of change and want the platform to be more prevalent in the Kibera slum. People want to see it accessible to everybody, in terms of what the platform can do for the people of Kibera. Above all, people want this information to reach the larger population of Kibera. >> JAMES AGUMBA [Participant]: We came here to dialogue about the Voice of Kibera platform. This is about a new technology that focuses on resolution mechanisms as they pertain to the security level in the community, and the referral system and response mechanism in case there is any kind of incident, be it fire, sexual/gender based violence, any kind of conflict, any case that can violate any person's rights. In addition to that, if there is any type of positive story that is coming from anywhere within Kibera, then it can be reported through SMS code 3002. We have seen that when you SMS this number, it directly goes to the Voice of Kibera. They vet it, they read it, and if it is urgent, if it needs an immediate response, then they look at the possible ways in which they can respond to what's said. We have included many organizations in the site. We identify organizations on the grassroots level so that in case an opportunity arises they can refer to a particular organization that relays a direct link towards that kind of subject opportunity. >> WILFRED MASEA: Participants also were given a platform to give feedback on what they'd want the site to do in its future programs. Wilfred Masea, KiberaTV, Nairobi, Kenya. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/kiberatv-carving-bones-to-earn-income Kibera's Victorious Youth Group has devised an unconventional path to job creation and income generation. They teach youth how to carve bones, creating beautiful necklaces, earrings, and bracelets to sell at local markets. Thu, 01 Sep 2011 08:44:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/kiberatv-carving-bones-to-earn-income Kenya, Employment, Kibera, Technology, Nairobi, Bone carving, KiberaTV, Hot Sun Foundation >> TITLE: KiberaTV >> WILFRED MASEA [Reporter]: There are many ways to generate income apart from official jobs. Everyone works hard to make a living, and many come up with their own businesses. As the country gives birth to new ideas, everyone is struggling harder and harder to change his or her environment. In Kibera Soweto, we came across Victorious Youth Group. This organized has transformed the lives of many youths through bone carving. George Otieno, the group coordinator and one of the first members, has been able to feed his family and provide school fees for his children through bone carving. >> GEORGE OTIENO [Coordinator, Victorious Youth Group]: I have a family and they all depend on the small income I earn from this job. >> WILFRED MASEA: As we walk around, Kenneth Ochieng, one of youth group members, took us through the bone carving process and also shared with us some of the challenges they face. >> KENNETH OCHIENG [Member, Victorious Youth Group]: I am a member of the Victorious Youth Group, and our work is bones carving. We make earrings, necklaces, and bracelets. The only challenge we are facing now is marketing. After our job is done, sometimes is takes too long to find a market. >> WILFRED MASEA: The group urges youth to be independent and not wait for government employment. They believe everyone can employ themselves through business ideas. >> GEORGE OTIENO: According to Kenya's Constitution, you must be at least 18 years old or above to be employed. My advice is, if you relax you will never succeed. Take a chance, and even if it doesn't work out perfectly, it may get you through life. >> JACK NYAWANGA [Member, Victorious Youth Group]: This job will change the lives of the youth. The conditions of tomorrow will be different than those of today. Our vision as Victorious Youth Group is to deal with the unemployed youth in Kibera. We have many youth in Kibera who dropped out of school and are desperate without jobs. This job is good to them. We hope that in the years to come, Victorious will be a big company and able to will create job opportunities to the jobless. >> WILFRED MASEA: Wilfred Masea, reporting for KiberaTV, Nairobi, Kenya. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/kiberatv-community-jiko-in-kibera Residents of Nairobi's Kibera slum live in a community faced with a history of waste management issues and a constant need for cooking fuel. One locally based organization is tackling both problems at once with an innovative community oven fueled by solid waste. Mon, 08 Aug 2011 08:47:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/kiberatv-community-jiko-in-kibera Kenya, Agriculture & Food, Kibera, Technology, Laini Saba, Hot Sun Foundation, KiberaTV, Poverty reduction >> TITLE: KiberaTV >> ROY OKELLO [Reporter]: Waste management is a major problem in all of the informal settlements in the country. Heaps of garbage are the order of the day everywhere in Kibera, the world's second largest slum. Laini Saba, one of the villages in Kibera slum now becomes the first community in the world to develop a cooker that burns solid waste to produce heat for cooking. Ushirika wa Usafi, a community-based organization, have posed themselves as the leading sanitation and solid waste managers. With support from collaborators and partners, they have managed to set up a community cooker that burns solid waste like rags. During sorting, organic waste is used as fertilizer in sack gardens. The metals and plastics that cannot burn in the cooker are sold to scrap metal dealers and the money goes back to the organization. The cooker is a blessing to the residents who now enjoy cheap cooking as compared to cooking with kerosene. The cooker uses used oil and water mixed in a tap then dropped in a chamber to catalyze the burning, reaching up to 800 degrees Celsius. The cooker is used to bake, roast, boil water, and cook all different types of food. Five liters of used oil costs only 150 shillings and is used for a whole month. The community cooker has transformed the way people handle solid waste in the community. Roy Okello, reporting for African Inspirational TV, KiberaTV, Nairobi. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/viewchange-one-good-idea <strong>"ViewChange: One Good Idea"</strong> presents four stories about individuals and organizations who are taking on the biggest global challenges:<br /><br /><strong>India's Free Lunch</strong>&nbsp; Since 2001, all Indian primary schools have provided pupils with a free midday meal. Since then, truancy rates have dropped and child health is soaring. <br /><br /><strong>Project Peanut Butter</strong>&nbsp; In Malawi, children with malnutrition are being given a radical new treatment that is cheap and very effective: fortified peanut butter. Best of all, mothers can administer the ready-to-use food at home, eliminating the need for hospital stays.<br /><br /><strong>Banking on Change</strong>&nbsp; J.S. Parthibhan is a bank manager with a difference: he's interested in people, not numbers. Through micro loans, he's helping villagers in rural areas of India develop a sense of entrepreneurship and self-respect. <br /><br /><strong>Vidiyal</strong>&nbsp; Village women in Tamil Nadu are using mobile phones and computer technology in innovative ways to benefit their agriculture-based businesses. <br /><br />Watch on NDTV Profit or profit.ndtv.com Saturday 10pm / Sunday 5pm IST.<br /> Thu, 04 Aug 2011 08:26:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/viewchange-one-good-idea India, Agriculture & Food, Microfinance, Technology, Change Makers, Malnutrition, Malawi, Link TV Presents the World, NDTV Profit, Poverty Big problems versus a little inspiration...a surprisingly fair fight. See what happens in India, Malawi, or anywhere else, when you take one good idea, big or small, and run with it. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/why-women-count-uganda-enterprising-women Grace Lwemamu is manager of the family business Mulya Maize in Uganda. Mary Kaddu runs her own supermarket business. But both felt their lack of management expertise was holding them back. Now they have taken part in a new national mentoring scheme, pairing experienced businesswomen with would-be entrepreneurs in Uganda, equipping them with new confidence and negotiating skills. Wed, 06 Jul 2011 11:06:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/why-women-count-uganda-enterprising-women Uganda, Gender, Technology, Education, Business, Microfinance, LinkTV Picks, tve, Why Women Count >> TITLE: Why Women Count>> TITLE: Enterprising Women>> VOICEOVER: In Uganda successful professional and businesswomen are often put on a pedestal, celebrated yet isolated from the women beneath them. This situation makes it difficult for younger women to see them as role models. Women make up 40 percent of university graduates, yet only half of them find formal employment within two years of graduating. And now with the formal job market shrinking, many women are turning to the enterprise economy, setting up small and medium-sized businesses on their own or with their families. Grace graduated in design, but she is now working in the family maize-milling business. She needs to learn some essential skills to help her succeed. >> GRACE LWEMAMU [Manager, Mulya Maize Millers and Traders]: The people I work with -- the workers, mainly -- didn't ever recognize me as their manager. I don't know whether it was because I'm a woman or because I was young at that time. I don't know exactly. You tell them to do something, they first hesitate then you have to contact the director to see that something gets done.>> VOICEOVER: Breaking into the business world has been hard for many women in Uganda because women have far fewer role models. Now a new scheme set up by the British Council is giving young women the opportunity to be matched with experienced business and professional women. >> BOB GARVEY [Trainer, Mentoring Program]: Women in particular are very good at this because they tend to have a lot of motivation, are very creative, innovative, tend to be very determined to make these things succeed. And also something that women are very good at is relating to other people, persuading other people and so on, which are all important business skills in today's economy.>> VOICEOVER: At the Mothers of Hope Mentoring Club for HIV positive women, older members share their experiences with new members. Through this process, Jennifer and her friend have been able to set up a shop selling handicrafts and second-hand clothing.>> JENNIFER NAMUGERWA [Mothers of Hope, African Mentoring Institute]: When we came here to learn they taught us how to save money. I never knew how to save money, but now I can save. They even taught us the tactics of how to persuade a customer to buy and to like your product, and to buy it even when they would not have bought it. >> VOICEOVER: Already the course is yielding results, helping both new and existing entrepreneurs. As Commissioner in the Prison Services, Mary Kaddu is used to giving orders, but in her private supermarket business she had to develop new ways of communicating. >> MARY KADDU [Commissioner, Uganda Prisons Services]: Before I went on the course, I used to use the parent to child approach whereby I was just commanding and giving orders to my workers, but now I am using the adult to adult approach. We sit together with my workers, we discuss, and we look at challenges. At the end of the day we come out with solutions to make the business better.>> VOICEOVER: During the four-day course, 30 experienced business and professional women are trained in business skills: to listen, to question, to spot and to negotiate business opportunities. These mentors are matched with three or four young women entrepreneurs. The perception the older and younger women have of one another has started to change. >> MARY KADDU: The problem is not only with the experienced ladies, but also with the young girls. Sometimes they are very arrogant and they don't want to take orders from the experienced ladies.>> VOICEOVER: Mary is now able to help former female prisoners set up their own business ventures.>> MARY KADDU: After my mentoring I went to the women who have passed out, who have some businesses, and I talked to them about negotiation skills and communication skills. Then we talk to them about how to make plans, how to decide which is the best program or the best business for them. At the end of the day when they are financially stable, then I know their men won't leave them.>> TITLE: [End credits] http://www.viewchange.org/videos/making-money-mobile Capturing the game-changing power of cellular telephones to deliver financial services to the poor in earthquake ravaged Haiti, teams are building on models developed in Kenya and elsewhere in Africa. This film highlights the potential of low-cost cellular technology to serve the poor. Wed, 29 Jun 2011 11:27:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/making-money-mobile Haiti, Technology, Mobile payment, Microfinance, Poverty reduction, USAID, Kenya, Earthquake, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Sundance Institute >> TITLE: Produced by Highest Common Denominator Media Group. Produced in association with the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. >> TITLE: Making Money Mobile>> TITLE: Eighty percent of Haitians live in poverty, subject to natural and man-made disasters. The catastrophic earthquake of January 12, 2010 throws Haiti's fragile economy into chaos.>> MAN: The situation is very bad, it's very bad.>> KOKOEVI SOUSSUVI [Economic Recovery Program Manager, Mercy Corps]: When the earthquake happened I made a personal decision to come to Haiti. I lost a very dear friend of mine in the earthquake and I'd made a promise to him that one day I would come, and I had no other choice than coming here now, to hold that promise. After the earthquake, a number of branches, bank branches were closed, or some of them even collapsed. People could not get access to their own cash, cash they needed to protect themselves against the disaster, to buy food, medicine, water. So cash-based interventions were relevant in the context of Haiti. With a purely cash-based economy, we know that people have a very short-term view.>> GEORGETTE JEAN-LOUIS [Chief Financial Officer, Fonkoze Microfinance Institution]: Our credit agents, sometimes they have to go by foot, and sometimes we are very high in the mountains, so we have to walk.>> CLAUDE CLODOMIR [Deputy Chief of Party for USAID/HIFIVE]: The number one issue is violence, it's crime. We know for a fact that these women who actually make the majority of street vendors get money taken away from them.>> GEORGETTE JEAN-LOUIS: These people, they can be robbed, they can be killed, they can be kidnapped.>> PRIYA JAISINGHANI [Senior Advisor to the Administrator for USAID]: One woman was paying a gang member USD$20 a day to keep her safe.>> MAN: I think life is not good at all for us, for almost all of us.>> TITLE: In the midst of this chaos, cellular service continued to function.>> PIERRE LIAUTAUD [VP Product Development, Voila]: Cell phones save lives. A number of people who were recovered underneath the rubble were able to text their exact location in the house. >> TITLE: There are 6.8 billion people living on the planet. Nearly 5 billion of them use a cell phone.>> CLAUDE CLODOMIR: People have cell phone service and needed these financial transactions. The economy was moving, but they needed to be facilitated and mobile banking became evident as a result of the earthquake. >> KOKOEVI SOUSSUVI: Mobile phone penetration in Haiti is really significant, about 85 percent of Haitians own a phone.>> PIERRE LIAUTAUD: Without cell phones in Haiti there is no communication. It's not a luxury; it's a basic need of survival.>> STEPHANE BRUNO [Senior Technology Advisor for USAID/HIFIVE]: Since this device is already in the hands of the majority of the population, it makes sense to use it also for financial services.>> KOKOEVI SOUSSUVI: You have a very strong platform for mobile banking to succeed: mobile payments, transfer from one person to the next, from one side of the country to the other, and international remittances. >> CLAUDE CLODOMIR: Mobile banking is basically allowing someone to do a banking transaction via telephone.>> PIERRE LIAUTAUD: Clearly the technology exists to allow a country like Haiti to become a cashless country.>> CHARLES CASTEL [Governor, Central Bank of Haiti]: It is part of the initiative to enfranchise the disenfranchised.>> PRIYA JAISINGHANI: And we've seen that it can work, we've seen in Kenya where there's a service called Mpesa. There are more than 10 million clients now using their cell phone to save money and to transact with one another. It's the silver lining in a devastating situation.>> WOMAN: I need to add minutes to my phone.>> KOKOEVI SOUSSUVI: Mobile payments are important because, in a country like Haiti, there are only two bank branches for about 160,000 people.>> MAN: When I have to cash a check, you have to come to the bank, and the lines are so long and so slow.>> PRIYA JAISINGHANI: You might have a woman who has some extra money, and she wants to hide it -- hide it from her husband, hide it from herself -- by buying a goat. But, when she needs just a few dollars, you can't just sell half the goat, you have to sell the whole goat, so it can be an illiquid and expensive way of saving money.>> PIERRE LIAUTAUD: If all my money is in cash and it's not in the bank, where is it? In my mattress? What happens if my house burns down?>> KOKOEVI SOUSSUVI: So linking cash-based intervention and mobile banking is taking this relief effort one step further because as we do this we also educate people to make the most of financial services.>> TITLE: Mobile money training session>> KOKOEVI SOUSSUVI: We are right in the middle of phone distribution, just about ready to begin the training on how to use the mobile phone to receive payment after a heavy cash-for-work day.>> PIERRE LIAUTAUD: She's never had a phone before and I said, "You'll learn fast," and she said, "Yes, yes, yes.">> STEPHANE BRUNO: It's really a tool that the government can use to improve the quality of its services to the citizen.>> KOKOEVI SOUSSUVI: So by using the mobile technology we can actually bank outside the bank.>> CLAUDE CLODOMIR: The benefit to someone, a poor person having savings -- it reduces their economic vulnerability; they are able to plan out expenses and invest in their small businesses.>> WOMAN: For me, saving is great because I don't need to have the cash right away but it's there for me whenever I need it.>> KOKOEVI SOUSSUVI: People are amazing, they are really getting it. They are really using their phone to test out the power of mobile money.>> MAN: This is a tool that is going to be very good for us all.>> KOKOEVI SOUSSUVI: We are there, right at the beginning of it. You know, we're the first one doing it. I mean, this is the best idea we've ever had.>> PIERRE LIAUTAUD: I will bet that, one year from now, we will have seen the greatest success of mobile money in the world in Haiti. >> KOKOEVI SOUSSUVI: It's going to be great.>> TITLE: [end credits]>> TITLE: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2010 launched a USD$10 million incentive fund to jumpstart financial services by mobile phone in Haiti. This initiative is helping deliver cash assistance to earthquake victims and lays the foundations for advanced banking services that could help millions of Haitians lift themselves out of extreme poverty. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef-radio-links-haitian-families-to-life-saving-aid A cacophony of songs and radio reports drift from the tented camp; thousands of radios are providing entertainment and, more importantly, information. A UNICEF Public Service Announcement on nutrition blares out of several radios tuned into Port-au-Prince's Radio One. The station is one of many that work with Internews, an organization that is distributing information to earthquake victims. Fri, 22 Apr 2011 10:04:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef-radio-links-haitian-families-to-life-saving-aid Haiti, Earthquake, Internews, Technology, Media, Foreign Assistance, Port-au-Prince, Radio broadcasting, UNICEF >> VOICEOVER: You're watching UNICEF Television. Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, lies hidden under a cloud of dust. A massive relief effort is underway, but without information, the aid is useless to many of those most in need. But UNICEF and other aid organizations have been working with Internews to distribute valuable information to the country's devastated population.>> JACOBO QUINTANILLA [Humanitarian Coordinator, Internews Emergency Response]: In any emergency, the first priority is the delivery of critical aid. But communities need more than that: they also need information. It's critical for them to know where they can get water, where they can get certain facilities, how to access those medical centers. Is it safe to go home? Where is my family? How can I get in touch with the people I love? That's why information is critical and why information can save lives. >> VOICEOVER: Working with local journalists, the organization produces daily radio programs relevant to the disaster-affected communities. Johnny is one of these journalists. Each day he takes to the streets and in this case, the camps of displaced, to find out what the challenges are and whether people are getting the help they need.>> JOHNNY CESAR [Journalist, Internews]: Today I went to one of the biggest camps in Port-au-Prince. We're trying to find out how these people are living, are they able to get food, and are they able to get water. That was the story here for today. >> VOICEOVER: Internews works with 23 radio stations in Port-au-Prince that together cover the entire country. The daily radio show is packaged alongside public service announcements from UNICEF and other organizations. >> ELIZABETH AUGUSTIN [UNICEF Communications for Development, Haiti]: This is an opportunity for us to gather information on health, mostly for hygiene, also HIV/AIDS, to remind people about HIV/AIDS prevention and what they can do to get their medication and also nutrition, especially for breastfeeding. So we've been sharing our messages that we prepared with the Ministry of Health, and they broadcast them for us freely.>> VOICEOVER: CDs are printed and the programs delivered by hand to radio stations and hit the airwaves within minutes. To ensure the information is received, Internews is distributing thousands of handheld radios to the same radio stations that broadcast their show. The stations in turn sign an agreement to distribute the radios to those most in need; women-headed households and people displaced by the quake. The radios are wind up, solar powered, can be tuned in to multiple frequencies, and double as a torch, which means those living in the camps, those that have lost everything, will always be able to tune in. >> JOHNNY CESAR: We see that in many camps, around the tents, people are using the small radio now to get the show.>> VOICEOVER: As clearing and reconstruction efforts begin, it is vital that those who have survived the quake get the information and thus the help they need to survive the next step. This is Guy Hubbard reporting for UNICEF Television. Unite for children. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/fao-honors-small-farmers-in-jordan Jordan has introduced modern farming technology to overcome the challenge of feeding its population of five million. Only five percent of Jordan?s land is arable, yet with assistance from the government and FAO, the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, the country can now feed its population and export produce to more than thirty-three countries in the Middle East and Europe. Wed, 13 Apr 2011 11:12:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/fao-honors-small-farmers-in-jordan Middle East, Food security, Agriculture & Food, Jordan, Food and Agriculture Organization, Agriculture, Arable land, United Nations, Technology >> VOICEOVER: The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan faces an enormous challenge -- how to feed its five million people when only five percent of its land is farmable. Spending nearly two hundred million dollars a year just to import food, Jordan knew it had to find a solution, and quickly. And it did just that. How? By harnessing the power of the small farmer. In a move that's part innovation and part miracle, Jordan managed to turn small rural farms into major food suppliers and in so doing, changed the life of local farmers in ways they could never have imagined. It's all part of a multimillion dollar national strategy, a joint effort of the government and the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, FAO. Awni Taema, Director-General of Jordan's Ministry of Agriculture, says all the farmers needed were up-to-date training, and a small investment. >> AWNI TAEMA [Director-General, Jordan's Ministry of Agriculture]: We face a challenge in Jordan. We have to use new technologies and modern farming techniques to utilize these small farmable pieces of land to produce enough to secure food for the whole country.>> FIDDAH IBRAHIM AL-DAYAAT [Farm Owner]: They have brought in agricultural engineers who come with us into the field and teach us how to farm. >> VOICEOVER: Fiddah Ibrahim Al-Dayaat is just one of thousands of farm owners now taught modern and cost-effective farming techniques, like how to harness the sun as a non-chemical pesticide and how to use easily available fertilizers to boost their crops. And she's just one of thousands to receive a small loan to modernize and expand their farms. With a few thousand dollars, Fiddah built a pond to create year-round irrigation and constructed ten green houses in which to grow vegetables in controlled conditions. So just how successful is Jordan's campaign? The country has seen its food production increase by nearly fifty percent in less than five years. Today, it exports its agricultural products to more than thirty-three countries throughout the Middle East and Europe. As for Fiddah, it also brought her something deeply personal -- in 2003 she was made "Farmer of the Year" and awarded a medal for dedication and productivity. It was an unexpected honor for a woman who only a few years ago worried about putting food on her table. United Nations Television prepared this report. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unesco-assists-teachers-training-in-morocco Teachers in Morocco need basic resources and up-to-date information to face the fifty-five percent illiteracy rate. UNESCO, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, has joined forces with ITU, the International Telecommunications Union, to introduce electronic instruction via satellite technology for eleven thousand teachers. Wed, 13 Apr 2011 10:12:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unesco-assists-teachers-training-in-morocco Morocco, Education, North Africa, Technology, Teacher, International Telecommunication Union, Rabat, United Nations, UNESCO >> VOICEOVER: It's an uphill battle for Talibi Mahjub. He's just one of nearly 20,000 teachers scattered throughout Morocco's remote countryside, out of touch with the latest teaching methods, out of touch with modern technology. >> TALIBI MAHJUB: Teachers in rural areas are suffering from intellectual isolation. They lack the resources to get the right information easily.>> VOICEOVER: But all that's changing. In 2004, Morocco, fighting a 55 percent illiteracy rate, earmarked five percent of its gross domestic product -- over one and a half billion dollars -- to overhaul its education system and catapult its rural schools and teachers into the 21st century. How do they plan to do that? In part, using this: a satellite. Satellite technology now zaps the most advanced training directly to rural teachers. Teachers meet monthly in rural training centers like this one, where UNESCO and the International Telecommunication Union, create for them a kind of "Interactive Cyber University." Multimedia designer Ismael Iljii. >> ISMAEL ILJII: The trainer in the studio here in the city of Rabat can give a lesson and interact with the teachers watching.>> VOICEOVER: Trainers hundreds of miles away in Morocco's major cities are filmed teaching new lesson plans, computer skills, and new ways to research using the internet. Teachers in the rural centers watch these classes live via interactive satellite TV, taking notes, and asking questions. This training has already translated into real change back at his classroom, says Talibi. >> TALIBI MAHJUB: This has improved my performance. I don't rely on the established curriculum; I do my own research to find more modern interesting texts for the students.>> VOICEOVER: To date, 11 centers have been established, five hundred teachers trained. Eleven thousand more teachers wait for their training at eighty new sites. As part of additional reforms, nearly 3,000 more schoolhouses will be built in the Kingdoms' most remote areas, every one of which will be equipped with new computers. United Nations Television prepared this report. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/jordan-converts-waste-to-energy Garbage is piling up everywhere in Amman, Jordan, and when it ferments, methane gas is released into the atmosphere. The United Nations Development Program, UNDP, the Danish Government, and local officials are working with the Global Environmental Facility to harness the gas and convert it to electricity for use within Jordan. Fri, 08 Apr 2011 10:08:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/jordan-converts-waste-to-energy Jordan, Environment, Middle East, United Nations Development Programme, Greenhouse gas, Methane, Amman, Technology >> VOICEOVER: Garbage, garbage, and more garbage. Hundreds of tons per day pour into this landfill near Amman, Jordan, in the Middle East. Like most other developing nations around the globe, Jordan disposes of waste the old-fashioned way: burying it or burning it, with devastating consequences for the environment. Destructive methane gas, which is caused by fermenting garbage released into the air, damages the ozone layer. But now, Jordan is turning something destructive into something positive. Out of so much garbage comes light. The Jordanian and Danish Governments, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program, UNDP, and the Global Environmental Facility, introduced an innovative project that turns waste into energy. So just how does this program work? Employees remove objects like cans and plastic from organic waste like food, mix the solid waste with liquid waste, and send it into a sealed reactor to ferment. Instead of the methane gas being released into the environment, it's harnessed and turned into electricity. It's a vital function for this oil-poor nation that spends more than six hundred million dollars a year to import oil for energy. Methane gas is also harnessed from closed landfills nearby, providing even more electricity and further reducing harmful emissions. Christine McNab is the UNDP Resident Coordinator.>> CHRISTINE MCNAB: It's a win-win situation: you reduce emissions, and you produce power.>> VOICEOVER: So just how successful is the program? The actual reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is a staggering 40,000 tons a year. The reduction is a cornerstone of the historic international climate change treaty, the Kyoto Protocol. As for the amount of energy produced? While it is still a fraction of the hundreds of megawatts needed to fuel Jordan every day, National Energy Research Center Director, Malek Kabariti believes it's just the beginning.>> MALEK KABARITI: This is a success story. With the availability of finance, this will hopefully be duplicated in different parts of Jordan.>> VOICEOVER: It's a model program, a crucial first step in a sustainable future for this kingdom, and a very real step in contributing to a cleaner world environment. Kamil Taha prepared this report for the United Nations. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/un-agency-facilitates-id-papers-to-vulnerable-colombians In 2004, an invasion by paramilitary groups caused thousands of Colombians to be internally displaced. Many lost their identity papers during the upheaval and remain undocumented. The United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR, has funded a project that will process documents quickly by sending a mobile truck equipped with self-contained technology to residents in remote areas. Fri, 08 Apr 2011 09:08:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/un-agency-facilitates-id-papers-to-vulnerable-colombians Colombia, Indigenous peoples, South America, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Bogota, Foreign Assistance, United Nations, Technology >> VOICEOVER: Driving down the back roads of Colombia, South America, a convoy of trucks brings aid to those in need. This time there's a new truck hitting the road. And it's doing something that's never been done before. It's a fully loaded government ID unit on wheels. Its goal: to bring fast-track identity documentation to thousands of indigenous people and to hundreds of thousands of war victims displaced by four decades of civil war. Without proof of their identity, these groups have no rights of citizenship. They have no access to schools, health clinics, even the opportunity to open a business. Without an ID, they're under constant suspicion for illegal activity when crossing numerous checkpoints set up by the many different armed factions fighting for control of Colombia. Aldo Morales is from the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR. >> ALDO MORALES: When the population travels and encounters checkpoints, they can face tremendous security risks.>> VOICEOVER: And in a crisis, they can't obtain government-issued emergency food, money, and shelter. But now, UNHCR and Colombia's Registry Office launched a campaign to get out, and get the documents to the people, even in the most remote and dangerous areas. Here in the village of El Paraiso, hundreds of miles from the nearest city, the mobile unit arrives, fully loaded. Hundreds line up. Villagers are fingerprinted and personal data, even blood type, is collected. Pictures are taken inside the truck. Everything is then transmitted on the spot by satellite communication to the National Registry Office in the capitol, Bogotá. Here, the information is given priority status as it's downloaded, processed, and archived. The National Office simply does not have the resources to reach those so far away, says Colombia's National Director of Identification, Rodrigo Perez Monroy.>> RODRIGO PEREZ MONROY: UNHCR has become a fundamentally important partner. This is because they can get to places that our staff can't.>> VOICEOVER: Within two months the IDs are rushed back to their eager owners, most of who now hold proof of their citizenship for the first time in their lives. Mariel Uriana is a teacher in El Paraiso.>> MARIEL URIANA: The reason for all this interest is that the document is being requested for healthcare and access to education.>> VOICEOVER: Over 180,000 Colombians have received identification cards. Thousands more wait for the ID truck to reach them. Chaim Litewski prepared this report for the United Nations. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/changing-lives-through-renewable-energy Safe drinking water and household electricity were well out of reach for the rural communities of Candelaria and Malacatoya, Nicaragua, until the arrival of AsoFenix, a nonprofit organization that provides renewable energy projects to improve the lives of rural Nicaraguans. Wed, 02 Mar 2011 16:54:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/changing-lives-through-renewable-energy Nicaragua, Renewable energy, Central America, Technology, Environment, Electricity, ViewChange Online Film Contest, Water & Sanitation, Solar power, Hydropower >> TITLE: Nicaragua>> TITLE: Changing Lives Through Renewable Energy: Green Empowerment and AsoFenix, Candelaria and Malcatoya, Nicaragua. Green Living Project>> ROB HOLMES [Host, Green Living Project]: Electricity and immediate access to potable water are things a lot of us take for granted, but not rural Nicaraguans. A local NGO, AsoFenix, in partnership with Green Empowerment, are providing these basic needs through cool, renewable energy projects, like wind, solar, micro-hydro, and biogas. It's exciting stuff that's having an immediate impact on the environment and the lives of rural Nicaraguans. >> JAMIE MUNOZ [Director, AsoFenix]: AsoFenix began in the year 2000. I left the National Engineering University because I saw the need to use the projects of renewable energy to improve the lives or rural people. >> SARAH HAYS [Volunteer, AsoFenix]: AsoFenix has been making an impact in the communities by installing water projects where before people had to carry buckets of water on their head several kilometers in order to have water in their house, as well as providing electricity in communities where there's no road and there would have never been electricity. >> SETH HAYS [Volunteer, AsoFenix]: Up the stream, we built a dam, and we're diverting the water, and, as you know, there's always water. It's a renewable resource, so the water's channeled through pipes, spins a turbine, which generates electricity and goes into the community, and then the water re-enters the stream farther down. >> ROB HOLMES: So, with the two to three kilowatts that this generates, how many households does it power? >> SETH HAYS: Here in the community we're connected to about 29 houses, so it's about 100 watts per house is what they use for electricity.>> CRUZ TORRES BURGO [Project Technician, AsoFenix]: The energy has really helped our coffee production. In order to de-pulp the coffee, we used to have to do it by hand. And we would start working at three in the afternoon, and work until ten at night. And now within a half an hour, using an electric motor, we can remove the fruit that would have taken us seven hours before. >> NIDIA GONZALEZ [Resident, Candelaria]: So before, life was hard. But now we're a lot happier. We have water in our houses. We don't have to go long distances to carry water back to our houses. Less people are getting sick, so life is just a lot happier now.>> JAMIE MUNOZ: So before we start projects, I build relationships with the communities, and through these relationships, I feel a strong tie to the communities. At times I feel even if I were to find a better job, or something where I would make more money, I couldn't give up my promise to these families to help them improve their lives. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/youth-radio-magwi-project-fm-925 The Rural Youth's Voices Project is a community-based youth radio station and music production studio in Magwi, South Sudan. The radio station fosters an open dialogue within the community through the exchange of information, opinions, and experience. It allows youth to become active citizens, disseminating information crucial to supporting development and peace in Magwi. Wed, 02 Mar 2011 10:54:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/youth-radio-magwi-project-fm-925 Southern Sudan, Technology, Sudan, ViewChange Online Film Contest, Change Makers, Africa, Radio broadcasting, Second Sudanese Civil War >> TITLE: Xchange Perspectives >> TITLE: Magwi, South Sudan >> MAN 1: We are looking forward to have a radio station so that it can improve the life and the standard of living of people in Magwi, and to pass the information on to the community of Magwi. >> TITLE: Six weeks later >> RADIO HOST: Hello, who am I talking to and where are you calling from? >> RADIO CALLER: I am calling from Magwi Centre, my name is Taban. >> TITLE: Rural Youth’s Voices Project, Magwi, South Sudan: A stepping-stone for peace. >> VOICEOVER: For over 20 years, Magwi County was the ground for a devastating and brutal civil war. Since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in January 2005, people started to slowly return to their homelands. Upon their return, they are faced with an immense lack in the most basic infrastructure. The youth in Magwi is particularly in need of hopeful future prospects. The youth was lacking the opportunities to project their views. The Rural Youth’s Voices Project Magwi, a community based local media initiative, initiated and implemented by Xchange Perspectives, changed this reality. The first phase of the project, the Media for Peace training, focuses on understanding peace values. The 18 young people from Magwi learn and reflect on themes such as peace, conflict, violence and the role the media can play to resolve conflicts non-violently and to create cultures of peace. >> MAN 2: What is peace? Throw a few things in we have been talking about. >> MAN 3: Peace is cooperation and understanding. >> MAN 4: Unity and togetherness. >> MAN 5: Peace is economic, political, and social stability. >> VOICEOVER: The knowledge gained about peace concepts will later be translated into the daily work of the journalists and the musicians. >> MAN 6: Here we have chosen this instrument and if you want to choose a different instrument... >> VOICEOVER: The three participants of the music production training learn within five weeks about the entire music production process. To record music was almost impossible in South Sudan. Today music can be recorded in Magwi. This is an important contribution to the cultural identity of the youth. Their songs are about a stable, prosperous and peaceful future. And it is this vision that musicians like Johnsonic want to disseminate through their music. >> JOHNSONIC: Life is more important than everything else. And life can only be in unity. Let’s vote peacefully until the end. >> VOICEOVER: The most effective way to spread news and information in rural areas like Magwi County is through FM broadcasting. For the future radio journalist, it was therefore essential to first thoroughly assess the needs and expectations of their community. Within five weeks they learn about the basics of journalistic work. The 15 participants of the radio journalism training developed a great journalistic ambition and eagerness to contribute positively to their community. The youth, if provided with the necessary skills in media production, can be a voice – a voice contributing positively to social change and peace. Pre-produced songs, features and dramas were waiting to be aired. On the first of March 2010, all is finally set. Radio Magwi FM 92.5 goes on air. In the studio, the phone runs hot. >> RADIO HOST: Radio Magwi hello? Yes hello, you are welcome. >> VOICEOVER: The coverage of FM 92.5 is far beyond all expectations. The plan was for the signal range to reach 50 kilometers – but now listeners are calling in from as far as Juba, the political center of Southern Sudan. Radio Magwi fosters, through the exchange of information, opinions and experience, an open dialogue amongst the local community, and allows the youth to become active citizens of their society, disseminating information crucial to supporting the development and peace processes in Magwi County. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/children-of-the-digital-divide The Dharan Information and Communications Technology Center in Nepal offers free training on computer basics for children of poor and marginalized communities. Umesh, Manamaya Darji and Bhakta Shrestha are a few of the many young people whose lives have been changed by the ICT center. Here, they share their experiences. Mon, 28 Feb 2011 09:46:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/children-of-the-digital-divide Nepal, Technology, Information and communication technologies, Education, Poverty, Street Children, Youth >> TITLE: A film by Pranay Limbu. Editor: Santoshi Nepal. >> YOUNG MAN: It was impossible. I come from a squatter community. I had never imagined that I would touch a computer. My hands trembled when I first touched the keyboard. I feared even a mouse would give me an electric shock. >> TITLE: Children of the Digital Divide >> VOICEOVER: Dharan ICT center has been successfully conducting computer training for children of poor and marginalized communities. Trainees receive free training on computer basics, web page designing, photoshop and hardware. >> MAN: They live below the poverty line. Children come from an extremely marginalized community. Some are conflict victims, others are street children and children with disabilities. >> VOICEOVER: Umesh is a former street child. He now gives computer lessons to his peers. There is a junkyard near the Dharan ICT centre. Just like these kids, Umesh used to come to this junkyard to sell discarded items. >> UMESH: I also used to come to this place. I was unaware about the centre though it was at a stone's throw distance. I used to earn a dollar or two per day. Sometimes I wouldn't make a penny. I made money by collecting plastic and polythene bags. I only knew later that ICT was giving training to street children.>> VOICEOVER: Umesh gives counseling to street children for their bright future. >> UMESH: That is ICT centre. I learned to operate computer there. I will also teach you. Will you come?>> VOICEOVER: In Damak, there is a squatter camp just by the river. Manamaya Darji comes from an untouchable or outcaste background. Initially, nobody in her community thought that she would make it to ICT centre. But she has now become a role model for other children in her community. >> VOICEOVER: Once Bhakta Shrestha made a living by pulling rickshaw. Now, Bhaka not only operates computer but is also an IT activist. Bhakta not only takes classes at ICT centre, he also teaches children from deprived background. Bhakta has been a source of inspiration to other rickshaw pullers. >> VOICEOVER: Children at Itahari ICT are preparing for e-news. The meeting decided to give responsibility of writing a report on child marriage among Mushahar community to Dilip Sada and Sanjay Thapa. Child journalists Dilip and Sanjay have come to Musahar settlement. >> WOMAN 1: We've become conscious now. Children have also become literate. Before, the average age of marriage was 15. Now, it is 20. >> VOICEOVER: After finishing the interview, Dilip and Sanjay go back to ICT centre to prepare an e-news about child marriage. The news will disseminated to organizations and communities. >> VOICEOVER: Children's group regularly take information about diarrhea and health issues from the centre to their community. A team of reflect volunteers and children from ICT centre have come to community to raise awareness about diarrhea outbreak. >> WOMAN 2: In order to avoid another diarrhea outbreak we have to be careful and we should use it for rehydration. Otherwise take the patient to the nearest health post.>> VOICEOVER: Recently, Bhakta has been appointed as a layout designer in the local Masline Newspaper. Meanwhile, Umesh has started designing web pages dedicated to the plight and rights of street children.>> TITLE: ICT centers were established in four areas of Eastern Nepal as a pilot project to facilitate the access of poor and marginalized communities to information and communication technology. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/plastic-to-oil-fantastic Around seven percent of the world's oil is used to produce and manufacture plastic -- that's more than the entire African continent uses. But a new machine converts plastics back into oil, encouraging responsible disposal of garbage, and reducing CO2 emissions in the process. Fri, 18 Feb 2011 09:32:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/plastic-to-oil-fantastic Japan, Global warming, Carbon dioxide, Plastic Recycling, Plastic, Environment, Technology, Gasoline, United Nations University >> TITLE: OurWorld 2.0>> AKINORI ITO [CEO, Blest Corporation]: As a child, I enjoyed playing in nature. I didn't care about the environment. But since I came here and had my own children, the places where I used to play as a child have disappeared. So I wanted to do something about that. From 2000, there was talk of global warming. Also, in Japan, there is very little space for garbage. Elsewhere in the world there are few places to dispose of garbage and the effects of trash can be very bad. So by using Japanese technology, we thought we could convert plastic back into oil. It's made from oil, so it's probably not very difficult to convert it back. That's how we started.>> AKINORI ITO: This is the oil conversion machine. I have just removed the lid. We put the plastic in here. These are the plastic ingredients that will make the oil. One good point of the small machine is you don't have to break down the trash. You can put it in just as it is. It's then easy to understand that it turns into oil. I will now turn it on. The temperature will begin to rise. The plastics begin to melt and become a liquid. After the liquid boils, the gas passes through here and enters here. This is tap water. The water cools the gas and turns the gas into oil. The oil is okay to burn as is. You can further process it to make gasoline, diesel, and kerosene. If you separate the oil, then you can use it for a car, or a motorbike, or a generator, a boiler, and a stove. You can use it in the same way as regular oil. From 1kg of plastic, you can make 1 liter of oil. If you burn 1kg of plastic it turns into 3kg of CO2. Using electricity and heat, we can return it to oil and reduce about 80 percent of CO2 emissions.>> AKINORI ITO: Even in developed countries, garbage is scattered by uncaring people. In developing countries, even if they care they don't know how. So I take this machine there and teach them. This is the only machine that can be transported by plane. We take it to Africa, the Philippines, or the Marshall Islands. And with the children there, we collect garbage and make oil. People begin to see that this is not garbage. This plastic waste, the bottle cap, the lunch container is oil. When a child understands this, the garbage gets cleaned up. People don't know that garbage is oil, that's why they are throwing it away. If they know it can become oil, then they collect it. It's an oil field! A plastic oil field. >> AKINORI ITO: In Japan, we use oil that travels great distances from Iraq, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. It is a purified at a refinery, and delivered by tank trucks, and we go to buy it at a gas station. The CO2 footprint is very high. If we turned our plastic garbage back into oil, then our total CO2 emissions could be much lower. If the whole world were to start doing this, the amount of CO2 would decrease dramatically. It's a waste, isn't it? This is a treasure.>> TITLE: OurWorld 2.0>> TITLE: ourworld.unu.edu http://www.viewchange.org/videos/opportunities-for-talent-in-ugandan-ict-firms Kampala, Uganda, is emerging as a new hub for Information and Communication Technology firms. Companies are providing training and assistance to young people interested in technology and entrepreneurialism. Can the ICT industry create a new horizon for the next generation of Ugandans? Wed, 16 Feb 2011 09:17:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/opportunities-for-talent-in-ugandan-ict-firms Uganda, Technology, Kampala, Information and communication technologies, Africa, Education, Employment, Vocational education, ViewChange Online Film Contest >> TITLE: Spark Africa: New Business Perspectives>> VOICEOVER: Spark Africa is always looking for new businesses and surprising initiatives. Today we report from Uganda. >> TITLE: Uganda. Population: 31.9 million. GNP per capita: USD303. Internet penetration: 6.4 percent.>> VOICEOVER: In the capital Kampala, large and small ICT businesses are founded every day. Could this be a new hub on the rise?>> TONNY MUWANGALA [Spark Africa, Uganda]: In recent years, the ICT industry has been booming here and many ICT firms have popped out of the ground. Now many youngsters are aiming at a career in this industry. Today we visit two companies that give these youngsters an opportunity to grow.>> VOICEOVER: Appfrica Labs and Software Factory are making programs for the web, computers, and mobile phones. This requires qualified employees, which are hard to find in Uganda. You only learn the trade properly by working in the field, but the training facilities have minimal computers. >> JON GOSIER [CEO, Appfrica Labs]: The whole purpose of the company is to provide jobs for people who are entrepreneurial, and then help them as they go on to start their companies. We do lots of web projects, lots of desktop projects, lots of mobile apps. >> RAYMOND RUGUNDA [CEO, Software Factory]: I decided that I wanted to do something about creating a knowledge industry in the country, and providing opportunities for young people to live off other things than farming. >> EMMANUEL OLUKA [Employee, Appfrica Labs]: In the near future, I should be able to run my own company, and transfer the kind of information I've learned to new graduates, to people who are interested in doing the things that I am interested in. >> JON GOSIER: I think that the biggest benefit of working here is just learning from each other, learning from other computer science graduates, learning from other software developers, as well as business skills, learning things like accountability, and just delivering quality products Those are things that will make anyone who works here successful over time.>> VOICEOVER: Both of the ICT companies have had a lot of big customers from abroad in the past few years, including Denmark, the U.S., and the Netherlands. They grew up from having a couple of employees to now dozens. Now that the world market has taken a tumble, they're focusing more on the needs of the local market. >> RAYMOND RUGUNDA: One of the big needs that there is to create an efficient kind of data collection, platforms where they can be used in healthcare, by community health workers. We provide other platforms, which help companies, improve their businesses and data collection and remove paper forms.>> VOICEOVER: Running a commercial business, training new talent, and tackling local problems. It all seems to go hand in hand in Kampala.>> RAYMOND RUGUNDA: Refocusing on the local market has been interesting for us, and very positive for us, because it felt much more relevant. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/husk-power-systems-bringing-sustainable-electricity-to-rural-india An innovative new type of generator that runs on discarded rice husks is bringing power to parts of rural India that were previously thought "economically impossible to reach" with electricity. Mon, 01 Nov 2010 08:45:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/husk-power-systems-bringing-sustainable-electricity-to-rural-india India, Energy development, Electricity, Energy poverty, Bihar, Electrical generator, Technology, Acumen Fund, Rice hulls, Foreign Assistance >> TITLE: Acumen Fund. Health, Housing, Water, Energy, Agriculture>> TITLE: KB Drip Irrigation Systems>> PRAHLAD LAXMAN GOREY [Farmer]: Look at these chili plants. They don't have any fruit on them. My neighbor's plants have started growing chilies, but my plants haven't even flowered yet. This is probably because of better irrigation on his farm. You can see the difference between these two crops even though they were planted right next to each other. Drip irrigation seems to increase flowering and improve yield. >> MACHINDRA BHOJE [Farmer]: To see how drip has helped, you can look at these two chili crops planted side by side. Some of his plants have flowered, some have not; my plants, on the other hand, have ripe chilies on them. His plants don't have any on them. That's the benefit of drip. >> INTERVIEWER: Did you get help installing it?>> MACHINDRA BHOJE: I didn't ask anyone. I went to him. He had a piece of drip tape and showed me how to install it. I came home and, well, he said that if I paid him Rs 200 for labor, he would send someone to do the installation for me. >> INTERVIEWER: You did it yourself?>> MACHINDRA BHOJE: I said I can just do it myself. This year, I planted early and used drip. This year with bad rains, it's unlikely that anyone would have had a similarly good harvest without drip irrigation. It's thanks to drip that I have such a good harvest this year. >> TITLE: Tell a friend: acumenfund.org http://www.viewchange.org/videos/solar-power-lights-up-remote-communities <p>One third of the world's population doesn't have access to electricity. The Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) is helping remote rural communities to harness the power of the sun to give them safe, cheap energy to power lighting, medical refrigerators, and modern communications devices.&nbsp;</p> Wed, 20 Oct 2010 20:41:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/solar-power-lights-up-remote-communities Solar Electric Light Fund, Solar energy, Renewable energy, Electricity, Developing country, Technology, Electric light, Solar panel, Non-governmental organization, Alternative energy >> VOICEOVER: It's called energy poverty. One out of three people in the world don't have access to electricity. Most live in rural areas in developing countries and for them it's a blackout every night. As the world's population grows, so does demand for electricity, and the energy gap between the rich and the poor increases. The poor use wood, dung, or kerosene for fuel. Energy poverty means no power to pump water, refrigerate vaccine, or to connect to the global information network. For some in remote areas, hooking up to the grid is an impossible dream. But there are solutions that are making a difference. Solar energy is changing lives and livelihoods in the most unlikely of places. The Solomon Islands are an example. Let's take a look >> VOICEOVER: They live in Sukiki, a small village on the coast of Guadalcanal. >> TITLE: Sukiki, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands >> VOICEOVER: It's part of the Solomon Islands, an island nation in the South Pacific. They have no electricity, but they do have the sun. Without electricity, the people of Sukiki are forced to use kerosene, and kerosene isn't always their friend. >> DR. SILENT TOVOSIA: The lantern was empty and she was going to fill the empty lantern with the kerosene when the whole thing caught fire and exploded, so she got burns to quite a large percentage of her body. >> DR. HERMAN OBERLI [Central Hospital, Honiara, Solomon Islands]: This patient you have seen is typical for an exploding kerosene light. She's burned all over her front. Those patients, they stay in the hospital an average of at least 20 days per patient. They have no alternative. There's no electricity in the village. It's just what is available, these kerosene lamps. Nothing else. If they could have any other kind of lighting all these burns could be prevented. >> VOICEOVER: This is the story of how the people of Sukiki learned to make their own electricity by capturing the light from the sun. That's Bob Freling. Bob is the executive director of a group called the Solar Electric Light Fund, or SELF. After all the equipment is delivered, the staff from SELF works with the villagers to map out a strategy. They trained some of the Sukiki villagers back in Honiara, in a week-long orientation session, and now everyone is learning, so that the village can continue to build and maintain the system after SELF is gone. So they set about making poles and digging holes and cutting down trees so there would be no shade where they put up the poles. And now it's time to turn on the lights. [cheering] Sukiki has electricity, but its essence will not change because of it. Sukiki will hold on to its nature. The people love this land, they are part of it. And now the light from the sun is more a part of them. >> VOICEOVER: Bob Freling has directed SELF projects in more than 15 countries since 1997. He has received many awards for his work, including the 2008 King Hussein leadership award, presented by Queen Noor of Jordan in March 2009. He speaks with Earth Focus correspondent Miles Benson, about how solar power can bridge the energy gap. >> MILES BENSON: Bob Freling, the Solar Electric Light Fund, what exactly are you trying to do in the world? >> ROBERT FRELING [Executive Director, Solar Electric Light Fund]: Well, Miles, the Solar Electric Light Fund is a Washington DC based nonprofit organization whose mission is to bring solar power to rural and remote villages in the developing world >> MILES BENSON: What is life like in a village where there is no lighting. >> ROBERT FRELING: For approximately two billion people in the world, roughly a third or perhaps a fourth of humanity, whatever number you use, it's a very large percentage of humanity, that even in the 21st century does not have access to electricity. And imagine for these people, when the sun goes down, these folks are retreating into homes that are lit dimly, if at all, by candles or kerosene lamps. Their productive day pretty much comes to an end when the sun goes down. >> MILES BENSON: There are health problems that are exacerbated by the absence of electricity. People depend on kerosene, and burning kerosene emits fumes and smoke and that causes problems, doesn't it? >> ROBERT FRELING: It is said that people who live with kerosene lanterns end up smoking the equivalent of two packs of cigarettes a day. It's a couple of million people a year die from respiratory illnesses that are caused by indoor air pollution: open fires, kerosene lanterns. It's a huge health hazard. If you do nothing but replace those with solar electric lighting systems, you will have made a huge contribution to improving the health of rural families and communities in the developing world. >> MILES BENSON: What changes do people experience when they're given light. >> ROBERT FRELING: The moment when families are able to flip a switch and have an electric light come on for the first time in their lives, the first time that happened for me was in western China. I traveled into these remote mountain villages which could only be reached on foot, and we installed these solar home systems and I observed families experience electric light for the first time in their lives. And they were very moved, as I was. Also, I saw them be able to turn on a television set, and access news from around the world for the first time. So their whole world was basically opening up before them. The power can be used to not just provide lighting but also computers, where children can start to gain computer literacy skills at an early age. And, when combined with wireless communication technology, when you bring both computers and the internet to a rural community, then you've really accomplished something meaningful. >> MILES BENSON: You have a project in Bhutan. Let's take a look. >> VOICEOVER: Light is the language of the universe. >> TITLE: Phobjikha Valley, Bhutan >> VOICEOVER: And in the heart of Bhutan, deep in the Himalayas, where the rare black-necked crane flies south from Tibet, the universe is in the midst of a breathtaking conversation. Each winter, the black-necked crane makes its home here in the valley. The people devote art and prayer to this winged messenger that flies on the light from its summer home in the mountains of Tibet. Bob and his organization SELF are here at the invitation of the Royal Society for the Protection of Nature, to try to save the habitat of the black-necked crane, while preserving the path toward modernization for the people of Phobjikha Valley. >> ROBERT FRELING: There are a lot of conservation efforts going on which often overlook how the needs of people that live in and near these ecosystems are so critical to the preservation of these ecosystems, because a lot of people haven't made that connection. >> LAM DORJE [Executive Director, RSPN, Royal Society for the Protection of Nature]: This here for example, Phobjikha, is a very pristine environment, habitat for the endangered black-necked cranes, not ... ecologically very significant, and at the same time we have people with aspirations for development. There are ways by which both can be brought together. Conservation can be a basis for human welfare. >> VOICEOVER: The 500 families who live in Phobjikha still cut down trees to make wood chips to light their homes. Even when supplemented with kerosene and its noxious fumes, the light is so meager that it is difficult for children to do homework, for weavers to weave, for tailors to sew, and for doctors to practice their art. Kerosene must be brought many miles over the mountains, often by hand, and at great expense. To discourage the people of Phobjikha from leaving for the city, and to help preserve the habitat of the black-necked crane, the people of Bhutan ask SELF to bring in a clean, renewable source of energy for the valley. And so into this world steps the Solar Electric Light Fund. >> JEFF DAHL [Project Director, Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF)]: It's been a pleasure just walking into each house and seeing how people are living, and then just seeing the instant transformation from the time you show up at the house to the time you leave. Their house and their lives have been transformed. >> ROBERT FRELING: We also electrified the health clinic in Phobjikha Valley, as well as the education center that is run by the Royal Society for the Protection of Nature. >> MILES BENSON: Two billion is a lot of people to be living without light. SELF can't raise enough money all by itself to solve this problem. Governments are going to have to get more involved, aren't they? >> ROBERT FRELING: Well, most of our projects have been focused at the village level at the household level, and we've typically worked with local NGOs, non-government organizations, to manage the projects. So we will always have a local partner that we work with. And training and capacity building is a very important part of our approach to project design and implementation. But if our models can be adopted by governments and they see that these solutions are actually working and they can be scaled then I think that we will have really accomplished something significant. >> MILES BENSON: Do you see a day coming, perhaps not too far off, when solar power will provide most of our energy needs? >> ROBERT FRELING: Within the next few years it is predicted that solar will achieve what is referred to as "grid parity," where it becomes as cheap to use solar for grid electricity than conventional fossil fuels. It's an opportunity for us now to take the lead in bringing advanced energy technologies to the developing world because at the end of the day creating a world that works for everybody, bringing social justice to the parts of the world that have been so lacking in resources and opportunity, that will go a long way, in my opinion, to making the world safe and secure for everybody. >> MILES BENSON: Bob Freling, thank you very much. >> ROBERT FRELING: My pleasure Miles. >> TITLES: [end credits] http://www.viewchange.org/videos/the-hole-in-the-wall India has a foot on both sides of the world's growing digital divide: it is home to a thriving high-technology industry as well as some of the world's biggest slums. So computer scientist Dr. Sugata Mitra created his first "hole in the wall" as a way to answer an interesting question: What would happen if he could provide poor children with free, unlimited access to computers and the Internet? Tue, 19 Oct 2010 07:36:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/the-hole-in-the-wall Sugata Mitra, India, NIIT, Internet, Technology, Education, Literacy, Computer literacy, South Asia, LinkTV Picks >> TITLE: Frontline World: Stories from a small planet>> VOICEOVER: Finally tonight, Indian children discover cyberspace>> TITLE: India: The Hole in the Wall>> TITLE: Reported by Rory O'Connor >> VOICEOVER: I first visited India two years ago while directing a film about global poverty. A billion people live here -- one of every six on the planet. Only a quarter of them have access to clean water, and half are illiterate. In a New Delhi slum I came across an unusual scene: a computer embedded in a wall. It was surrounded by children. Turns out the computer was put here by the company next door, NIIT. While India suffers extreme poverty, it is also home to some of the world's most advanced high-technology firms. Dr. Sugata Mitra is head of research and development here. For years, his passion has been educating poor children. >> DR. SUGATA MITRA [Head of Research and Development, NIIT]: Removing what is increasingly being called the "digital divide" is an important issue, which means that everyone must have access. >> VOICEOVER: In 1999, Mitra launched an experiment that came to be known as "The Hole in the Wall." He connected a high-speed computer to the Internet and placed it in the wall that separates his firm's headquarters from the adjacent slum. Then he watched who began to use it. Curious kids were immediately drawn to the computer. >> DR. SUGATA MITRA: So when they said, "Can we touch it?" I said, "It's on your side of the wall." So the rules say whatever is on their side of the wall, they can touch, so they touched it. >> VOICEOVER: Within minutes, the children figured out how to point and click. By the end of the day, they were browsing. Given access and opportunity, the children quickly taught themselves the rudiments of computer literacy. >> CHILD: I learned it on my own. Some kids used to play with it, and I would watch them, so I learned it too. >> VOICEOVER: A young boy named Rajinder was the first to teach himself how to use the computer. >> RAJINDER: I play games. I try to use different tools like the paint tool, and I connect to the Internet. Mainly, I go to the Disney site. I visited a news site a couple [of] days ago. I read about the Taliban and bin Laden. I read that there was a war going on between America and the Taliban. There was bombing, too. I've seen it on the TV and I saw the bombing pictures on the computer. >> DR. SUGATA MITRA: He didn't know what a computer was. He was the first guy to have made the jump across what I guess you could describe as maybe three or four thousand years of history, in minutes actually. >> VOICEOVER: Rajinder's self-confidence soared after he taught himself how to use a computer. >> TEACHER: Now I have seen a lot of change in him and he has become quite bold and expressive also. And I've got great hopes on this child. >> DR. SUGATA MITRA: What's your definition of the Internet? He says, "That with which you can do anything." >> VOICEOVER: By the time I returned to India this year, Mitra had already replicated his experiment in several other settings. Each time, the results were similar: within hours, and without instruction, children began browsing the Internet. Now Mitra was about to place new computers in another poor community. >> NIIT WORKER: We have set up five computers here, and please, everyone, send your kids before or after school. If you have girls in your house you can send them also. >> GIRL 1: Move it towards the side to make it a hand. Move it a bit. When it becomes a hand, press the green button.>> GIRL 2: Oh, here it comes!>> VOICEOVER: In a society where only one in three females can read, Mitra's experiment is a way for girls to overcome barriers. One schoolgirl named Anjana seemed especially enthusiastic. >> ANJANA: Today is just my first day. I want to learn more. >> REPORTER: How do you feel about all this? >> ANJANA: I feel great. >> REPORTER: How great? >> ANJANA: Really, really great! >> DR. SUGATA MITRA: They even re-invent the terms, because nobody taught them the words. So they don't call a cursor a "cursor," they call it a "suhi," which is Hindi for "needle." And they don't call the hourglass symbol the "hourglass symbol," because they've never seen an hourglass before. They call it the "domru," which is Shiva's drum. And it does look a bit like that. >> VOICEOVER: Before leaving India, I traveled south with Mitra to the rural state of Maharashtra, where he was installing still more computers. >> DR. SUGATA MITRA: These computers are going to be powerful, they're going to be connected, and they're going to be free, entirely free without any restrictions on their usage. >> REPORTER: How many of you have heard of the Internet? What is the Internet? >> GIRL: It is used to send messages. You can send letters. You can type on your computer and it reaches the other person's computer. >> DR. SUGATA MITRA: I don't even want to guess at what computer literacy might do to children, except to say that if cyberspace is considered a place, then there are people who are already in it, and people who are not in it. And there seems to be general consensus of opinion that such segregation among cyber people versus non-cyber people is detrimental and it will cause a divide. If that is the case then I think the Hole in the Wall gives us a method to create a door, if you like, through which large number of children can rush into this new arena. And, when that happens, it will have changed our society forever. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/kenyan-solution-for-charging-mobile-phones <p>In rural Kenya, electricity sockets are hard to find but pedal power is everywhere&mdash;which is why inventor Pascal Katana has come up with an ingenious method to charge mobile phones using the energy generated by bicycles.</p> Thu, 23 Sep 2010 07:29:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/kenyan-solution-for-charging-mobile-phones Kenya, Mobile phone, Pascal Katana, Energy poverty, Appropriate technology, Africa, Technology, ViewChange Online Film Contest, Change Makers, LinkTV Picks >> TITLE: Spark Africa. New Business Perspectives>> VOICEOVER: Spark Africa is always looking for new businesses and surprising initiatives. Today, we report from the Kenyan countryside.>> TITLE: Kenya. Population: 38.8 million. GNP per capita: USD$547. Rural population: 90 percent. Electricity: 10 percent of the rural population. >> VOICEOVER: Electricity doesn't come out of a wall here, let alone a phone connection. Therefore, a mobile phone is useful, but how do you charge it? >> CRISTINE AKELO [Spark Africa Kenya]: It is estimated currently, 17.5 million people out of the 38.5 million people in Kenya's population own a mobile handset, and thus, they need to be charged.>> PASCAL KATANA [Inventor, Smart Charger]: We'll reduce the problem that is being encountered in our rural areas. >> CRISTINE AKELO: Students of the university of Nairobi came up with a solution to this. The smart charger is easy to use: just connect it to the dynamo of your bike. The apparatus will convert the resulting energy into electricity, which can be used to charge a mobile phone. After about an hour of cycling, the phone is then charged. Normally, charging your phone is more time-consuming. Sometimes, you have to walk hours before finding a charging location. Small shops with solar panels or batteries charge it for you and charge USD$1. However, even the man who profits from charging other people's phones seems to be happy with the smart charger.>> MAN: I'm happy for the people who can now charge their phone while riding a bicycle. It won't affect my business. Customers will keep on coming. It's important to take care of each other. We all suffer because of the electricity problem. >> CRISTINE AKELO: The bicycle is a popular means of transport in east Africa, which makes the mobile charger simple and effective. For personal, business, or just for transport means, the inventors of the charger are already working with professional cyclists and bicycle couriers. >> PETER NJOROGE [Bicycle courier]: This mobile charger is good. It will definitely help us. I place this charger to my bike. The device charges while I drive. >> CRISTINE AKELO: The smart charger has recently been brought to the market. For one charger, it costs about 350 Kenyan shillings, which is about USD$4. The inventors are hoping for international success. >> PASCAL KATANA: Tanzania, Ivory Coast -- they have really requested for that smart charger.>> CRISTINE AKELO: Pascal and Jeremiah will have to look at their options in the coming period, because there is a great chance that this device will be readily available in the years to come. There is one thing they do not need to worry about: everybody here rides a bicycle. >> TITLE: [end credits] http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ticad-towards-a-vibrant-africa <p>The Tokyo International Conference on African Development is more than just a conference. It has become a major global framework for Asia, Africa, and the UNDP to collaborate in promoting Africa's development. Here are five projects working to improve people's everyday lives throughout the continent. Produced by <a title="UNDP" href="http://www.undp.org/" target="_blank">UNDP</a>.</p> Fri, 17 Sep 2010 23:50:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ticad-towards-a-vibrant-africa Africa, United Nations Development Programme, Tokyo International Conference on African Development, United Nations, Development aid, Social equality, Education, Empowerment, Community development, Gender equality >> TITLE: Towards a Vibrant Africa: A Continent of Hope & Opportunity >> TITLE: Tanzania Bed Net Factory (Japanese/Tanzanian joint venture) >> TITLE: More than 1 million people die of malaria each year >> TITLE: Mosquito nets are an effective and economical method of preventing the disease >> ELIREHEMA MANGA [resident of Manyata village]: I often suffered from malaria before we got the nets. I couldn't cultivate my land because I was often sick. The difference is huge because now I feel healthy and strong. I'm feeling so much better that I'm able to work, make a little money, and go to the market. Everyone's earnings have improved because we can all work hard to cultivate crops. >> TITLE: Mosquito Net Factory [Arusha, Tanzania] >> BINESH HARIA [Chief Operating Officer, A to Z Textile Mills]: What we want to do here is save lives, by manufacturing these products in Africa, and also reduce poverty. We've already created 3,200 direct employment. >> LUCY THOMAS [Employee, A to Z Textile Mills]: Before, I was living with my parents. But now I can afford to live alone and pay for my brother's school fees. I'm truly proud of the work I do, because it's helping prevent malaria. >> BINESH HARIA: What we are producing is a product which is going to be sold in Africa, and that is why I say Africa for Africa. What we want is: Africa should be able to sustain itself. >> ELIREHEMA MANGA: Since receiving the nets, all our lives have improved. My fellow villagers and I are very grateful. >> TITLE: Sierra Leone Schools & Community Centres ("Arms for Development" project Japan/UNDP) >> TITLE: After 11 years of devastating civil war, Sierra Leone is now recovering from conflict >> TITLE: Now former combatants are encouraged to surrender their arms in exchange for community development projects >> SOLDIER: The entire region is now arms free. >> TITLE: Community centres and schools are at the heart of the recovery effort >> MARYLEEN BANGURA [Resident of Binkolo Village]: I was seven years old when the rebels came in Binkolo. They attacked us here, and my mother was carrying me on her back, holding my sister on her hand. We had to run to the bushes where she damaged ... her lip had a cut. >> ANGELA BANGURA [resident of Binkolo Village]: I was bleeding profusely and I was feeling dizzy. I fell for the first time, second time, and then the third time she suggested that I should put her down. She always watched my movements. When I crawled, she also crawled. When I got up and tried to run, she followed my footsteps. That's the way we traveled the worst of the night, until we arrived in the next village the next morning. It's a night I pray that I will never repeat in my lifetime. >> MARYLEEN BANGURA: I don't like to hear about this past war, because it caused many damages in our country. Arms and feet of people were cut off. Houses were burnt. Some were killed. Some, when they killed, gave it to another human being to eat raw flesh. So I don't want to hear about it. I always like to think about my future than listen to the past. >> TITLE: School supported by Arms for Development Programme >> MARYLEEN BANGURA: The best part of my life now is that I'm going to school. All of the school lessons are free for everybody, so they have the opportunity to attend. I'm really concentrating on my education because I want to be somebody in the future, like I want to be a lawyer. That's my dream, and I know my dream is going to come true. >> TITLE: Community centre supported by Arms for Development Programme >> ABBAS A. BANGURA [Chairman, Masamanke Development Association]: Life is changing rapidly here. When this community center wasn't around life was really difficult here. But now we can see so many kids every day are meeting here. >> MARYLEEN BANGURA: For my future, I'm seeing that it's going to be successful for me. Because I'm now attending school. I'm with my parents, they encourage me to learn. And for the country, I know my country is going to develop. >> TITLE: Burkina Faso Multifunctional Platform (The UN Trust Fund for Human Security) >> TITLE: Over 95 percent of rural households in Africa lack electrical power >> TITLE: A unique electric generator helps villagers with their daily lives >> IDANI ABIBA (resident of Komboari Village): Before the multifunctional electric generator, my life was very difficult. I had to wake early to pound millet, fetch water, and cook. Now I have more time to spend on other activities. >> OUOBA B. BENOIT [Tin Tua Association]: In our country, the difficulty of getting drinkable water and pounding the millet take up the women's entire day. With the introduction of the multiplatform generator, this changed. >> TITLE: Multifunctional platform (electric generator) >> OUOBA B. BENOIT: Now woman have more time. >> IDANI ABIBA: We now have time to learn to read and write. This opens our minds and makes us happy. With the generator, we also have many services. We used to have to go far to repair broken equipment. But now we can do welding in town. Because of the electric generator, everyone has free time to spend on other activities. Thanks to the generator our lives have changed for the better. >> TITLE: Uganda Millennium Village (The UN Trust Fund for Human Security) >> TITLE: More than 40 percent of the population of Africa lives on less than USD$1 a day >> TITLE: The Millennium Villages project empowers communities to break the cycle of poverty >> FRIDAH TUMUHIMBISE [resident of Ruhiira Millennium Village]: My family never used to have enough food to eat. But ever since the Millennium Village project, my family is able to cultivate enough food. We used to spend a lot of time preparing food for the children. But since they now eat at school, we have time to do other things. There's also a clinic where people are treated, and in case of complications an ambulance takes us to another hospital. It [the project] has helped by starting a village bank where women can borrow for our businesses. I bought sheep and goats, sold two of their offspring, and bought iron sheets to build a kitchen. >> DAVID SIRIRI [Millennium Village Coordinator]: The thing about this project is empowerment of communities. It's about involving communities in taking leadership, in ensuring that they have a say in their destiny. It's not just coming and dropping something on the ground; you have to get the villagers involved. This project has given a sense of ownership, a sense of belonging, a sense of leadership. The communities can stand up and say, "Yes, this is our project." They are seeing the impact of the interventions. People are now flocking [to] the health centers. Before you only used to have one or two people, now you have 150 people coming to the health units. Water was a major problem. Now the water is clean. Now we have students attending school right from P1 up to P7 without dropping out. All these things have brought new hope and it's a new way of rural devolvement that had never happened here. >> FRIDAH TUMUHIMBISE: If the project continues another 10 years, we can better our situation, we can educate our children and really improve our lives. >>TITLE: Nigeria Woman Empowerment Project (UNDP/Japan WID Fund) >> TITLE: In Nigeria, woman are traditionally disadvantaged, lacking access to resources and skills >> TITLE: Encouraging female enterprises is key to development and social equality >> NFON (GRACE) ETETE ITUEN [resident of Onna Village]: When my husband died, my children were very young, so I had to struggle a long way for them to go to school. And to eat was very difficult. But I thank God now that it's getting improved. Now under community partnership I can do these buns, chin chin [cookies], egg rolls, which people come in and buy. I have a little money every day. >> SIGN: Onna Woman Development Centre >> MRS. NSE UDOH [Director, Community Partners for Development]: The project has really affected the lives of the women in Onna local government area. They've been empowered to the extent that they can actually assist the family in basic feeding and clothing. After the training they've been able to replicate what was taught. They now make the products by themselves. They go and sell them in the town, and are able to market their product. We are hoping that, eventually, when the mill starts in full swing, they will be able to do large quantities, and send it out to many other local government states. The women now meet on their own, monthly, so the excitement they have, coming out to share issues with each other ... Women, as you know, especially in our own society, have been relegated to the background for years. And it's only now that they are now given the opportunity to comment, to air their views. >> NFON (GRACE) ETETE ITUEN: Everyone around me is improving because all of us are now busy in doing what we're supposed to do. As the community progresses, I'm sure it will be better. >> TITLE: [end credits] >> TITLE: UNDP Produced by the Office of Communications for TICAD http://www.viewchange.org/videos/vidiyal-ict-for-development <p>Groups of women in the Theni district of Tamil Nadu in India are using mobile phones and computer technology in innovative ways to benefit their agriculture-based businesses.</p> Fri, 17 Sep 2010 10:16:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/vidiyal-ict-for-development Information and communication technologies, India, Vidiyal, Mobile phone, Information technology, Theni district, ViewChange Online Film Contest, Tamil Nadu, Agriculture, SMS >> JYOTHIKA: My name is Jyothika. >> GIRL: I listen to music on the computer >> BOY: Painting, internet. >> JYOTHIKA: I want to become a doctor. >> BOY: Keyboard. >> TITLE: Using ICT [information and communication technologies] to build Social Capital. The Vidiyal Experience. >> VOICEOVER: Vidiyal works with women in four villages of the Theni district of Tamil Nadu, under the self-help group [SHG] model helping them in, among other things, procuring loans for various income-generation activities. But when, in 2008, 300 women applied for a loan of 43,500 rupees to buy 10 female goats and one male goat to augment their incomes, they also added a rather unusual component to their loan amount: the cost of a mobile phone and a SIM card. Here's why. >> VOICEOVER: Every day, each of the women who will sanction the loan for goat rearing must, in addition to looking after their goats, also wait for and listen to the five audio SMSs sent in. Delivered in Tamil, these audio SMSs give information about goat rearing. Next, they must get this information written out in these special notebooks given to them, so that each of the SMSs can be discussed in the next group meeting. The idea is to make sure that the women have all the requisite information to take care of the goats. The best part of the SMSs is that they are recorded each day in Theni itself, using nothing but a regular mobile phone. Once recorded, the message is sent as an SMS to a central server in Delhi from where it is beamed to all those who have the special SIM card. >> SIGN: Village Knowledge Center >> VOICEOVER: Vidiyal has also helped the women SHGs in setting up village knowledge centers, or VKCs, in four different villages. Equipped with a couple of computers, a printer, electricity, and an internet connection, these VKCs help the women earn some extra money. They also help children of the villages get acquainted with computer technology. Some of the VKCs also have this special touchscreen kiosk, which contains prerecorded information on different subjects, such as agriculture, health, and livestock, that can be accessed even by an illiterate person. >> LAKSHMI [SHG Leader, Badralipuram]: We get crop-related information on fertilizers and other such things. We also get updated information on the prevailing prices in the market, which helps us decide on where to sell our crops. >> VOICEOVER: The VKCs are now also being used by the women of the SHGs for weekly legal counseling sessions, through the free-to-use Skype software. Skype allows face-to-face interaction with the local, government-appointed lawyer, without the women having to leave their villages. Poor, uneducated women -- and yet completely at ease with technology. The Vidiyal experience has shown that, with the right training, and the right grassroots approach, ICT can be harnessed fruitfully to improve lives of the poorest of the poor. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/the-most-distant-places <p>What happens when people in remote rural areas can't afford to travel to the hospital for surgery? Dr. Edgar Rodas has created an innovative solution: an operating theater built on the back of a truck that can travel to treat people living in the poorest&mdash;and hardest to reach&mdash;areas of Ecuador.</p> Thu, 16 Sep 2010 14:21:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/the-most-distant-places South America, Health, Cinterandes, Latin America, Ecuador, Healthcare, Surgery, World Health Day, Rural area, Poverty >> DR. EDGAR RODAS [President and Founder, Cinterandes]: Scissors. We decided to take surgery to the underserved parts of the country by means of an operating room built on a truck. >> TITLE: The Most Distant Places >> DR. EDGAR RODAS: That's a very humane way to deliver surgery, I think. People in their own environment, they don't have to be separated from the family, from the home. >> VOICEOVER: Almost 5 million Ecuadorians live in impoverished rural areas with little or no access to basic health services. Dr. Edgar Rodas tackles this problem by bringing the hospital to the people. Since 1994, his Cinterandes foundation has been providing surgical care for hard-to-reach communities spread across Ecuador. Oscar Fuerte is a fish trader. Suffering from a condition that requires surgery, he cannot work to support his family. >> OSCAR FUERTE: Where are we going to get money for an operation? >> INTERVIEWER: What kind of operation is it? >> OSCAR FUERTE: I have an umbilical hernia. This hernia -- I'm not able to work with this. >> DR. EDGAR RODAS: When we go to towns that are far away and very poor, we don't charge absolutely anything. The idea is that nobody, nobody can not have an operation because they do not have enough money. >> VOICEOVER: After six months of living with a disabling hernia, Oscar is ready for his operation. >> DR. EDGAR RODAS: Oscar Fuerte is a leader in the community and has lots of friends. All the community was concerned about him. >> TITLE: Two weeks later. >> OSCAR FUERTE: Hello? >> DR. EDGAR RODAS: Oscar, this is Dr. Rodas. How are you? You haven't had any problems? Great, I'm very happy. >> OSCAR FUERTE: You need food to develop your bones. Here, the fish comes from the sea to your table. Health is very important. If I'm not alive, who takes care of the family? No one else! >> DR. EDGAR RODAS: For the general public, health is just the absence of disease. To me, health is related with every human activity. We have an Andean definition of health: Health is the harmonic coexistence of human beings with themselves, others, and the environment. >> TITLE: [end credits] http://www.viewchange.org/videos/empowering-lives-with-pico-hydropower <p>Small-scale hydroelectric projects are helping to transform lives in rural Laos. Villagers not only receive electricity from a renewable source, but are also encouraged to take ownership of the project, thanks to an innovative financing model designed to ensure the system is sustainable in the long term.</p> Sat, 04 Sep 2010 03:15:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/empowering-lives-with-pico-hydropower Renewable energy, Southeast Asia, Lao Institute for Renewable Energy, Laos, Hydropower, Alternative energy, Technology, ViewChange Online Film Contest >> JAKOB RIETZLER [Managing Director, LIRE (Lao Institute for Renewable Energy)]: LIRE is a young institute dedicated in the renewable energy sector in the Laos PDR that tries to be a catalyst to speed up the development of the renewable energy sector, especially focusing on the rural areas, providing energy where the national grid does not reach that area. >> THONGSANTI B. VONGSALY [Pico Hydropower Project Manager, LIRE]: In mid-2009, we began looking for a few places in Houaphan district. We found one place in Angsang village which was a good place which was quite far from the city and has high potential for installation of the system. So we approached the German embassy and BORDA organization to request for funding the project. >> JAKOB RIETZLER: The project in Angsang village, it's a first time to demonstrate the shared pico hydropower technology in the country. It was a good site to make a kind of prospectus installation and we will use it also for later on to make ongoing studies, surveys about the operational models, and we'll learn from that demonstration site. >> THONGSANTI B. VONGSALY: Pico hydropower is not new technology to local people. Many villagers in the northern part of Laos have been using it for some time already. There are two types of pico system: one system is a free-standing type, while the other is a standing one. The standing installation system consists of the pico turbine itself, a civil structure which includes a draft channel and a draft tube. The water flows into the draft channel, drops into the draft tube, causing the turbine to spin. The suction of the draft tube enhances faster spinning, and, finally, the power is produced. >> MR. VANPHONE [Village Technician, Angsang]: In our village, there are two groups of village technicians. Each group consists of two people in charge of daily operation and maintenance. Their main responsibilities are to ensure steady supply of electricity, to check the meter and voltage, and to clean up the rubbish at the inlet, as well as fee collection. >> MS. VONEPHIEN [Village Accountant, Angsang]: At the beginning of each month, village technicians are assigned to collect the monthly fee to give to the village accountant in order to keep in the village fund, which will be used for future renovation expenses and operation of the system. >> JAKOB RIETZLER: The plan is to visit the village in this year various times, a couple of times. We will make social studies over there -- what is the impact of the new system? We want to evaluate it, and the system should work for the next 10 years. That means we also will show up for the next years to observe the progress, and so on. >> MR. SITHONE [Village Chief, Angsang]: After this electricity system had been installed, lives of people here are more convenient. We have our own technicians, village energy committee, and village account to manage the system. >> MR. THONGPHUN [Resident, Angsang]: In the past, we didn't understand what electricity, grid, or pico hydropower were. What we used was only kerosene lamp for the purpose of lighting at night. >> MR. SOUPHANH [Deputy Head of Viengxay District Energy & Mines Office]: I am very glad that Lao Institute for Renewable Energy helps people in the Viengxay district, especially Angsang villagers. People are happier and can do lots of things at night, especially women, who can now weave at night, and children can study during the nighttime. >> JAKOB RIETZLER: So a valuable lesson learned would be the involvement of the villagers is so important, but they also feel a kind of project ownership. It's not like the donor comes, implements the system. This is not the solution. Villagers have to get engaged from the beginning. Plus, they will get an understanding and also a commitment to the project. >> SOPHA SOULINYADETH [Project Technical Officer, LIRE]: Due to this being the demonstration project, we would like to promote this project as a model of shared pico hydroelectric power use in Viengxay district in Houaphan province and other provinces in Laos. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/lighting-up-laos-and-beyond <p>Solar rechargeable lamps are helping to transform life in remote rural regions far from the national grid. This has allowed villagers in Laos to stop burning kerosene at night, while also creating new business and educational opportunities.</p> Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:15:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/lighting-up-laos-and-beyond Sunlabob, Developing country, kerosene lamp, Ghana, Social entrepreneurship, Solar energy, Laos, Solar power, Renewable energy, ViewChange Online Film Contest >> MAN 1: How much would he estimate as the money he spends on buying kerosene for lighting? >> MAN 2: Two Ghana cedis [GHC]. >> WOMAN: So, two cedis is spent on kerosene, and then three ... other three cedis, is spend on their food, hospitals, other things. Two cedis, USD$2 per day -- per month, USD$60, then that's a lot that they spend here. >> VOICEOVER: It's the same story in most parts of the developing world, or the south as it's called in development speak. But here, solar rechargeable lamps, like these, are helping to transform life in villages in remote regions far from the national grid. It means that villagers like Nuoi can work long into the hours of darkness on products that she will sell at the local market. Lee can now help her younger brothers with their homework, when before they would sit in total darkness. And Mae-Nam can get on with her tailoring orders while her husband puts the baby to bed, all thanks to a new form of social entrepreneurship that is bringing power to the people at a price that even the poorest can afford. >> MAN 3 [Lantern Owner]: We would use kerosene lamps when we returned from the fields, but now we use the battery lanterns, as they are much brighter than kerosene lamps, and the villagers know they are much more convenient. Once night falls, I stay at home and wait for the villagers to come and rent the lanterns. >> MAN 4: This was our idea when we started to create our portable battery lamp. So our approach is to have a central charging station in the village. The village entrepreneur is taking care, it's his business. Here, again, our red line and strategy, not paying for the hardware, paying for the service. >> VOICEOVER: And these lanterns are innovative. They contain an integrated microprocessor with a unique identification number. This calculates the number of hours the lantern is on and can be used for carbon trading. The lantern can also be used to charge mobile phones, which is increasingly relevant, as the telecommunication network now covers 86 percent of the country. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/12-cameras-haitian-women-share-their-lives <p>Life isn't easy for Haitian migrants living in the Dominican Republic. Mostly women and mostly undocumented, they are easy targets for trafficking and exploitation, and face the constant fear of deportation. But, given a digital camera to record their stories of hope and struggle, some of the woman have begun to find a stronger voice for themselves.</p> Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:36:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/12-cameras-haitian-women-share-their-lives Dominican Republic, Haiti, Migrant worker, Photograph, Technology, ViewChange Online Film Contest, International Women's Day, LinkTV Picks, Empowerment, Self-esteem >> TITLE: 12 cameras. >> TITLE: 12 Haitian migrant women in the Dominican Republic participated in a four-week intensive storytelling workshop. 12 cameras. >> TITLE: Using cameras and audio recorders, these women documented their lives. >> TITLE: The Dominican Republic. >> ROSE LAURE [Haitian Migrant]: It's not easy. Once you've been away from your country for 13 years, you can't easily return and find a way to live. It's all about finding a way to make a living. >> YVALINE [Haitian Migrant]: I traveled far to live life and find a better life for my children, and I feel better here because I have many more things here than over there. >> ALPHONSINE [Dominican-born of Haitian descent]: I feel good that I belong to both sides, because I'm from both sides, the Haitian side and the Dominican side. I'm happy with both countries. >> YVALINE: I love nature so much, especially when I'm taking photographs. I like how when you view your surroundings, it breathes life into you and gives you warmth. It also gives you encouragement to go on. >> ALPHONSINE: Taking a photo and then narrating what you see in the photo is beautiful to me. >> ROSE LAURE: I feel very happy taking pictures, very, very happy, because I didn't know how to use a photo camera. >> CLAUDETTE [Haitian Migrant]: For me, this project has surpassed my expectations. If I take a picture of my child, I look for a good position and an idea, and it's the idea that makes me want to take the picture. >> YVALINE: I got rid of some of the stress from home. Talking, working, cleaning -- you always do those things. But when you go outside and learn something, you feel good. >> IMMACULEE [Haitian Migrant]: Everything that you take time to learn, even if you don't profit from it today or tomorrow or even the day after, you hope that you'll benefit from it some day. >> CLAUDETTE: I feel like a lot has changed in myself, because I didn't know the value of a picture until I took one. I thought that taking pictures was all about looking pretty and making your children look good, dressing them up for the photo to later look at it from time to time, but I didn't realize the story that lies behind a photograph. >> ALPHONSINE: Every photograph has a description, a meaning. At times, we see a plant, and we don't think it is important, but it is important. I learned that all stories matter. >> JHONISSE MAURICE [Haitian Student Workshop Mentor]: For me, it's a pleasure to be able to help in some way, especially since they are my fellow countrywomen. I don't know, but I had a desire to be here and to be with these women. >> IMMACULEE: It's never too late to learn, because tomorrow you might get to use that knowledge, and then you can teach someone else, and that person can teach another. In this way, our organization functions, and it lasts. That way, people teach each other, and everyone benefits. >> JOHN FRITZ [Haitian Student Workshop Mentor]: This project gives a voice to these women, because they tell the stories of their lives. They take pictures of their children, so, yes, they have a voice now. >> PHONISE LACOTTE [Women's Community Liaison, JRMS]: This project increases their self-esteem. It makes them value themselves. It helps them realize that they can organize themselves, that they have capabilities, and that they can do more than they thought. This is one amongst various initiatives they've got going on that, little by little, open up new paths for them. >> JOHN FRITZ: Now they know they can do something. Before, they didn't believe they could do anything. One of the women even said that now she is more highly regarded in her neighborhood because they see that she is doing something. So it has truly helped them, but it's not enough. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/burning-in-the-sun <p>When there are chores to be done during the day and it's dark in the evening, children find it difficult to learn. But Malian entrepreneur Daniele Dembele is bringing electricity to remote rural areas, so local schools can light their classrooms long into the night.</p> Fri, 27 Aug 2010 15:06:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/burning-in-the-sun Solar energy, Africa, West Africa, Mali, Skyheat, Daniele Dembele, Developing country, Alternative energy, Renewable energy, Afriq-Power >> TITLE: Banko Village, Mali >> AMADOU COULIBALY [School Principal]: I have 300 students, and the graduation rate is close to 20 percent. >> JENEBOU [Student]: When we go to school, our parents have no one to help with chores. They pull us out because there's no one to work in the house. >> AMADOU COULIBALY: We are now approaching the exam period. In the nighttime, we give classes. And, with one or two lamps, it is difficult to see the blackboard. >> DANIELE DEMBELE [Owner, Afriq-Power]: Over here in Mali, 80 percent of the villages, they don't have ... they have no light. It's even not 80 percent, it's 99 percent. Here, we're talking about natural selection. The environment you are living in is really tough. So, to survive we've got to be tough. My name is Daniel Dembele. This project is about building some solar panels in Mali, with local material. To make it as cheap as we possibly can. And we can try to make it possible for villagers to buy it. My final purpose would be to have a business in this field. Why should I not make money helping my people also? This we can make in Mali. This also. The back you can assemble, if I teach you how to do it manually. >> RICHARD KOMP [Director, Skyheat Associates]: So, we will make a 30-watt panel out of these. >> DANIELE DEMBELE: First panel made in Mali? >> RICHARD KOMP: These are the very first PV [photovoltaic] modules ever made in West Africa, as far as we know. >> CAROLINA BARRETO-CAJINA [Fulbright Scholar]: Electricity was invented more than a century ago. And, for me, it's just inconceivable to think that there are still places in the world that they are not able to have electricity. I think that it's becoming a right. >> DANIELE DEMBELE: Look over there, what is happening over there. You're going to see the difference. Over there they've got the fire. You can see, there's a kind of light over there. That's the old way to get light. That's the new way. >> JENEBOU: If you're educated, you can do things an uneducated person cannot. If you're educated, you could help develop your village. >> DANIELE DEMBELE: I count on helping thousands of people, not just 10 or 20 villages. If God's willing I live long enough, I would like to make a lot of villages every year, so I'm talking about thousands of people every year. Maybe at the end of my life I could tell you I've been helping over 100,000 people in this country: building wells, building solar power installations, solar cookers, and all the stuff. My main goal is help them and make my life. >> TITLE: Before Banko's school had electricity, every year 20 percent of students passed their national exams. After Daniel installed lights, 97 percent passed. Today, Daniel's business, Afriq-Power, continues to electrify schools and health centers in rural Mali. >> TITLE: From the documentary film "Burning in the Sun" http://www.viewchange.org/videos/childcount-cell-phones-and-health-in-sauri-kenya <p>Mobile phone technology is being used by local health workers in developing countries to speed up diagnoses and help combat preventable diseases such as malaria, TB, and polio.</p> Fri, 27 Aug 2010 14:06:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/childcount-cell-phones-and-health-in-sauri-kenya Millennium Villages Project, Kenya, Text messaging, Mobile phone, Malaria, Millennium Promise, Sub-Saharan Africa, Malnutrition, Extreme poverty, Diagnostic test >> TITLE: Millennium Promise: Extreme poverty ends here. >> TITLE: ChildCount+ Cell phones and health in Sauri, Kenya. February 2010 >> VOICEOVER: Community health worker Steven Omollo has been called out on a house visit from his home in Lahanda in Sauri Millennium Village. A baby boy has been running a fever all night, and his parents are worried that it could be malaria. Steven prepares to do a rapid diagnostic test on the child, which will return a result almost immediately. And now, with innovative mobile phone technology called rapid SMS, Steven can send the results of the test in to an automated system. If the result is positive, he'll receive a text message telling him to give the child the anti-malarial drug Coartem. >> STANLEY SHIHUNDU [Health Facilitator, Sauri Millennium Village Project]: The speed at which the information is relayed between the time the child is seen and the response from the system, it makes it much easier for someone to know there is a problem somewhere. >> VOICEOVER: The boy tests negative for malaria, but Steven is worried that he may be malnourished. >> STEVEN OMOLLO: The red section suggests severe malnutrition. >> VOICEOVER: He texts in the measurement along with the child's rapid SMS ID number. Using the data and the baby's age, the system confirms that he is indeed malnourished, and recommends supplementary feeding. >> STEVEN OMOLLO: It has made our work a bit easy and somewhat enjoyable and fast. >> VOICEOVER: And in helping people like Steven do their jobs better, the futures of children like these are more secure than ever before. >> TITLE: ChildCount+ is a text messaging system used throughout the Millennium Villages to deal with preventable diseases, such as malaria, TB, and polio. >> TITLE: Simple, affordable tools like cell phones and rapid malaria test kits empower community health workers throughout sub-Saharan Africa ... >> TITLE: ... who are guaranteeing the futures of children while protecting the health of mothers. >> TITLE: Help us to protect more mothers and children with just a simple cell phone. >> TITLE: Millennium Promise: Extreme poverty ends here. Join us today at www.millenniumpromise.org http://www.viewchange.org/videos/papua-new-guinea-coconut-oil It's cheap, in plentiful supply, doesn't destroy the ozone layer, and smells great. The people of Bougainville have found their own solution to the energy crisis: it's the humble coconut tree. Reporter Steve Marshall met up with German emigrant Matthias Horn who established a "coconut refinery" several years ago, and now produces an oil that can replace diesel. Tue, 24 Aug 2010 01:06:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/papua-new-guinea-coconut-oil Coconut oil, Biofuel, Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea, Buka, Diesel engine, Fossil fuel, Journeyman Pictures, Environment, Agriculture & Food >> TITLE: Coconut Oil>> STEVE MARSHALL [Reporter]: It's a tough life for the residents of Buka and other parts of Bougainville. The autonomous region is still recovering from a decade-long civil war that ended in the late 1990s. It's day to day living here and the people rely heavily on imports, especially fuel. It's expensive, and it's not uncommon for vehicles and generators to run dry before a new shipment arrives. But there's something going on in this place that's taking the "ouch" out of the oil price. In fact it's such a slick idea it's got the locals turning their backs on the imported stuff. Around here, money might not grow on trees, but the next best thing does. Forget drilling and start picking. Around here, oil comes from above. What usually slips down the gullet is now being tipped into the tank.>> MATTHIAS HORN [Oil Producer]: So here we got the raw material, that's the copra, and it goes into the primary crusher. It just makes it easier to feed through the secondary crusher which then expels the oil and then it comes flowing out, right out of these gaps here. >> STEVE MARSHALL: From Betzdorf in Germany to Buka in Papua New Guinea. Matthias Horn just loves coconuts.>> MATTHIAS HORN: And then right into the feeder presses here, which take all the bits and pieces out of the oil, and then into this holding tank system here, which are settling the oil for any other sediment. And after two weeks' time we can use it straight away in our cars. >> SIGN: Style Oil Factory>> MATTHIAS HORN: They sometimes refer to me as the mad German because how can you do that to your car, filling it with some coconut juice which you normally fry your fish in.>> STEVE MARSHALL: In this shed in the middle of the Bougainville jungle, coconuts are squeezed and strained with such a force that engines don't know the difference between pure coconut oil and diesel. >> MATTHIAS HORN: The coconut tree is a beautiful tree. It's like, doesn't it sound good if you really run your car on something which falls off a tree, and that's the good thing about it. You run your car, and it smells nice, and it's environmentally friendly. And that's the good thing.>> STEVE MARSHALL: Matthias Horn and his wife Carol have spent the past three years extracting oil from locally grown coconuts to use in engines. The idea is not new.>> SIGN: Powered by Coconut>> STEVE MARSHALL: Locals tried the same thing during the war with limited success. It's only now the concept of putting coconut oil in the tank instead of diesel is gaining momentum on Bougainville. It's much cheaper and it's a sustainable resource. The number of cars, trucks, and tractors, and other engines running on the stuff is on the rise.>> KEVIN RIORDAN: Give us your best coconut, and fill her up. She'll probably only take 25. >> STEVE MARSHALL: New Zealand policeman Kevin Riordan is assisting the Bougainville force. His fuel bill has dropped by a third since switching to coconut oil.>> KEVIN RIORDAN [Policeman]: There's no difference in the performance. You don't have to do anything different than you do to a diesel engine. You just, you know, fill it up with coconut oil instead of diesel. And as you can see it's smooth. I'm in fourth gear, and can take it up to 100 K [kilometers per hour], no problem at all.>> STEVE MARSHALL: For the people of Bougainville it's a godsend. Well, Father Henry Saris thinks so anyway.>> FATHER HENRY SARIS: It comes from on top, yes. Everything, all the blessings come from on top, but the coconut really is the tree of life here. As long as you have coconuts, you will survive.>> STEVE MARSHALL: Father Saris converted to coconut oil three years ago and won't hear a bad word against it. And what about on a Sunday morning, if you're running late for a service: can you put your foot down and it gets you there on time?>> FATHER HENRY SARIS: It doesn't make any difference. I've had people in my car here who didn't even realize that the car was running on coconut oil. >> STEVE MARSHALL: But you'd notice the difference in the Northern Hemisphere, or in a cooler climate, because the car simply wouldn't go. Pure coconut oil solidifies at a certain temperature. Here in Buka the oil freezes at around 25 degrees [Celsius, or 77 Fahrenheit]. Once the temperature dips below that, such as in the higher reaches of Bougainville, then other fossil fuels like diesel need to be added to make the engine run. The colder the climate, the bigger the mix of diesel. Still, Matthias and Carol Horn hope the clear, sweet aroma of coconuts will one day replace the black, oily smoke of diesel fumes.>> CAROL HORN [Oil Producer]: We have an export license but we haven't exported any fuel as yet. We've had a couple of inquires from outside: Australia, even Iran.>> STEVE MARSHALL: Iran?>> CAROL HORN: Yes, Iran. A couple of emails from Iran inquiring about the fuel. So I was wondering what they would like to do with the fuel because they already have enough fuel.>> STEVE MARSHALL: Carol and Matthias Horn say they're in it for the long haul. The daily two-hour drive to the factory gives Matthias Horn ample time to dream up ways of making coconut fuel a viable option worldwide.>> MATTHIAS HORN: That's when all these thoughts get developed, and then I pull out the calculator and the piece of paper, and I put these thoughts on to paper. And then you have a beer over it and you have another beer over it and after three beers you get really good ideas. Then you keep on going: not drinking the beer but the idea develops.>> STEVE MARSHALL: And there'll be no selling out to major oil companies either. The Horn factory is providing many jobs for people affected by the war. >> CAROL HORN: It's very important that we come up with more revenue-raising options and the fuel is an example; instead of spending money outside getting in fuel we try to make it here.>> STEVE MARSHALL: Coconut oil might just be the tonic to kick-start Bougainville's economy and get the region moving forward once again. >> SIGN: Powered by Coconut>> TITLE: [end credits] http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ted-iqbal-quadir-says-mobiles-fight-poverty Iqbal Quadir tells how his experiences as a kid in poor Bangladesh, and later as a banker in New York, led him to start a mobile phone operator connecting 80 million rural Bangladeshi Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:21:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ted-iqbal-quadir-says-mobiles-fight-poverty Iqbal Quadir, GrameenPhone, Developing country, Mobile phone, Economic development, Bangladesh, Technology, Information technology, International Telecommunication Union, Dean Kamen >> TITLE: Remarkable people ... unmissable talks ... now free to the world. TED: ideas worth spreading. >> IQBAL QUADIR: I'll just take you to Bangladesh for a minute. >> TITLE: Iqbal Quadir, July, 2005, Oxford, England >> VOICE: ... your own private dreams day and night with the near and dear ones. This is where the journey begins, with one small step, a journey that today has reached one million destinations. >> BILL CLINTON: With loans for people to buy cell phones, entire villages are being brought into the information age. I want people throughout the world to know this story. >> IQBAL QUADIR: Before I tell that story, we should ask ourselves the question: Why does poverty exist? I mean, there is plenty of knowledge and scientific breakthroughs, we all live in the same planet. But still there's a great deal of poverty in the world. And I think ... so I want to throw a perspective that I have, so that we can assess this project, or any other project, for that matter, to see whether it's contributing to poverty or trying to alleviate it. >> IQBAL QUADIR: Rich countries have been sending aid to poor countries for last 60 years. And by and large, this has failed. And you can see this book, written by someone who worked in the World Bank for 20 years, and he finds economic growth in this country to be elusive. By and large, it did not work. So the question is, why is that? >> IQBAL QUADIR: In my mind, there is something to learn from the history of Europe. I mean, even here, yesterday I was walking across the street, and they showed [where] three bishops were executed 500 years ago, right across the street from here. So my point is, there's a lot of struggle has gone in Europe, where citizens were empowered by technologies. And they demanded authorities to come down from their high horses. And in the end, there's better bargaining between the authorities and citizens, and democracies, capitalism, everything else flourished. And so you can see, the real process -- and this is backed up by this 500-page book -- that the authorities came down and citizens got up. >> IQBAL QUADIR: But if you look, if you have that perspective, then you can see what happened in the last 60 years. Aid actually did the opposite. It empowered authorities. And, as a result, marginalized citizens. The authorities did not have the reason to make economic growth happen so that they could tax people and make more money to run their business. Because they were getting it from abroad. And, in fact, if you see oil-rich countries, where citizens are not yet empowered, the same thing goes. Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, all sorts of countries. Because the aid and oil or mineral money acts the same way. It empowers authorities, without activating the citizens: their hands, legs, brains, what have you. >> IQBAL QUADIR: And if you agree with that, then I think the best way to improve these countries is to recognize that economic development is of the people, by the people, for the people. And that is the real network effect. If citizens can network and make themselves more organized and productive, so that their voices are heard, so then things would improve. And, to contrast that, you can see the most important institution in the world, the World Bank, is an organization of the government, by the government, for the governments. Just see the contrast. And that is the perspective I have, and then I can start my story. >> IQBAL QUADIR: Of course, how would you empower citizens? There could be all sorts of technologies. And one is cell phones. Recently the Economist recognized this, but I stumbled upon the idea 12 years ago, and that's what I've been working on. So 12 years ago, I was trying to be an investment banker in New York. We had ... quite a few of our colleagues were connected by a computer network. And we got more productive because we didn't have to exchange floppy disks; we could update each other more often. But one time it broke down. And it reminded me of a day in 1971. There was a war going on in my country, and my family moved out of an urban place, where we used to live, to a remote rural area where it was safer. And one time my mother asked me to get some medicine for a younger sibling. And I walked 10 miles or so, all morning, to get there, to the medicine man. And he wasn't there, so I walked all afternoon back. So I had another unproductive day. >> IQBAL QUADIR: So while I was sitting in a tall building in New York, I put those two experiences together side by side, and basically concluded that connectivity is productivity, whether it's in a modern office or an underdeveloped village. So naturally, the implication of that is that the telephone is a weapon against poverty. And if that's the case, then the question is how many telephones did we have at that time? And it turns out, that there was one telephone in Bangladesh for every 500 people. And all those phones were in the few urban places. The vast rural areas, where 100 million people lived, there were no telephones. So just imagine how many man-months or man-years are wasted, just like I wasted a day. If you just multiply by 100 million people, let's say losing one day a month, whatever, and you see a vast amount of resource wasted. And after all, poor countries, like rich countries, one thing we've got equal, is their days are same length: 24 hours. So if you lose that precious resource, where you are somewhat equal to the richer countries, that's a huge waste. >> IQBAL QUADIR: So I started looking for any evidence that, does connectivity really increase productivity? And I couldn't find much, really, but I found this graph produced by the ITU, which is the International Telecommunication Union, based in Geneva. They show an interesting thing. That you see, the horizontal axis is where you place your country. So the United States or the UK would be here, outside. And so the impact of one new telephone, which is on the vertical axis, is very little. But if you come back to a poorer country, where the GNP per capita is, let's say, USD$500, or USD$300, then the impact is huge: USD$6,000, or USD$5,000. The question was, how much did it cost to install a new telephone in Bangladesh? It turns out: USD$2,000. So if you spend USD$2,000, and let's say the telephone lasts 10 years, and it's USD$5,000 every year -- so that's USD$50,000. So obviously this was a gadget to have. And of course, if the cost of installing a telephone is going down, because there's a digital revolution going on, then it would be even more dramatic. >> IQBAL QUADIR: And I knew a little economics by then: it says Adam Smith taught us that specialization leads to productivity. But how would you specialize? Let's say I'm a fisherman and a farmer. And Chris is a fisherman and farmer. Both are generalists. So the point is that we could only, only way we could depend on each other, if we can connect with each other. And if we are neighbors, I could just walk over to his house. But then we are limiting our economic sphere to something very small area. But in order to expand that, you need a river, or you need a highway, or you need telephone lines. But in any event, it's connectivity that leads to dependability. And that leads to specialization. That leads to productivity. >> IQBAL QUADIR: So the question was, I started looking at this issue, and going back and forth between Bangladesh and New York. There were a lot of reasons people told me why we don't have enough telephones. And one of them is the lacking buying power. Poor people apparently don't have the power to buy. But the point is, if it's a production tool, why do we have to worry about that? I mean, in America, people buy cars, and they put very little money down. They get a car, and they go to work. The work pays them a salary, the salary allows them to pay for the car over time. So the car pays for itself. >> IQBAL QUADIR: So if the telephone is a production tool, then we don't quite have to worry about the purchasing power. And of course, even if that's true, then what about initial buying power? So then the question is, why can't we have some kind of shared access? In the United States, we have -- everybody needs a banking service, but very few of us are trying to buy a bank. So a bank tends to serve a whole community. So we could do that for telephones. And also people told me that we have a lot of important primary needs to meet: food, clothing, shelter, whatever. But again, it's very paternalistic. You should be raising income and let people decide what they want to do with their money. >> IQBAL QUADIR: But the real problem is the lack of other infrastructures. See, you need some kind of infrastructure to bring a new thing. For instance, the Internet was booming in the U.S. because there where people had computers, they had modems, they had telephone lines, so it's very easy to bring in a new idea, like the Internet. But that's what's lacking in a poor country. So for example, we didn't have ways to have credit checks, few banks to collect bills, etcetera. But that's why I noticed Grameen Bank, which is a bank for poor people, and had 1,100 branches, 12,000 employees, 2.3 million borrowers. And they had these branches, I thought I could put cell towers and create a network. >> IQBAL QUADIR: And anyway, to cut the time short, so I started ... I first went to them and said, "You know, perhaps I could connect all your branches and make you more efficient." But you know, they have, after all, evolved in a country without telephones, so they are decentralized. I mean, of course there might be other good reasons, but this was one of the reasons -- they had to be. And so they were not that interested to connect all their branches, and then to be ... and rock the boat. >> IQBAL QUADIR: So I started focusing. What is it that they really do? So what happens is that somebody borrows money from the bank. She typically buys a cow. The cow gives milk. And she sells the milk to the villagers, and pays off the loan. And this is a business for her, but it's milk for everybody else. And suddenly I realized that a cell phone could be a cow. Because somebody she could borrow USD$200 from the bank, get a phone, and have the phone for everybody. And it's a business for her. >> IQBAL QUADIR: So I wrote to the bank, and they thought for a while, and they said, "It's a little crazy, but logical. If you think it can be done, come and make it happen." So I quit my job; I went back to Bangladesh. I created a company in America called Gonofone, which in Bengali means "people's phone." And angel investors in America put in money into that. I flew around the world. After about a million ... I mean, I got rejected from lots of places, because I was not only trying to go to a poor country, I was trying to go to the poor of the poor country. After about a million miles, and a meaningful ... a substantial loss of hair, I eventually put together a consortium, which involved the Norwegian telephone company, which provided the know-how, and the Grameen Bank provided the infrastructure to spread the service. >> IQBAL QUADIR: To make the story short, here is the coverage of the country. You can see it's pretty much covered. Even in Bangladesh, there are some empty places. But we're also investing around another USD$300 million this year to extend that coverage. >> IQBAL QUADIR: Now, about that cow model I talked about. There are about 115,000 people who are retailing telephone services in their neighborhoods. And it's serving 52,000 villages, which represent about 80 million people. And these phones are generating about USD$100 million for the company. And USD$2 profit per entrepreneur per day, which is like USD$700 per year. And of course, it's very beneficial in lot of ways. It increases income, improves welfare, etcetera. And the result is, right now, this company is the largest telephone company, with 3.5 million subscribers; 115,000 of these phones I talked about, that produces about a third of the traffic in the network. And 2004, the net profit, after taxes -- very serious taxes -- was USD$120 million. And the company contributed about USD$190 million dollars to the government coffers. >> IQBAL QUADIR: And again, here are some of the lessons: "The government needs to provide economically viable services." Actually, this is an instance where private companies can provide that. "Governments need to subsidize private companies." This is what some people think. And actually, private companies help governments with taxes. "Poor people are recipients." Poor people are a resource. "Services cost too much for the poor." Their involvement reduces the cost. "The poor are uneducated and cannot do much." They are very eager learners and very capable survivors. I've been very surprised. Most of them learn how to operate a telephone within a day. "Poor countries need aid." Businesses, this one company has raised the -- if the ideal figures are even 5 percent true -- this one company is raising the GNP of the country much more than the aid the country receives. And as I was trying to show you, as far as I'm concerned, aid does damages because it removes the government from its citizens. >> IQBAL QUADIR: And this is a new project I have with Dean Kamen, the famous inventor in America. He has produced power generators, which we are now doing an experiment in Bangladesh, in two villages where cow manure is producing biogas, which is running these generators. And each of these generators is selling electricity to 20 houses each. It's just an experiment. We don't know how far it will go, but it's going on. Thank you. >> TITLE: TED: New TED Talks each week at www.TED.com http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ted-eleni-gabre-madhin-on-ethiopian-economics Economist Eleni Gabre-Madhin outlines her ambitious vision to found the first commodities market in Ethiopia. Her plan would create wealth, minimize risk for farmers, and turn the world's largest recipient of food aid into a regional food basket. Tue, 17 Aug 2010 01:39:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ted-eleni-gabre-madhin-on-ethiopian-economics Agriculture & Food, Eleni Gabre-Madhin, Agriculture, Economics, Ethiopia Commodity Exchange, Trade, Africa, Futures exchange, Information technology, TED >> TITLE: TED: Ideas Worth Spreading>> TITLE: Eleni Gabre-Madhin>> ELENI GABRE-MADHIN: You know, there's a small country nestled in the Himalayan Mountains, far from these beautiful mountains, where the people of the Kingdom of Bhutan have decided to do something different, which is to measure their Gross National Happiness rather than their Gross National Product. >> TITLE: June, 2007. Arusha, Tanzania.>> ELENI GABRE-MADHIN: And why not? After all, happiness is not just a privilege for the lucky few, but a fundamental human right for all. And what is happiness? Happiness is the freedom of choice. The freedom to chose where to live, what to do, what to buy, what to sell, from whom, to whom, when, and how. Where does choice come from? And who gets to express it, and how do we express it?>> ELENI GABRE-MADHIN: Well, one way to express choice is through the market. Well-functioning markets provide choices and, ultimately, the ability to express one's pursuit for happiness. The great Indian economist, Amartya Sen, was awarded the Nobel prize for demonstrating that famine is not so much about the availability of food supply, but rather the ability to acquire or entitle oneself to that food through the market. In 1984, in what can only be considered one of the greatest crimes of humanity, nearly one million people died of starvation in my country of birth, Ethiopia. Not because there was not enough food -- because there was actually a surplus of food in the fertile regions of the south parts of the country -- but because in the north, people could not access or entitle themselves to that food. That was a turning point for my life.>> ELENI GABRE-MADHIN: Most Africans today, by far, are farmers. And most of Africa's farmers are, by and large, small farmers in terms of land that they operate, and very, very small farmers in terms of the capital they have at their disposal. African agriculture today is among or is the most under-capitalized in the world. Only seven percent of arable land in Africa is irrigated, compared to 40 percent in Asia. African farmers only use some 22 kilograms of fertilizer per hectare, compared to 144 in Asia. Road density is six times greater in Asia than it is in rural Africa. There are eight times more tractors in Latin America, and three times more tractors in Asia, than in Africa. The small farmer in Africa today lives a life without much choice, and therefore without much freedom. His livelihood is predetermined by the conditions of grinding poverty. He comes to the market when prices are lowest, with the meager fruits of his hard labor, just after the harvest, because he has no choice. She comes back to the market some months later, when prices are highest, in what we call the lean season -- when food is scarce -- because she has to feed her family and has no choice.>> ELENI GABRE-MADHIN: The real question is how can markets be developed in rural Africa to harness the power of innovation and entrepreneurship that we know exists? Another notable economist, Theodore Schultz, in 1974 won the Nobel prize for demonstrating that farmers are efficient, but poor. Meaning, in fact, that farmers are rational and profit-minded just like everybody else. Well, we don't need, now, any more Nobel prizes to know that farmers want a fair shake at the market and want to make money, just like everyone else. And one thing is clear: which is at least now we know that Africa is open for business. And that business is agriculture. >> ELENI GABRE-MADHIN: Over two decades ago, the world insisted to Africa that markets must be liberalized, that economies must be structurally adjusted. This meant that governments were to remove themselves from the business of buying and selling -- which they did rather inefficiently -- and let the private market do its magic. Well, what happened over the last 25 years? Did Africa feed itself? Did our farmers turn into highly productive commercial actors? I think we're all in this room, probably, because we know that in fact, Africa is the only region in the world where hunger and malnutrition are projected to go up over the next 10 years. Where the food import bill is now double what it was 20 years ago. Where food production per capita has stagnated, and where fertilizer use has declined rather than increased. So why didn't agriculture markets perform to expectations? The market reforms prompted by the West -- and I've spent some 15 years traveling around the continent doing research on agricultural markets, and have interviewed traders in 10 to 15 countries in this continent, hundreds of traders, trying to understand what went wrong with our market reform. And it seems to me that the reforms might have thrown the baby out with the bath water.>> TITLE: Africa's Market Problem is Africa's Market Challenge>> ELENI GABRE-MADHIN: Like its agriculture, Africa's markets are highly under-capitalized and inefficient. We know from our work around the continent that transaction costs of reaching the market, and the risks of transacting in rural agriculture markets, is extremely high. In fact, only one-third of agricultural output produced in Africa even reaches the market. Africa's markets are weak not only because of weak infrastructure in terms of roads and telecommunications, but also because of the virtual absence of necessary market institutions such as market information, grades and standards, and reliable ways to connect buyers and sellers. Because of this, commodity buyers and sellers typically transact in small circles, in narrow networks of people they know and trust. And because of that, as grain changes hands -- and I've measured that it changes hands four, five times in its trajectory from the farmer to the consumer -- every time it changes hands, and I've seen this all over rural Africa, it also changes sacks. >> ELENI GABRE-MADHIN: And I thought that was incredibly peculiar. And really realized that that was because -- as traders would tell me over and over -- that's the only way people know what they're getting in terms of the quantity and the product quality. And that actually has huge implications for the ability of markets to quickly respond to price signals, and situations where there are deficits, for example. It also has very high cost implications. I have measured that 26 percent of the marketing margin is simply due to the fact that because of the absence of grades and standards, and market information, sacks have to be constantly changed, and this leads to very high handling-costs. For their part, small farmers, who produce the bulk of our agricultural output in Africa come to the market with virtually no information at all -- blind. Trusting that they're going to have some sort of demand for their produce, and completely at the mercy of the merchants in the only market, the nearest local market they know, where they're unable to negotiate better prices or reduce their risk.>> ELENI GABRE-MADHIN: Speaking of risk, we have seen that price volatility of food crops in Africa is the highest in the world. In Africa, small farmers bear the brunt of this risk. In fact, in my view, there is no region of the world and no period in history that farmers have been expected to bear the kind of market risk that Africa's farmers have to bear. And in my view, there is simply no place in the world that has grown its agriculture on the kind of risk that our farmers in Africa today face. In Ethiopia, for example, the variation in maize prices from year to year is as much as 50 percent annually. This kind of market risk is mind-boggling, and has direct implications for not only the incentives of farmers to invest in higher productivity technology, such as modern seeds and fertilizers, but also direct implications for food security.>> ELENI GABRE-MADHIN: To give you an example, between 2001 and 2002 Ethiopian maize farmers produced two years of bumper harvest. That, in turn, because of the weak marketing system, led to an 80 percent collapse in maize prices in the country. This made it unprofitable for some farmers to even harvest the grain from the fields. And we calculated that some 300,000 tons of grain was left in the fields to rot in early 2002. Not six months later, in July 2002, Ethiopia announced a major food crisis, to the same proportions as 1984: 14 million people at risk of starvation. What also happened that year is in the areas where there were good rains, and where farmers had previously produced surplus grain, farmers had decided to withdraw from the fertilizer market, not use fertilizer, and actually had dropped their use of fertilizer by 27 percent. This is a tragic example of arrested development, or a budding green revolution stopped in its tracks. And this is not just specific to Ethiopia, but happens over and over, all over Africa.>> ELENI GABRE-MADHIN: Well, I'm not here today to lament about the situation, or wring my hands. I am here to tell you that change is in the air. Africa today is not the Africa waiting for aid solutions, or cookie-cutter foreign expert policy prescriptions. Africa has learned, or is learning, somewhat slowly, that markets don't happen by themselves. In the 1980s, it was very fashionable to talk about getting prices right. There was a very influential book about that, which was mainly about getting governments out of the market. We now recognize that getting markets right is about not just price incentives, but also investing in the right infrastructure and the appropriate and necessary institutions to create the conditions to unleash the power of innovation in the market. When conditions are right, we know and see that that innovation is ready to explode in rural Africa, just like anywhere else.>> ELENI GABRE-MADHIN: Nearly three years ago, I decided to leave my comfortable job as a World Bank senior economist in Washington, and come back to my country of birth, Ethiopia, after nearly 30 years abroad. I did so for a simple reason. After having spent more than a decade understanding, studying, and trying to convince policymakers and donors about what was wrong with Africa's agricultural markets, I decided it was time to do something about it. I currently lead, in Ethiopia, an exciting new initiative to establish the first Ethiopia Commodity Exchange, or ECX. Now the commodity exchange itself, that concept, is not new to the world. In fact, in 1848, 82 grain merchants and farmers got together in a small town at the crossroads of the Illinois River and Lake Michigan to establish a way to trade better amongst themselves. That was of course, the birth of the Chicago Board of Trade, which is the most famous commodity exchange in the world. >> ELENI GABRE-MADHIN: The Chicago Board of Trade was established then for precisely the same reasons that our farmers today would benefit from a commodity exchange. In the American Midwest, farmers used to load grain onto barges and send it upriver to the Chicago market. But once it arrived, if no buyer was to be found, or if prices suddenly dropped, farmers would incur tremendous losses. And, in fact, would even dump the grain in Lake Michigan, rather than spend more money transporting it back to their farms. Well, the need to avoid these huge risks and tremendous losses led to the birth of the futures market, and the underlying system of grading grain and receipting, issuing warehouse receipts on the basis of which trade could be done. From there, the greatest innovation of all came about in this market, which is that buyers and sellers could transact grain without actually having to physically or visually inspect the grain. That meant that grain could be traded across tremendous distances, and even across time, as far forward as 18 months into the future. This innovation is at the heart of the transformation of American agriculture, and the rise of Chicago to a global market, agricultural market, superpower from where it was, a small regional town. >> ELENI GABRE-MADHIN: Now, over the last century, we tend to think of commodity exchanges as the purview of Western industrialized countries. And that the reference prices for cotton, coffee, cocoa -- products produced mainly in the South -- are actually a reference price, or a price discovered in these organized commodity exchanges in the Northern countries. But that is actually changing. And we're seeing a shift, powered mainly because of information technology. A shift in market dominance towards the emerging markets. And over the last decade, you see that the share of Western exchanges -- and this is the U.S. share of exchanges in the world -- has gone down by nearly half in just the last decade. Similarly, there's been explosive growth in India, for example, where rural farmers are using exchanges, growing here over the last three years by 270 percent a year. This is powered by low-cost VSAT technology, aggressively trying to reach farmers to bring them into the market. China's Dalian Commodity Exchange, three years ago, 2004, overtook the Chicago Board of Trade to become the second-largest commodity exchange in the world. >> TITLE: The Ethiopia Commodity Exchange: Making Markets Work for All. ECEX>> ELENI GABRE-MADHIN: Now, in Ethiopia, we're in the process of designing the first organized Ethiopia Commodity Exchange. We're not trying to cut-and-paste the Chicago model or the India model, but creating a system uniquely tailored to Ethiopia's needs and realities, Ethiopia's small farmers. So, the ECX is an Ethiopian exchange for Ethiopia. We're creating a system that serves all market actors. That creates integrity, trust, efficiency, transparency, and enables small farmers to manage the risks that I have described. >> ELENI GABRE-MADHIN: In the design of our commodity exchange in Ethiopia, we've done something rather unique, which is to take the approach of an integrated perspective, or what we call the ECX Edge. The ECX Edge pretty much creates the entire ecosystem in which the market will develop itself. And this is because one of the things we've learned over the last decade of studying market development in Africa is that the piecemeal approach does not work. You've got one donor trying to develop market information, another trying to work on or sponsor grades and standards, another ICT, and yet another on warehousing, or warehouse receipts.>> ELENI GABRE-MADHIN: In our approach in Ethiopia, we've decided to put together the entire ecosystem, or environment, in which trade takes place. That means that the exchange will operate a trading system, which will initially start as an open outcry, because we don't think the country's ready for full electronic trading. But at the same time, we'll do something which I think no exchange in the world has ever done, which is itself to operate something like an Internet café in the rural areas. So that farmers and small traders can actually come to a terminal center -- what we call the remote access terminal centers -- and actually, without having to buy a computer or figure out how to dial up or any of those things, simply see the trading that's happening on the Addis Ababa trading floor.>> ELENI GABRE-MADHIN: At the same time, what's very fundamental to this market is that -- and again, an innovation that we've designed for our exchange -- is that the exchange will operate warehouses around the country, in which grade-certification and warehouse-receipting will be done. And in turn we'll operate an in-house clearing system, to assure that payment is done appropriately, in the right amount and at the right time, so that basically we create trust and integrity in the system. Obviously we work with exchange actors, and as we're developing the exchange market itself, we're also developing the regulatory infrastructure and legal framework -- the overarching legal framework for making this market work. So in fact, our proclamation is going to parliament next month. >> ELENI GABRE-MADHIN: So, what's really important is that the ECX will operate a market information system to disseminate prices in real time to farmers around the country, using VSAT technology to bring an electronic price dissemination directly to farmers. What this does is transforms, fundamentally, the farmers' relationship to the market. Whereas before the farmer used to think local -- meaning that he or she would go to the nearest local market, 8 to 10 kilometers away on average, and sell whatever they happened to have, without any idea of what the price premium or anything else was -- now farmers come with knowledge of what prices are at the national market. And they start to think national, and even global. They start to make not only commercial marketing decisions, but also planting decisions, on the basis of information coming from the futures price market. And they come to the market knowing what grades their products will achieve in terms of a price premium.>> ELENI GABRE-MADHIN: So all of this will transform farmers. It will also transform the way traders do business. It will stop them from doing simple back-to-back, limited arbitrage to really thinking strategically about how to move grain across long distances from deficit areas to surplus regions. Can Ethiopia do this? It seems very ambitious. But it will create new opportunities. We believe that this initiative requires great political will, and we'll have to align the financial sector as well as the ICT sector, and really even the underlying legal framework. We believe that the winds of change are here, and that we can do it. >> ELENI GABRE-MADHIN: ECX is the market for Ethiopia's new millennium, which starts in about eight months. The last parliament of our century opened with our president announcing to the country that this was the most important economic initiative for the country today. We believe that the stakes are high, but that the returns will be even greater. ECX, moreover, can become a trading platform for a pan-African market in agricultural commodities. Ethiopia's domestic market is about USD$1 billion of value. And we feel that over the next five years, if Ethiopia can capture even 40 percent, just 40 percent of the domestic market and add just 25 percent value to that market, the value of the market doubles. Ethiopia's agricultural market is 30 percent higher than South Africa's grain production, and, in fact, Ethiopia is the second-largest maize producer in Africa. >> ELENI GABRE-MADHIN: So the potential is there. The will is there. The commitment is there. We feel that we have a winning value proposition to transform farmers' choices, to grow our agriculture, and to change Africa. So, we are in the business of finding our happiness. Thank you very much. >> TITLE: TED: New TED Talks each week at www.TED.com http://www.viewchange.org/videos/china-reds-go-green <p>Can the world's biggest polluter become the world's biggest producer of plug-in electric cars? That's what Chinese car manufacturer BYD Auto is hoping as it launches its new F3DM model.</p> Tue, 17 Aug 2010 00:39:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/china-reds-go-green BYD F3DM, Electric car, BYD Auto, China, Hong Kong, Air pollution, EV1, LinkTV Picks, General Motors, Petrol engine >> TITLE: Reds Go Green>> VOICEOVER: China is savoring the fruits of its economic boom, but it's also counting the costs. Its cars and industry are now the world's biggest emitters of carbon dioxide. But, according to the Chinese, this is the brand-spanking-new answer to their car pollution problem: It's a plug-in electric car, made by a company called BYD, which stands for "build your dream.">> PAUL LIN [Marketing Manager, BYD]: China auto market is racing.>> VOICEOVER: Paul Lin is BYD's marketing manager, and this is their gleaming showroom in the southern city of Shenzhen. BYD started life as a maker of mobile phone batteries just 13 years ago, and has only been producing cars for five.>> PAUL LIN: And we find our battery not only can be used for the mobile phone or some kind of the electronic consumer devices. It can be also used for cars, used for solar panels, used for everything. So, based on that, we acquired a state-owned company in 2003, a car company to enter the auto business.>> TITLE: BYD promotional video>> VOICEOVER: The car they've come up with is the F3. It runs up to 100 kilometers on battery power alone -- enough for the average commute, says the manufacturer. And, when the battery runs low, the petrol engine switches in.>> PAUL LIN: Which means it can run for more than 100 kilometers by pure electric mode. And, after that, you want to go longer distance, the gasoline engine will start and support.>> VOICEOVER: And, according to the company's promotional video, there are a number of options for refueling. >> VIDEO COMMENTARY: You can choose refueling in gas station, quick recharging in charging station, standard household power outlet, or solar panel recharging creates your convenient life.>> VOICEOVER: While the solar panel is something they're still working on, the makers insist this is more than just another eco-friendly hybrid. They claim no other car has yet been able to travel so far on just battery power.>> PAUL LIN: If you only go for less than 100 kilometers per day, you can go back home and charge the car in your garage. And, in another day, you just go to work by pure electric mode again.>> VOICEOVER: Outside the showroom, I get the chance to try one for myself. >> WOMAN: Turn the key.>> REPORTER: Turn the key?>> WOMAN: Yes. >> VOICEOVER: Inside, everything about the car looks normal: the steering wheel, dashboard. The only difference is how it's powered.>> REPORTER: So the care is now powered by battery?>> WOMAN: Yes. >> REPORTER: Well, it's not going to win any awards for style, this car, but it certainly has a real kick. Quite a powerful acceleration. It's very smooth, in fact; smoother than I thought.>> VOICEOVER: BYD believes its batteries give it a winning edge.>> WOMAN: All our batteries are recycled, the power is recycled so it's environmentally beneficial. So people will like it, not only China. Most Western people will like it very much>> REPORTER: Chairman Mao said the East is red, but maybe the East is green.>> WOMAN: Right.>> VOICEOVER: The batteries can be fully charged in nine hours from a regular electrical outlet, or much faster at BYD's own charging stations, of which there are only seven so far, but the plan is eventually for thousands. Green technology has long been in the slow lane in China. But it now seems to recognize the need to reduce its fast-growing dependence on crude oil and to limit its choking emissions.>> TITLE: Green tech for tomorrow>> VIDEO COMMENTARY: In contemporary society, severe energy deficiency, carbon dioxide emissions of automobile, and air pollution are the three main current environmental issues in the world.>> CHRISTIAN BASSET [Environmental Activist, Clean the Air]: I am totally convinced that, especially concerning roadside pollution in every large Chinese city, China wants to solve it, and using an electric car is a way to drastically reduce roadside air pollution.>> VOICEOVER: Hong Kong environmental activist Christian Basset says electric cars would be a small, but important, milestone.>> REPORTER: Even if 10 percent of China's motorists started driving electric cars in the next 10 years, what impact would that have?>> CHRISTIAN BASSET: The impact would not be ... may not be tremendous on the scale of the country. However, as a green organization, we see it as a sign, we see it as an evolution of the mentalities. And, if more people think about green cars, if more people think about green technology, so much the better.>> VOICEOVER: Ordinary Chinese certainly seem impressed by the idea of a greener car. The visitors today: local customs officers, beaming national pride.>> CUSTOMS OFFICER: I was talking to the engineers about the car. They are very proud of their achievement. I feel really inspired by them. I'm very proud of them.>> VOICEOVER: After recent scandals, the central government is actively trying to rebuild confidence in the "made in China" brand. It's already placing its own orders for the homegrown hybrid, a sort of green nationalism.>> PAUL LIN: And China's government is concentrating day-by-day and time-by-time on letting the public know the new energy car will be the future.>> VOICEOVER: The F3 will cost around AUD$32,000 and, while there are no plans yet to sell it in Australia, BYD hope to have it in US showrooms within two years, and in Europe shortly after. China is positioning itself as a growing power in clean-energy technologies that will one day fuel the world economy, which is probably why Warren Buffett, the shrewd U.S. investor, has just paid USD$230 million for a 9 percent stake in the company. But this isn't the first attempt to mass-produce an electric car. Three years ago, Dateline reported from America on the rise and fall of General Motors' electric car. While many believe it was the victim of big oil interests, GM's head of PR, Dave Barthmuss, told Dateline that consumers just weren't interested.>> DAVID BARTHMUSS [Head of Public Relations, General Motors]: People did not demand EV1 from GM in large enough numbers for us to pursue it. I have not seen an auto company come out with a battery program that has a vehicle that will have the kind of range and quick charge that's needed to appeal to a mass market at a price point where the common man and woman can afford it on a monthly basis.>> VOICEOVER: Ladies and gentleman, that's the sound of a crushed automobile being shredded into a million pieces.>> VOICEOVER: But now the electric car is having its revenge. Having scuppered it once before, General Motors is planning to unveil a new plug-in vehicle next year. But BYD has beaten them to the punch: the F3 goes on sale in China later this year. It's another blow to the US car industry, from a company with its sights set on world domination.>> PAUL LIN: Our ambitions in China is in 2015 to become the China number one, and we hope in 2025 we can become the world number one. Of course it's by our new energy car.>> VOICEOVER: The looming recession offers opportunity to an auto newcomer that has come a long way very quickly.>> TITLE: Dateline>> TITLE: [end credits] http://www.viewchange.org/videos/peanuts Film technician Jock Brandis is a man with a mission: to design and build a simple, hand-operated peanut sheller that will enable villagers around the world to more easily grow peanuts for food, which in turn will also help them cultivate cotton as a cash crop. Jock is a living example of the difference that one person, with good will and determination, can make in the lives of countless others. Mon, 09 Aug 2010 00:56:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/peanuts Jock Brandis, Universal Nut Sheller, Africa, Technology, Agriculture, Mali, Mali-Folkecenter, Bamako, Sikasso, Agriculture & Food >> VOICEOVER: Jock Brandis, a movie gaffer and radio engineer in Wilmington, North Carolina, climbs the transmission tower for routine maintenance. This is just a day job but his thoughts are an ocean away. He first went to Africa with Oxfam during the horrific Nigerian Civil War.>> JOCK BRANDIS: We left under a hail of gunfire, basically. And, by the time we were gone, a million people were dead, and there was nothing to show for it. And it kind of scared me away from doing something with that big a possibility of major failure.>> VOICEOVER: Haunted by those memories, Jock did not return to Africa until July 2000. This time, he went to fix a solar-powered water pump in a village in Mali, West Africa. What he saw inspired him. What he did may change the lives of millions, all around the world. >> TITLE: Peanuts. >> JOCK BRANDIS: I really thought I'd never go back. And, for me, it was a very healing experience, because the last time I left Africa, people were shooting at me, and children were dying at the rate of 5,000 a day. So, to come back to this kind of paradise was the most wonderful experience you could imagine.>> VOICEOVER: The village of Woroni was a perfect example of unspoiled Africa: a beautiful waterfall, picturesque red mud huts with pointy, thatched roofs inhabited by healthy, happy people. The Danish government had previously installed a solar-powered water pump which distributed pure water from deep in the earth all around the village. But, after 15 years in the African sun, with no maintenance, the pump no longer worked as it should. Needing technical information to fix the pump, Jock spoke with someone at the Mali-Folkecenter. >> JOCK BRANDIS: And he put me through to this wonderful guy named Ibrahim, who I was told spoke Russian, Danish, English, French, and a variety of African languages. And my first contact with him was simply to help me get the water system going. >> IBRAHIM TOGOLA [Director, Mali-Folkecenter pour les Energies Renouvelables]: What we have been trying to do always at Mali-Folkecenter is to introduce appropriate technologies that can facilitate the life of people in rural areas. In this way also, we have been doing this lighting.>> VOICEOVER: In addition to providing the information he required, the brilliant young founder of Mali-Folkecenter inspired Jock with his plans. >> JOCK BRANDIS: Ibrahim Togola has a vision for Africa and for Mali, where he wants to leapfrog his country into the energy future without dragging it through the failed industrial revolution. >> VOICEOVER: With the pump fixed and time to look around, Jock was able to see more of the villagers' daily lives. From early morning until long after dark, the air in West Africa is full of the sound of women working. Women gather wood, draw the water, do the cooking, the cleaning, and the laundry. They take care of the children and the old people. All day long, the ground vibrates ceaselessly as women till the soil or pound grains for the day's meal with large mortars and pestles, in the ancient, timeless rhythms of Africa. During the planting season, women work in the fields alongside the men 16 hours a day or more. In Africa, women take seriously their role as guardians of the soil, but it is easier in some parts than in others. In southern Mali, they wait for the rain that, in recent years, has been more reliable for them than for their cousins in the Sahel region, where many factors have combined to produce the scourge of desertification. >> DR. PETER VAN STRAATEN [Associate Professor Land Resource Science, University of Guelph]: The consequences of soil fertility decline, or soil degradation in general, is, of course, immense. We are losing our life-support system, the soil, at a rapid rate, and, with it, we have decreasing food production and, again, this creates a major pressure on the family. >> ANN THOMSON [Executive Director, USC Canada]: People are leaving the land and have been leaving the land for the last 20 years at such a rate that, in the Sahel region, there is talk of an exodus. And it really is an exodus of almost biblical proportions. There are villages you go into where all you see are women with children and there are no men. And the reason for that is, primarily, desertification and the fact that productivity has dropped so low that the farms can no longer support the family.>> VOICEOVER: Even so, occasionally a few, fortunate communities, like this Dogon Village, profiting from their proximity to streams or springs, have managed to cultivate lush, hand-irrigated gardens that provide all of their needs. But in northern Mali, such Edens are very rare. In a curious way, planting trees can play the same role in keeping communities together that the tree roots do in holding the soil in place. Here, in Ibrahim Togola's village of Tabakoro, the villagers maintain strong ties with those who move away. As a result, each year all of their far-flung family and friends make the special journey home for a day of planting trees at the beginning of the rainy season. On this day, they rejoin those who have stayed here to plant more than 1,000 trees for reasons spiritual, cultural, and, ultimately, extremely practical.>> ANN THOMSON: Tree planting is a major activity in reversing the effects of desertification. Reforestation isn't an answer in itself. It's part of the answer, a very important answer, but it isn't the only thing we should be doing.>> VOICEOVER: Although southern Mali is not at immediate risk of desertification, Jock was concerned by one crop he saw been grown quite extensively.>> JOCK BRANDIS: When I came down from Bamako, I saw brand-new, enormous cotton warehouses.>> DR. PETER VAN STRAATEN: Cotton is grown in large parts of West Africa, and basically in the semi-arid tropics all over the world. Cotton is requiring quite substantial amounts of nutrients.>> VOICEOVER: Today, Mali is almost the largest producer of cotton in Africa, second only to Egypt. It's a significant cash crop. >> JOCK BRANDIS: The history in the southern United States is that cotton essentially destroyed agriculture here. Because cotton was grown so extensively and without any knowledge of what damage it would do to the soil, that after, perhaps, a generation of growing cotton, the soil was so badly damaged that you could did nothing to retrieve it. You couldn't even grow a good crop of weeds. And it was only when an African scientist, an African-American scientist named George Washington Carver, discovered that if you introduce peanuts as a fallow crop or as a rotated crop, that the peanuts will undo the damage that the cotton does.>> VOICEOVER: While the cotton depletes the soil, robbing it of vital nitrogen, peanuts replenish the lost nutrients, repairing the health of the precious earth. >> ANN THOMSON: Peanuts are a major source of protein throughout a lot of West Africa.>> JOCK BRANDIS: The problem with peanuts is that they sun-dry them; they don't roast them. And a sun-dried peanut is tough to get out of the shell. The shell is kind of leathery. It's ... the kernel is full inside the shell; it hasn't shrunk as in the roasting process. And the problem is, if you persuade them to roast them in order to shell them, the amount of firewood you'd use for that, the amount of deforestation that you'd create with solving one problem, would create an even bigger one elsewhere. And they eat a lot of peanuts which are sun-dried. The real problem, right off the bat, was how to get all these extra peanuts out of the shell, because they knew that they could make more money selling peanuts. They knew the nutritional benefits of peanuts. They actually had a fair idea of the soil conservation advantages of peanuts>> VOICEOVER: Assuming that growing more peanuts could be the answer, the question was: how could it be done simply, without adding to the women's workday? >> ANN THOMSON: Women will do whatever it is they have to do to earn the money: they will find time to get to a market so that they can sell their produce or sell the crafts that they're producing, and they will mobilize themselves. They work together. That's how they do it. So that each women in a village may be able to find an hour or two in her week for what's important to her. And nothing's more important than her family.>> VOICEOVER: In many villages, the women form cooperatives whose purpose is to save time while providing income for their families through the marketing of produce. Frequently, the extra cash they raise is the only way that they can adequately feed and educate their children.>> JOCK BRANDIS: I made just a very casual promise to the leader of the Women's Association that, between the two of us, more peanuts would be grown in this area. She would persuade them to plant more peanuts. And when I came back in the next year, I would bring with me a mechanized peanut-shelling system so these people, having planted all their extra peanuts, would be able to shell them and get them to market. >> ANN THOMSON: A machine that could increase the amount of peanuts that could be shelled in, say, an hour, would make a phenomenal difference in their lives. It would make the difference between growing peanuts simply as something to sustain yourself and your family as an alternative protein source, and being able to grow and sell sufficient peanuts as a cash crop.>> VOICEOVER: Jock's simple plan was to come home and search the Internet for a basic, inexpensive peanut sheller. Expecting to find any number of different kinds of machine, he would buy one and ship it over. An hour of his time and a call with a credit card -- easy. But, as happens all too often, his plan turned out to be not as simple as he expected.>> JOCK BRANDIS: So I started looking around, and I started asking -- of course, this was going to be sun-dried peanuts, which are much harder to deal with -- and I drew a complete blank. There's absolutely nothing available that wasn't absolutely giant that ran off big diesel engines or huge electric motors or were ... Essentially, I could have bought a peanut-shelling factory, but there was no small machine that would shell a sun-dried peanut. I ended up phoning Jimmy Carter, which is what all good Canadians would do in America if you have a problem with peanuts. Who do you associate with peanuts? It's Jimmy Carter. I spoke with his secretary, and he put me in touch with a man named Tim Williams in the University of Georgia. And Tim Williams is the expert in peanuts in developing countries, peanuts in non-industrial situations. And he basically said to me that I was wasting my time, because a machine like this didn't exist, that people had been trying to figure out different ways to do it, but there were rather inefficient systems in the Philippines that pressed these peanuts through slots. It was a very difficult machine that you could make out of wood, and didn't work very well. In the end, he said that I was going to have to figure out some way to explain to these people in the village that I couldn't deliver.>> VOICEOVER: With the unhappy news that there was no machine for him to buy, Jock felt the pressure of knowing that many villagers in Mali were depending on his promises. >> JOCK BRANDIS: I knew at that point people were planting peanuts in vast numbers in anticipation of this machine. So, I was stuck with that idea. When he phoned me back a few days later, saying that he had heard a rumor that somewhere in Bulgaria there was a machine which was kind of a tapered, sort of funnel thing, and you could put peanuts into it and turn the handle, and it would sort of roll the peanuts at sort of a high-speed, and they would kind of get shelled. And he sent me a really, kind of rough drawing of how he imagined this machine to be. And for me that was the breakthrough, because I had never thought of rolling a peanut at a high speed to shell it. And I went over to a friend, a fellow named Wes Parry, and I -- because he has a machine shop -- and explained to him what I wanted to do. And he said, don't make this out of steel. He said, make it out of concrete. He says, you can get concrete everywhere in the world. That way, you can make some molds, and you can take the molds over there, they'll be very light, and you can pour the concrete, and you can make the machine there. I'm a metal worker, I hate messing with concrete. I just automatically assumed that my idea, obviously, was a much better idea than his because it was mine. And, having ridiculed him, and got in my pickup truck, and I drove in the road, and I was about a block and a half away when it dawned on me that he was a genius and I was an idiot.>> VOICEOVER: With no option now but to design and build his own machine, Jock got down to work.>> JOCK BRANDIS: I work in the movie business, and we're used to making stuff up as we go along, so I looked around the house for stuff -- and I was mixing plaster in the sink, and epoxy in the bathtub, and grinding concrete on the front porch. And it's a good thing that I live alone because, otherwise, by the time I got the molds finished, I would have been divorced. And I fortunately have a wonderful friend in Wilmington, Pete Klingenberger, who makes boats, and he makes boats out of fiberglass. So he has all the technology to make these fiberglass molds. And he has infinite patience because I've had a dozen really bad ideas that he's helped me work through in the past. And I came in with idea 13, and he was as patient as he always was. And he made me these fiberglass molds. So this is ...>> PETE KLINGENBERGER: This is the master. >> JOCK BRANDIS: If I leave this with you ... >> PETE KLINGENBERGER: Yes, we can make more of these. >> JOCK BRANDIS: You can just make as many of these as you want. Wow, cool. That first prototype machine, the one that's behind me, works wonderfully well if you drop one peanut in at a time. And I was watching the peanuts go through, you turn the handle and the peanut would go down and down, and it would, it would shell perfectly, and it would come out the bottom. But the problem is, you can't shell one peanut at a time, it doesn't make sense. So, if you started to feed peanuts into this at any speed at all, they would jam up at the bottom. And I was looking down the side of this machine, as the peanuts went through, and I realized that I was looking at cars going down a highway. That's basically what it was. The analogy was cars going down a highway. And I had created a situation of three lanes of traffic merging into two. Because the peanuts entered fast at the top and, because it tapered down, they left slowly at the bottom.>> VOICEOVER: In an attempt to solve the problem by reversing the geometry of the machine, Jock literally turned the mold for the first prototype upside down.>> JOCK BRANDIS: So that's why I had to have the narrower taper at the top and the wider taper at the bottom. So, as the peanuts got into the system, they moved faster and faster, and the space between them got bigger and bigger. And the result was a machine which was virtually impossible to jam up. And that was, really, the only breakthrough that I did. Everything else was someone else's idea. That was prototype number two, and the real problem with it was that it weighed as much as a Volkswagen, because I was not very efficient with concrete.>> VOICEOVER: Emailing back and forth with Ibrahim in Mali, Jock learned that the next goal was to reduce the volume of concrete so that two machines could be made from one 40-kilo bag of cement. He also needed to create a simple rotating bearing that could last 30 years. Once built, these machines would be left behind without any maintenance. He also made the gauge adjustable without tools, for different sizes of peanuts. >> JOCK BRANDIS: So those were the three changes I made. And that's, essentially, the system that went to Africa.>> VOICEOVER: When they got off the plane in Bamako, disaster struck: one shipping case had disappeared. The equipment had been packed so that losing any but one of the cases would only mean that he would make fewer peanut shellers. As luck would have it, the one box that disappeared was the only vital one: the case with the molds in it. Unable to proceed until the case was found, Jock went to visit Ibrahim in his home village of Tabakoro. The villagers paid to build this two-room schoolhouse, and Ibrahim's Folkecenter installed solar lighting adequate to power two light bulbs per classroom. This allows for the possibility of educating women after their long day's work is completed. Clearly, if Jock's machine can save the woman some time too, it will make that possibility even more achievable. This is in keeping with the Malian belief that, if you educate a woman, you educate her entire family. Educated women are better able to understand their agreements with the seed suppliers and verify their loan statements.>> ANN THOMSON: We know that if we provide credit to women, it will benefit the whole family and you will see a return much larger than you would if you provided credit to small businesses or, dare I say it, to men alone.>> VOICEOVER: Educated women are also better able to understand their families' medical prescriptions. This new health center is being equipped with solar power that will allow them to run refrigerators to store medicines and vaccines, and provide a birthing room with lighting. Too many mothers and infants have died in childbirth over the years, in unlit and unhygienic conditions. Ibrahim's plans include solar-powered pumps and a 20-cubic-meter tower to distribute this pure, deep-well water throughout the village, in order to reduce the incidence of typhoid, cholera, and other waterborne diseases. Ibrahim dreams of a future in which all of these children will grow up healthy and strong. Finally, after five agonizing days, came the news that the errant case had been found, sitting in a corner of Bamako airport. To Jock's enormous relief, the project was back on again, and he and his Malian driver prepared to head south to Sikasso to rejoin his traveling companions.>> JOCK BRANDIS: We met Ousmane and he was a real gem. Ousmane was our driver, and he became rapidly our friend. And he's from Timbuktu, originally, from up in the north, and he has that classic, wonderful North African face about him. And he became our translator. He's the guy who, when we wanted to buy chickens to give to the dougoutigi, he took us into the market and made sure that we got a good price on the chickens. And he's a marvelous guy. Ousmane, if you play your cards right, I'll get you a Teamster card, and you'll be working all the big pictures in Hollywood, how's that?>> JOCK BRANDIS: I remember noticing how Ousmane could read my mind. If I couldn't quite explain what I wanted, and where to drive, and what to do, and so forth, he just somehow automatically knew what it was I wanted. The Bambara, you know, can read people's minds, as every white man has discovered.>> VOICEOVER: The journey from Bamako to Sikasso is most of a day's drive. This is the main trade road that connects Mali to its southern neighbor, Côte d'Ivoire, with its ocean ports for all the traffic that cannot go by air or along the mighty Niger River. Among Jock's traveling companions on this trip was Kate, a former Peace Corps worker, who knew the area and had been helping him learn the Bambara language. Seriously behind schedule because of the five days lost waiting for the molds, Jock could not relax for the night until he had a head start on making the first machine.>> JOCK BRANDIS: There they are. Success!>> VOICEOVER: Despite his tiredness from the long day of travel, he and Kate worked late into the evening, as gathering clouds threatened to bring the long-overdue first rains of the season. The first stop before Jock's planned return to Woroni was an hour's drive south from Sikasso. Here in Katele lived a Peace Corps worker named Summer, who told Jock the people would be delighted to have him come and build a machine. The dusty, parched earth confirmed that the village was still awaiting the first rains.>> JOCK BRANDIS: We went into this village and were welcomed with open arms. It really was a fabulous welcome for a bunch of complete strangers. And the dougoutigi seemed to like us, which is very important, and that's where we built our first peanut sheller in Africa.>> VOICEOVER: Small Malian villages have a traditional system of government, which consists of a council of elders, men who make decisions about land use, roads, bridges, and other maintenance issues. Their ceremonial head is the dougoutigi. He's generally a bit of a character, and a bit wealthier than anyone else, simply because any visitor to the village is expected to bring him the traditional gift of kola nuts. In exchange for that, if you are a stranger, he will give you a name. Part of the Malian greeting involves giving them your name, and if you don't have an African name, they don't know who or what you are. There are 28 clans in Mali, and the dougoutigi will give you one of those names. They are shown where chickens are traditionally sacrificed to try and speed up the arrival of the first real rains of the year. >> KATE: So, if they kill chickens here, they think that the rain's gonna come.>> JOCK BRANDIS: We can make a machine for this. C'est possible, c'est possible. I can't keep a smile on my face. This is the worst tasting stuff I've ever put in my mouth.>> VOICEOVER: Katele village life was typical of the region. As the dougoutigi showed Jock, Kate, and Ouseman around, he introduced them to all of the villagers; they tried the food, wandered through people's homes, and spent time chatting with the tailor and with the other people in there.>> JOCK BRANDIS: I love the ceiling, but if we made this in a movie, I'm sure the director would say it looks way too Hollywood.>> VOICEOVER: There was no doubt after a couple of hours that this was an ideal village to introduce the first peanut shelling machine, and the villagers were clearly delighted with their visitors. Later on, they also met that most important of villagers, the blacksmith, or noumou.>> JOCK BRANDIS: The blacksmith in the village is an interesting guy. He has a year-round job. Most of what he does deals with the farm implements, but he's also the local magician, and he is the guy who practices black magic. He's the guy who's probably more in tune with the spirits of the village and that whole kind of dark side of the occult than anyone else. It's amazing how they can do that with hardly any charcoal at all. Stories of groups of blacksmiths getting together for their annual conventions and literally killing each other with their thoughts are quite legendary. The blacksmith -- or the noumou as he's called there -- is not a gentleman whose company you take lightly, or someone who you would casually insult. Besides the usual things that you'd imagine a blacksmith would do, he does the circumcision of the young boys around age 12 or 13, and ... which is, of course, very ceremonial, and is part of the area, I think, of his power and his black magic, because this is the first time that every man in Africa meets face-to-face with the blacksmith and a rather odd relationship.>> VOICEOVER: They watched as the noumou finished making a shovel, a hoe, and a digging ax: a complete new set of farming tools for Djakalaya, the deputy head of the village. Djakalaya then took them off to where his children were working in the dusty cotton fields, breaking up the hard, baked soil. Djakalaya explained that their only use for cotton is as a cash crop. They have no domestic use for their product. Further from the road, alongside the cotton, are fields full of peanuts, a significant food and cash crop. But by now, anticipating that the concrete from last night should be dry, they headed off to the village square to start assembling the first peanut sheller. >> VOICEOVER: The first machine drew a crowd. Before long, it seemed that most of the villagers were there, either watching or helping the assembly process. In true Malian style, the helpers seemed to know ahead of time pretty much what Jock was going to need. Under the scrutiny of the growing crowd, Jock ran a few peanuts through the machine. This revealed uneven processing, indicating the need for a small adjustment of the machine's gauge. Some of the nuts were broken, some are perfect, and some are still intact in their shells. Normally, this adjustment would be easily achieved with the use of a rock, a piece of wood, or anything heavy serving as a hammer. >> JOCK BRANDIS: So, I find myself now in Africa with an imperfect system of making these machines, and the only way I could try and make this work at all was to assemble the machine while the concrete was still a little bit soft and try and make the rotor round by turning the handle rather violently and lying underneath, trying to file off the high spot of the off-round rotor, which I think is kind of amusing to the locals, but they just assumed, I guess, that this is the way that these machines were made.>> VOICEOVER: After a final check to see whether a shelled peanut would fall through, it seemed that the machine was ready for another test. Examining and tasting the shelled nuts, the peanut pundits rendered their judgment: it's close, but not perfect. The machine was not working properly. Jock realized that if he wanted the villagers to accept it and embrace it into their day-to-day culture, he would have to build a new one with the active involvement of the people of Katele from the very beginning.>> JOCK BRANDIS: Could you explain to the chief that we made this machine, basically, in America and that we've demonstrated it to him, and now I'd really like to make one right here in the village for his people, and maybe I can make it a little better just for his kind of peanuts, and we'd like to leave it for him when we go. >> KATE: Sure. Dougoutigi ...>> VOICEOVER: If he makes the next machine with the villagers' assistance throughout, then the chances are greatly improved that they will take some pride of ownership in it and find ways to incorporate it into their daily lives. Appropriate technology is based upon the requirements that the item must be affordable and must fit into the culture of the community. Looking for a little help with some of the finer points of appropriate technology, Jock headed off to meet again with Ibrahim, Mali's leading exponent. His aspirations for the future envisioned Mali leading the world in developing new and sustainable energy sources. >> IBRAHIM TOGOLA: Appropriate technology is technology that fits into a society socio-culturally, socio-professionally, and socio-economically. This means it must fit into the cultural ways of society, and also people must be able to afford it and to repair it. Therefore, I think all this small agricultural processing things work very well, and this peanut machine fits here, and we will be able to disseminate it through blacksmiths throughout the villages. Because they can make a living from it and own something from it.>> VOICEOVER: Ibrahim took Jock to the community of N'Tjila, one of the 23 villages where the Folkecenter has pilot projects running. The single-cylinder diesel engine, operated by the women's co-operative, provides power for grinding and crushing and for charging batteries. But diesel fuel is not readily available in little villages so far from the highway. Ibrahim hit upon the idea of grinding the inedible jathropha nut to provide alternative fuel for the diesel motor. The byproduct of the process is the fiber of the nuts, which is used as a fertilizer. He has also just successfully converted the Mali-Folkecenter truck to run on this same fuel -- another perfect example of appropriate technology at work. >> JOCK BRANDIS: Appropriate technology is something that the local people can learn to do very easily, that doesn't impact their community in some other way by creating deforestation or pollution or community disorientation or some sort of artificial class structure by making some people rich or poor. And if you can do that, then the technology will support itself, then people keep it and maintain it and copy it and spread it, instead of these technologies that are so artificial, which would work perfectly in St Louis, Missouri, but simply will not work in a small village in southern Africa.>> VOICEOVER: The other machine powered by the same diesel motor is used to grind dried shea nuts to produce a paste. The product is processed into butter, and used as a skin cream and medicine. >> IBRAHIM: They're using it for cosmetic, for body.>> VOICEOVER: The next day, back in Katele, it's time to make the new machine. Out of the blue, the noumou appears to help. Gradually, a small crowd gathers. Everybody seems to want to help and, once again, they all seem to already understand what's needed. As the noumou does more and more of the assembly, it appears the villagers are starting to take ownership of this machine, and Jock's hopes for its acceptance and success are raised.>> JOCK BRANDIS: When the noumou started to help us, he sort of emerged from the crowd. He was a very different looking man. He has a very interesting kind of puckish figure and face about him. He has a very kind of high energy and mischievous look, which made him quite different from all the people in the village, and he immediately understood exactly what I was trying to do and how it was about to be. The noumou knew what I was doing and how I wanted to do it and how it should go together and how it should adjust. And he just kind of came in there and became my instant telepathy motivated assistant. >> VOICEOVER: While once again waiting for concrete to dry, and wanting to make a goodwill gesture, Jock and Kate took a trip to the market with Ouseman to buy a more substantial gift for the dougoutigi.>> JOCK BRANDIS: Are these good chickens?>> VOICEOVER: The next day, waiting for the machine components in the molds to finish curing, there was time for a typical Malian roadside lunch: tiga diga na, plain boiled rice with a spicy peanut sauce. Curiously, their locally produced rice, grown by the rivers, is exported as a cash crop. The rice they eat is imported from the Philippines. With the help of the noumou and a couple of other villagers, the machine is popped out of the molds. Jock is anxious, hoping that this time he measured correctly and that the two main parts will be perfectly concentric.>> JOCK BRANDIS: When I did the design on this sheller, I actually came up at one point with some more complicated ideas. I had a design that would automatically sort out the shells and the peanuts and various things which were all pretty complex, and then I stopped dead in my tracks and said, no, this is ... the only reason this will survive is that it can be so simple that nothing can really go wrong with it.>> VOICEOVER: Under the watchful gaze of a group of children, Jock measures very carefully, while the enigmatic and ever-surprising Ouseman observes and then explains to the onlookers exactly what's going on and why. >> JOCK BRANDIS: He's figured out, by watching us yesterday, that it's very critical that the rotor gets to be in the exact center of this machine, because, otherwise, some of the peanuts come through unshelled, some of them come through perfect, and some of them come through broken up. And the better the center we have on that shaft, the better the quality of the peanuts. So, he's got my game figured out here. Professionnel, oui. Ingenu.>> VOICEOVER: Disappointingly, after all the care, even this new machine needed some filing and then some adjustment. But, eventually, it was ready for a proper trial. As always, everything and everybody that are needed seemed to appear, without anyone having to ask. The noumou watched as Jock made a fine adjustment to the gauge, using a wrench is a hammer. Rapidly, the villagers seem to be adopting this new technology, even though they did not yet know what it can do for them.>> JOCK BRANDIS: One of these machines can shell about 40 kilos or 100 pounds of peanuts an hour. If you look at an average Malian village, that means that one machine will support about a village of 2,000 people. And so, if you look at southern Mali where peanuts are grown, we need 500 or 600 peanut shelling machines for the entire country of Mali to provide for all those people.>> VOICEOVER: But first, Jock still has to prove to himself and to these villagers that the machine works properly in the field.>> JOCK BRANDIS: In the film business we're used to jumping out of the airplane and inventing the parachute on the way down, and I think years in the film business served me well, because that's exactly what we had to do. And it kind of worked. Just had to take a chance and hope somehow that this guardian angel that's been riding around on my shoulder on this whole project was going to make it happen. So, we threw the peanuts in there and cranked the handle and cranked and cranked and we got this big basket of shells and peanuts and everything out of the bottom of the machine.>> VOICEOVER: Without a word, the crowd of men parts to allow an expert to come through to do the winnowing.>> JOCK BRANDIS: And then this woman, this African woman, came out of the crowd, and she grabbed the basket from me, and did that kind of shaking and spinning and kind of looked around and give us the sort of dirty look, like, you know, these guys, they've been watching us do this for 5,000 years and they never even noticed how it is that we separate peanuts from the shells. And that kind of perfect sort of layer of clean peanuts emerged from behind the shells. I think, for me, that's the moment that made it all worthwhile. I mean, I would have done it a 10 times longer route than that just to end up at that spot, because that was, that was it, that was the moment.>> VOICEOVER: That sweet moment -- the successful operation of the first peanut shelling machine in an African village -- was the culmination of many months of work. It was also the beginning of a whole new adventure. >> TITLE: Distribution of the Peanut Machine is now underway in Mali and other African countries, as well as India, Pakistan, and Guyana. >> JOCK BRANDIS: It was Ibrahim, who knows more about this than I do, who persuaded me to give up my more socialistic leanings and say that it's free enterprise. It's the ability of someone in a local situation to make a fair profit by distributing this that will get this technology spread around absolutely as fast as possible.>> VOICEOVER: While Ibrahim has convinced him that others should make some money from his peanut sheller to promote its distribution, Jock has invested his own considerable resources to bring it to those who need it. This is his gift to those whose lives it can help, to those for whom an extra hour in their day means a better tomorrow for them and their families; proof that, even today, one person with a heart big enough can still change the world. >> JOCK BRANDIS: But the most important thing I can do for Ibrahim is to sit down and put on my best suit and tie, and figure out some way to get him some money, because the magic that he does with the little bit of money he has is breathtaking.>> TITLE: For more information, contact www.peanutsheller.org>> TITLE: [end credits] http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ted-william-kamkwamba-how-i-harnessed-the-wind <p>At age 14, in poverty and famine, a Malawian boy built a windmill to power his family's home. At age 22, William Kamkwamba spoke at TED for the second time, sharing in his own words the moving tale of invention that changed his life.</p> Thu, 05 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ted-william-kamkwamba-how-i-harnessed-the-wind Energy poverty, Malawi, Africa, William Kamkwamba, Wind power, TED, Electrical generator, Empowerment, Tanzania, Arusha >> TITLE: Remarkable people ... unmissable talks ... now free to the world. TED: Ideas worth spreading.>> TITLE: William Kamkwamba>> WILLIAM KAMKWAMBA: Thank you. Two years ago I stood on the TED stage in Arusha, Tanzania. I spoke very briefly about one of my proudest creations. It was a simple machine that changed my life.>> TITLE: July 2009, Oxford, England>> WILLIAM KAMKWAMBA: Before that time I had never been away from my home in Malawi. I had never used a computer. I had never seen an Internet. On the stage that day, I was so nervous: my English lost, I wanted to vomit.>> TITLE: Recorded at TED Global 2009>> WILLIAM KAMKWAMBA: I had never been surrounded by so many "azungu," white people. There was a story I wouldn't tell you then. But, well, I'm feeling good right now. I would like to share that story today. We have seven children in my family. All sisters, excepting me. This is me with my dad when I was a little boy. Before I discovered the wonders of science, I was just a simple farmer in a country of poor farmers. Like everyone else, we grew maize. One year our fortune turned very bad. In 2001, we experienced an awful famine. Within five months all Malawians began to starve to death. My family ate one meal per day, at night. Only three swallows of nsima [cornmeal] for each one of us. The food passes through our bodies. We drop down to nothing.>> WILLIAM KAMKWAMBA: In Malawi secondary school, you have to pay school fees. Because of the hunger, I was forced to drop out of school. I looked at my father, and looked at those dry fields. It was the future I couldn't accept. I felt very happy to be at the secondary school. So I was determined to do anything possible to receive education. So I went to a library. I read books, science books, especially physics. I couldn't read English that well. I used diagrams and pictures to learn the words around them. Another book put that knowledge in my hands. It said windmills could pump water and generate electricity. Pump water meant irrigation: a defense against hunger, which we were experiencing by that time. So I decided I would build one windmill for myself. But I didn't have materials to use. So I went to a scrap yard where I found my materials. Many people, including my mother, said I was crazy. >> WILLIAM KAMKWAMBA: I found a tractor fan, shock absorber, PVC pipes. Using a bicycle frame and an old bicycle dynamo, I built my machine. It was one light at first. And then four lights, with switches, and even a circuit breaker, modeled after an electric bell. Another machine pumps water for irrigation. Queues of people start lining up at my house to charge their mobile phone. I could not get rid of them. And the reporters came too, which lead to bloggers and which lead to a call from something called TED. I had never seen an airplane before. I had never slept in a hotel. So, on stage that day in Arusha, my English lost, I said something like, "I tried. And I made it.">> WILLIAM KAMKWAMBA: So I would like to say something to all the people out there, like me, to the Africans, and the poor who are struggling with your dreams, God bless. Maybe one day you will watch this on the Internet. I say to you, trust yourself and believe. Whatever happens, don't give it up. Thank you.>> TITLE: TED: New TED Talks each week at www.TED.com http://www.viewchange.org/videos/the-mozambique-poo-tour Water and sanitation are some of the biggest challenges facing the developing world. Yet they continue to be low on the political agenda. In a bid to raise the profile of this human crisis, Australian soap star turned comedian Mark Little and a group of musicians set off to Mozambique to discover how communities are tackling the issues of human waste. Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:48:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/the-mozambique-poo-tour Mozambique, Drinking water, WaterAid, Niassa Province, Estamos, Sanitation, Mark Little, Massukos, Non-governmental organization, Maputo >> MARK LITTLE [actor and comedian]: This is a poo story. It begins in the UK, where we take sanitation and clean water for granted. Yet, just over 100 years ago, diseases such as diarrhea and cholera regularly caused sickness and death across Britain. Yet these same diseases are killing millions of children across the developing world today.>> TITLE: Poo Productions in association with Phil Turner Productions present>> TITLE: Mark Little>> TITLE: The Mozambique Poo Tour>> MARK LITTLE: So, inspired by the shocking [Tearfund and WaterAid] Human Waste report, a mob of us got together -- no not plumbers, not sanitation engineers, but musicians and filmmakers -- to attempt to raise awareness of sanitation issues in the developing world. Yes, it was the humble toilet that was to lead the band Empty Boat and myself, Mark Little, on an extraordinary journey of music, discovery, friendship, dust, videotape, and poo in the wonderful country of Mozambique.>> TITLE: Niassa Province, Mozambique>> MARK LITTLE: Chapter one of our poo saga and there's a mountain of band gear to load up. Luckily I'm travelling light so I'm going walkabout. We are in Lichinga, in the Niassa Province in the very north of Mozambique. We're here to hook up with the legendary local band Massukos, who have very close links with Estamos, a local NGO strongly dedicated to all community needs, especially sanitation and HIV. We have two weeks in Mozambique with 3,000 miles to travel on a tight schedule. This is rock'n'roll, but not as we know it. I think we're in the right place. Found myself a bit of shade. I'm glad I'm here in the winter; apparently it's very, very hot. They are walking around with fleeces on. They actually reckon this is a bit nippy. The temperature has dropped to about 23 [Celsius]. >> MARK LITTLE: Mozambique is one of poorest countries on the planet and is recovering from 17 years of brutal civil war, which ended in 1992. Life expectancy is low, with only one out of five of the rural population having access to sanitation: a toilet, basically. Poo is no joke. Feces is a germ-ridden killer in anyone's language. One of the main problems with the subject of sanitation and hygiene worldwide is it's still quite a taboo subject. No one really likes talking about the poo -- at length, anyway. On this trip, I will have to broach the subject of poo often. It is an issue. It's only day two and there is still a lot of poo to talk. Am I up to it?>> MARK LITTLE: What a trip: 156 kilometers in the back of a ute in the African bush. Dust, villages, happy smiling people. We are definitely on the road, and that's one of the most extraordinary things I've done in my life and I'm glad I'm here. What seems like endless miles of travel has ended. We've arrived. Muita, Niassa Province, Mozambique. A major priority in the rebuilding of Mozambique is a healthy population. Toilets, clean water points, and simple hygiene practice are essential. Women, who have no access to a latrine, must wait until it is dark to go to the toilet. Or they have to walk long distances to find an isolated spot. This exposes them to the danger of sexual harassment, assault, and animal attacks, never mind discomfort and sometimes illness. These problems can all be prevented by having a safe, clean toilet close to home. Enabling women's voices and problems to be heard in the decision-making process is not easy, but a crucial part of the solution.>> MARK LITTLE: Enter Massukos, with a truckload of equipment, a generator, and a message. And straight away it's all in for an impromptu jump up. Massukos formed a decade ago, releasing their first album "Kuimba kwa Massuko" in 2001, winning the media award for best Mozambican group. This very album, which has sold more than 80,000 copies in a nation where life's basic necessities are scarce, won Massukos the International prize for Water, Creation, and Arts at the Cannes Water Symposium in 2003. Being one of Mozambique's most popular groups, Massukos use their profile to raise awareness nationally about the importance of hygiene and sanitation in creating a stronger, healthier community, while instilling a sense of pride in the people of the remote Niassa province: local lads making good.>> MARK LITTLE: Today we meet Estamos, Massukos, and the locals of Muita. It's our first gig. Massukos are here at the invitation of the traditional leader of Muita, Manuel Aragi, because he knows that an event like Massukos playing on the back of a truck will get a crowd. And it did. And while Massukos are spreading the word of peace, love, and clean hands, they also represent Estamos. Not only will Massukos play a few tunes, they will also talk to the traditional leader about practical improvements to the way of life here -- like toilets, which is lucky cos this bloke is a bit of an expert. We are now here in Muita proper, in a pwaro and a guest here of Senior Regulo. Senior Regulo thanks very much for having us here today. Thank you. And, oh ... aw, look out. Well there we are, I've just had a traditional handshake. I don't mean to sound disrespectful, but you seem like a young leader.>> SENIOR REGULO [via translator]: He's the youngest, he's the youngest regulo.>> MARK LITTLE: Really?>> TRANSLATOR: In the district of Mandimba, which is a district in Niassa, he's the youngest regulo here.>> MARK LITTLE: Okay, so what is your function as leader then of Muita?>> SENIOR REGULO [via translator]: The first function of a regulo is to act as a leader for the community. Is to educate the community, to exchange information, and the regulo also serves a function as an intermediary between the community and the government.>> MARK LITTLE: Okay, because I also heard today that he's becoming quite famous for his use of the compost toilet, the ecosan toilet and that Muita is possibly leading the way in the world with this technology. Would that be right?>> MARK LITTLE: Manuel was a most inspiring young leader, and my flattery was getting me nowhere. Enough of the yak, he wanted to show me the proof of the pudding. So, he took me to the toilet. Knock knock! Oh, here we go. How long does it take to turn in to compost?>> SENIOR REGULO: Eight months.>> MARK LITTLE: Eight months?>> SENIOR REGULO: Eight months.>> MARK LITTLE: That's not long is it? That's not a bad turnover. It has to be ... so how deep is the pit?>> SENIOR REGULO: One meter and 20 centimeters.>> MARK LITTLE: One meter, 20 centimeters. This is waiting to be dug up as compost?>> MAN: Yeah, yeah.>> MARK LITTLE: Can we lift the lid, to see ... here. Simple. One meter, 20 centimeters. Human waste compost. I'm having real trouble getting my head around this. Considering how many nasties there are in feces, how is it possible to break this down to a germ-free manageable commodity? Chemistry, it seems. The correct depth pit, human waste, and the magic ingredient: ash. Eight months later, compost. Well, I'll believe it when I see some bloke stick his hand in it. Human waste, ash, and that bloke stuck his hand in it. Eight months in a scientifically correct-depth pit, and you've got stuff that makes your pineapples plump. Not so much a baptism of fire as a baptism of poo.>> MARK LITTLE: Well, what a privilege for us. On the other hand, the Senior Regulo, the traditional leader of Muita, was also more than happy to show off his modern sanitation techniques, and to give us a tour of his village. He was also most emphatic that for his vision of a latrine in every household, a healthy village to work, community organizations such as Estamos, WaterAid, Metamengue are vital.Therefore, our connection, our fortunate connection with Massukos is proving most enlightening. Today we head off for Mandimba to see human waste compost put to its use. >> MARK LITTLE: From Muita to Mandimba, a diversion. The bloke who first stuck his hand in the human waste compost was Camilo. He helps Massukos set up remote gigs all over the Mozambique bush. He also works for Estamos. He lives in Mandimba, but in his local village 20 miles out he's conducting an experiment. In his fruit orchard of apple and Massukos trees, he's showing local farmers the proof of the effectiveness of human waste compost on his crops.>> MARK LITTLE: Is this an Estamos initiative? Is this your idea?>> CAMILO: Yes, okay. The idea was together, we was thinking together with WaterAid and Estamos. WaterAid help us to do everything.>> MARK LITTLE: Do you just go into the community or do you need to be asked in to the community? How does Estamos ...>> CAMILO: Yeah, what we are doing is ... you know the first thing what we are doing is to enter in the community. We must talk with the traditional leaders. We must talk with the influential people, you know. And then after that we explain what we need to do or how we can do together, because this job is not only for Estamos, it not only belong to Estamos or for WaterAid but it belong to the community. The other problem I think is it's very difficult to talk about latrines, you know, when you talk about feces, it's very difficult.>> MARK LITTLE: Indeed. Well, it's across the board, the whole world. I mean, humanity has trouble talking about poo.>> CAMILO: Yes, that's true>> MARK LITTLE: And that's what this documentary is about.>> CAMILO: Even myself.>> MARK LITTLE: Me man, I don't like talking about poo too much. But there are times you just have to and this is the time, because you know this is compost, it was poo once. It's poo, I'll say it again. But not any more. It's a valuable asset to a rural community. Let's go and have a walk and have a look. I want to learn more.>> CAMILO: Yes, I can show you more. Sometimes we take the community to show how they can use the compost.>> MARK LITTLE: So there's compost on all this.>> CAMILO: Yes, all these plants, but you are going to find now a different thing.>> MARK LITTLE: Between this side which is compost.>> CAMILO: Yes, and this side, we don't have compost, we are not putting compost.>> MARK LITTLE: Well I can see the difference already. Right and that makes sense anywhere, that people, if they can see the difference, you know,>> CAMILO: Yes, and because to start to show somebody: they can come here, they can see, they can believe, that's very important. Believe. To believe. Believe and trust.>> MARK LITTLE: I think this is important for the whole world, because I believe that what's happening here in Niassa is not only important to the local people, but I think it's a very modern concept for the whole planet. You know, composting our own waste. You know, we're in a bad way, I think, I would say personally we're in a bad way, the planet. And what's happening here is quite innovative and radical and can assist the whole world.>> CAMILO: And what we need to introduce now with soul, you know.>> MARK LITTLE: Rigor?>> CAMILO: Powers, yes. What we were thinking now is to improve the community agriculture people to use compost to produce tobacco. Because they are losing a lot of money to buy seeds. You can use the money for buy other things. Or for live. But you have compost, that is really important.>> MARK LITTLE: The ecosans are really important. Not only are you providing health for the village and a sanitized area to go and do what must be done but then you can use a product. Oh man.>> CAMILO: That's good. [inaudible]>> MARK LITTLE: Yeah, more power to this. Crikey, we talked serious poo for an hour. Mozambique is being rebuilt and many conversations I've had with Mozambicans are filled with clever thinking and optimism at this prospect. I'm not even here half a week and already my mind has been opened to new ideas of innovation and sustainability, and to a whole new country: Mozambique. I was fast realizing how little I really knew about Africa. And while I was talking poo, Empty Boat had found an audience. And they'd struck up a concert on the side of the road.>> MARK LITTLE: Adios amigos. Adios. Off we go again. Four days, no sleep and feeling no pain. Three hours we've been in the back of this ute. Me bum's a bit sore, but me arm's sorer from waving. It's the friendliest place on Earth, and I mean that. It's a wave fest! It really does fill your heart with joy. Beautiful day, but I tell you what, I wouldn't like being here in the heat. That's the thing about Mozambique: six months of the year it's mud, everything's wet. And the other six months, everything's dust. It's hard work, Mozambique. Beautiful but hard work. That's the band. The band are in the back. And that's Gideon, he plays the tuba. He's waving in a white shirt, he's wearing a tie. It's his birthday today. He's 30. We're going to have a party in Lichinga.>> GIDEON JUCKES: Well we was talking about this actually, that the average life expectancy in Mozambique is 45 for men, so you know that sort of makes me freaking out about reaching 30 really insignificant, innit? On that note ...>> MARK LITTLE: Okay, my chat with Camilo from Estamos is making everything clearer. WaterAid works in partnership with community organizations such as Estamos who in turn work closely with the community. Now if anyone says this is not working, I say, get on your bike. I'm on me bike, I'm mobile, and I'm heading to the market. Rosaria from WaterAid and our guide for this tour said she's going to show me around cos I'm hunting something down. One of my sporting heroes is Maria Mutola or Maria Lurdes Mutola as she's known in Mozambique, the great 800-meter runner. And the women wear these dresses called kapalanas and they're all adorned with the picture of Lourdes Mutola, and I'm going to get one. Off to Rosaria. >> MARK LITTLE: This morning, Rosaria is taking me to the theater, darling. The Olongo dance theater in the local market. But, before that, a spot of shopping. But she would have to pick the busiest day of the week. Where is she, she said she'd be wearing a black cardigan and a microphone. Ah, Rosaria. Lichinga Market. Which way first? I want -- and this is really honest, I'm not just making this up because I'm in Mozambique -- a Lourdes Matola kapalana.>> ROSARIA MABICA: Let's go and see if we can have it.>> MARK LITTLE: Yeah. Cool. And I also need a transistor radio. Oh, Australia, Sydney 2000. Oh yes, champione! I think I'm buying this for the missus.>> ROSARIA MABICA: Fifty.>> MARK LITTLE: Fifty?>> ROSARIA MABICA: Yeah.>> MARK LITTLE: Oh, that is a bargain! That is ... I would like two.>> ROSARIA MABICA: The two.>> MARK LITTLE: Discreetly whack out ...>> ROSARIA MABICA: You happy now?>> MARK LITTLE: ... one hundred thousand of the ... mi-tick-yas.>> ROSARIA MABICA: Meticais. Meticais.>> MARK LITTLE: Meticais. Oh, I could go mad. Who's that. Is that Michael Owen? No it's Ronaldo. Is that Ronaldo? I don't think so. Anyway. Ah, here we go.>> ROSARIA MABICA: You just want to have a bike and a transistor.>> MARK LITTLE: Well, I've got me bike but I feel a bit naked without a radio>> ROSARIA MABICA: So, okay, let's go. >> MARK LITTLE: I want to listen to RFM. Is that RM? Oh, we can listen to China. Oh, brilliant. I've never bought so much in a market. This, this is a really great market. You could let me loose in here. What, what is this stuff?>> ROSARIA MABICA: It's soap.>> MARK LITTLE: Ah, soap.>> ROSARIA MABICA: Wash your hands and be healthy, so ...>> MARK LITTLE: Exactly. Because I've seen a lot of soap, so the message is getting across.>> ROSARIA MABICA: Wash your hands, be healthy. That's the message.>> MARK LITTLE: That's the message. Rosaria, what's becoming really clear is that WaterAid's not like an overlord. It's a partnership with the community.>> ROSARIA MABICA: Oh yeah.>> MARK LITTLE: Oh you're about to ... We've set something up in the market we're going to see.>> ROSARIA MABICA: Yep, you're going to see Ulongo. Ulongo is our partner and is a drummer group, so they are going to perform certain issues that we have here in Mozambique like HIV, sanitation, hygiene to make people aware of this kind of problems.>> MARK LITTLE: Fantastic.>> ROSARIA MABICA: Just follow me.>> MARK LITTLE: Let's go. I can hear it in the distance. Ulongo, a theatre group set up specifically to entertain and educate the peoples of remote Niassa Province. Based on Augusto Boal's "Theatre of the Oppressed," Ulongo's theatre is raw, didactic, and applicable to specific community issues. This performance was arranged wholly for our filming today, so luckily we didn't have to chase them in to the bush. The dancing gets the crowd in, then the theater begins. Today's show is about the invisible killers -- dysentery, cholera, and HIV -- and how traditional healers can only go so far with their treatment, and that more trust must be placed in the doctor in the white coat, even if his practices do seem a bit weird. Oh, keep an eye out for the toilet dance at the end. Here comes Doctor Poo with a dunny [toilet]. Job's a good un. Thank you doctor, now let the toilet dancing begin.>> MARK LITTLE: Improved hygiene behavior and sanitation lead to better health, which enables the poor to work and earn more to support their families. It's as simple as that. Empty Boat are preparing for a gig at Metamengue tomorrow -- alone. Massukos can't make it. So, Empty Boat have been invited to play instead. They've been asked to carry the torch for Estamos and provide the community concert and forum for the hygiene message. The Poo Tour shifts into another gear. There's something very weird about those zebras. Meanwhile, Rosaria and I take a well-earned break.>> MARK LITTLE: Ahhh. Well, here we are Rosaria. We've taken a little moment away from the band just to have a bit of a chat. Because you've actually had the job of our guide on this tour. And I've noticed on this trip the amazing access we're getting to villages, there's a sort of trust. How does WaterAid achieve this?>> ROSARIA MABICA: Well, let me start, just to say that WaterAid is an NGO. We are not working directly with communities. The partners we have, they do directly the job with the communities. And what we want is to get these organizations to be sustainable so that they can continue the work they are doing when we leave.>> MARK LITTLE: We're dealing with some of the poorest people in the world here aren't we?>> ROSARIA MABICA: Yeah, we're dealing with the poorest people in the world and you know we are really trying hard. And when I say "we," I'm saying WaterAid, I'm saying Estamos, and Ulongo -- our partners and those communities.>> MARK LITTLE: Are children dying from bad sanitation?>> ROSARIA MABICA: Yeah.>> MARK LITTLE: Lots?>> ROSARIA MABICA: Yeah, lots. And if you help them to get better sanitation, to get safe water, we can just contribute to upgrade the level of their life>> MARK LITTLE: And it's not an instant fix. This is going to take a long time.>> ROSARIA MABICA: Yes, it's going to take long. But, as I say, we'll get there. For sure we'll get there.>> MARK LITTLE: We'll get there. The farmer's union in Metamengue where we are going, heard about Estamos on the radio. They walked to Lichinga and asked for help. Wells and toilets were installed and now an ongoing relationship has developed whereby they are very interested in the human waste compost for their carrots. You can't keep a good idea down. Oi Oi! Oh look out they're all running. Jeez that would have been a long ride for that bloke. I'm glad we could give him a lift. Here we are, Metamengue. Metamengue! As the utility vans of love entered town, we knew we were making history in this little village today. We guessed that not many London bands had played this gig. And once again, the village erupted into song.>> MARK LITTLE: Unfortunately, I'm going to miss this gig, as the traditional leaders of Metamengue are keen for us to be part in an important meeting with a visiting government official. Rude to say no. Empty Boat had travelled thousands of miles on a poo discovery tour and now their audience awaited. We love you Metamengue.>> MARK LITTLE: Yes, yes, was there a problem here with hygiene? Is there people getting sick, and is that the reason they got ill? The traditional leaders proceeded to fill me in on their history with Estamos. Before 2000, this village was without water. Now they have five wells. Five clean water points within their village. This has already improved dramatically the way of life here. I then asked if they'd heard of the ecosan human waste compost toilets -- and, as a farmers' union, surely this would interest them. "Of course," they said, but with the cost of the crucial concrete slab being 20 quid [GBP£20, USD$30], it was way out of their price bracket. Finally we were getting to the nub of it: In one of the poorest economies in the world, 20 quid for a toilet was a fortune. The problem and the solution was becoming embarrassingly clear. That our money in the right place would make all the difference.>> BANDMEMBER: Delightful. Delightful audience. Just a privilege to be able to play here. Beautiful.>> MARK LITTLE: There's always a lot of smiling at our arrival, a sense of celebration and music, but looking around with the level of HIV sufferers in this village alone totaling 40 percent, there is a sense of despair and grief always evident under the surface. And, personally, I felt a great unease at being a visitor from a developed world that lets this happen. Well, we leave Metamengue and what a gig that was out in the middle of the African bush. We spoke to the local Senior regulo, the farmers' association and all they want is clean water, latrines, and for their kids to have fun. What one has to keep reminding oneself is that we're actually in one of the poorest economies in the world but there is so much laughter and fun going on here, you sort of forget. But basic things like just a smoke, you know, an exercise book, things like that, they just don't have them. And it's hard, it's hard for us to get that ... our heads around it cos we come in like "Apocalypse Now," we've got gear and batteries. Like, these little kids they got a dead battery before and it was like gold dust. So, getting a handle on it. See you lads.>> MARK LITTLE: Okay. Paramount for hygiene is clean and sustainable water points in the village. To be sustainable, they must be appropriate to local conditions, affordable, and chosen and built by local communities. I'm here at the Lichinga water pump factory. So, Jakesh, can you tell us what we are looking at here?>> JAKESH MAHAY: This is a, this is a rope pump. Everything you see here is found, is found here.>> MARK LITTLE: Cos that's the definition of sustainable, isn't it? That if something breaks it can be fixed, cos we're dealing with really poor communities here aren't we? Now one thing I've noticed about these things is this: it's got a lid.>> JAKESH MAHAY: Yes, this covers it. So basically the idea is that we don't want anything getting in to the water supply. So this covers everything.>> MARK LITTLE: Water, the elixir of life -- and death, if you're not careful. It seems that the women do a lot of work when it comes to collecting the water, looking after the kids.>> ROSARIA MABICA: In Mozambique, the women are responsible for the well-being of all the family. As such, they have to do all the work, which is related to the well-being of the family. And one of the things they have to do is to have water at home, to look after the kids. Sometimes they have to do a little business to get some money.>> MARK LITTLE: Cos I've seen the women walking to the market, they've got incredible loads on their heads, which is another thing altogether. I don't know how they do that.>> ROSARIA MABICA: And that's normal. If we provide water near the houses so women can have more time to look after their kids and at the same time we are providing hygiene education so that they can take care better of them.>> MARK LITTLE: Right. Ever since I've been a little kid and watched pictures of Africa on the telly and stuff, I've always been fascinated by people with ... can walk -- well women usually -- with this thing on their head, and balance it. I was wondering, do you think they'd let me actually see how heavy a bucket is and put it on my head?>> ROSARIA MABICA: Yes, do you want to try?>> MARK LITTLE: I need to try>> ROSARIA MABICA: You need to try.>> MARK LITTLE: Okay, bucket of water weighs 10 pounds. This is like about three buckets' worth. So it's, um ... Hoh, crikey!>> ROSARIA MABICA: So, how is it?>> MARK LITTLE: It's heavy. It's heavy, really heavy. I wouldn't even consider taking my hands off this. Oh! Oops, sorry.>> ROSARIA MABICA: Just put it down!>> MARK LITTLE: Oh, chihuahua. Oh I'm so sorry, I spilt some. Yeah, yeah: headache. Oh well. Increased education, particularly of girls, is accepted as a key means of breaking the cycle of poverty. But, when children spend hours each day helping their mothers collect water, there is often no time left for education. This problem is exacerbated by water-related illnesses preventing children from going to school, few funds for schooling made worse by medical bills, and the lack of toilets in schools, especially for girls. Furthermore, if relatives fall sick, girls will often stay at home to care for them, and so are even less likely to attend school than boys. Water, sanitation, and hygiene projects can reverse all these trends and enable children to go to school more often and learn better in a cleaner, healthier environment. Fewer diseases and more water mean that people are properly hydrated and are able to concentrate and study better.>> MARK LITTLE: Well, it's quite incredible, we've not so much arrived unannounced, but they don't know we're coming. It's very hard, as you know. We're about 60 kilometers outside Lichinga, it took us about three hours, it's remote, and we are here about to play a gig. The thing is about what's happening here is that Estamos want to get out to this village. They've only been out here about a year. They want more involvement from this village with Estamos, so this project for us is actually doing what it set out to do and we're putting Estamos in places that they want to be. And it's all with the power of music. Let's go dancing, in the African bush. Mozambiquee!>> MARK LITTLE: Come on, stop mucking around Mark: it's time to talk serious pump. Now here we are at the water pump. How long has this water pump been here?>> JAKESH MAHAY: They're saying July of this year, they started getting ...>> MARK LITTLE: Okay, was there a water point here before, or did they have to go ...>> JAKESH MAHAY: There's a river over there where they used to get water from. When the water level used to go down at the river, they could see the insects in the water. They'd drink that water and they'd get sick from that, principally diarrhea.>> MARK LITTLE: Does the whole village use this pump?>> JAKESH MAHAY: Yeah, the whole village uses it. So they're saying what they need now is a bar to come across here so they can lock it either end so this doesn't come off.>> MARK LITTLE: Fantastic. And that's something we can take back to Estamos, yep?>> JAKESH MAHAY: Yep, yep.>> MARK LITTLE: Fantastic. Bon, bon. Look, it's too hot, we need to get in the shade, go and do some dancing. Shall we do that? Yeah, I think we should. Another extraordinary day in the African bush, middle of nowhere. Estamos are so pleased that we've got here. The WaterAid pump's working, it is sustainable, they can fix it if it breaks. It's been there a year, no problems. One thing that Estamos are very pleased with is that they want to draw up a list of the villagers here who want a latrine. They're very keen to get latrines here, so they're very keen to get Estamos here. WaterAid are keen to get Estamos here as well. It's all working. And the bloke had the most fantastic homemade banjo I've ever seen in me life. And he could play it. And he could sing. I like it in the bush. >> MARK LITTLE: We've seen the effects of remoteness and distance on sanitation in rural Mozambique. Now the poo tour is heading south to the capital Maputo, to see how high-density population impacts on sanitation. How do the boys from the bush cope in the big city? Now, there's an old Australian expression, the city or the bush. Well we've done the bush, that's for sure. Now we're in the capital city of Mozambique, Maputo. And it's going to rock. Lead singer's always last. The band's here. Where's the singer? He's still in the Jacuzzi. We're on our way to the launch of the national Wash Your Hands campaign, held on a football pitch in a suburb known as Barrio de Urbanizacao, a large district of inner city poor. And the in-flight entertainment was exceptional. And Massukos, well, they did what musicians do. They just can't help themselves can they? Here we are. We're in the middle of Maputo, it's all set up. That's the biggest sound system I've seen for a while. The band's here. Massukos have arrived. It's on.>> MARK LITTLE: Mozambique proved to be the most vibrant of cultures, music and dance and singing always close to the surface. But Mozambique is a dichotomy, an energetic, resourceful people constantly battling disease and despair. It's a vicious circle. The Barrio de Urbanizacao: 15,000 people living within one square kilometer. Trying to bring an infrastructure to the chaos here is a local community organization know as Asasbu. I met Paulino and Pimentel. Pimentel, thanks for inviting us in to your barrio, and to look at the problems here. What are the problems? Pimentel told me straight away to consider the very ground that I was walking on. In the wet season, this inner city suburb was a swamp rife with cholera. Although 100 percent of households in the barrio have latrines, these have to be pumped out. They are not yet linked to the city's main sewage system.>> ROSARIA MABICA: They have a serious problem of sanitation here. And people die because of cholera. This barrio ... the main problem of cholera is in this barrio.>> MARK LITTLE: Okay, who is the most affected by mosquitoes, cholera, bad sanitation in the population. Is it the children, or older people, who is most affected?>> ROSARIA MABICA [translating for Paulino]: Yeah, children are more affected, yet still there are ...>> MARK LITTLE: On one hand, the sustainability of basic services depends on the eradication of poverty and the building of a growing economy. While, on the other hand, the provision of basic services is a requirement of poverty eradication. The more I speak to Paulino and Pimentel, the more I realize that breaking this cycle was going to need a very big hammer indeed.>> MARK LITTLE: Even the young rapper was warning us that we were here at a good time and that we should dare to come back and make our film in the wet season. So until we get our hands on this mythical hammer, all we can do is chip away, bit by bit. Empty Boat are doing their bit, helping launch a nationwide Wash Your Hands campaign and organizers say that these simple hygiene concerts are as important as the toilets themselves. And now, all the way from the Niassa province, the boys from the bush, the one and only ... what are they called again?>> MC: Massukos! Massukos! Massukos!>> MARK LITTLE: Massukos were more than a band. Their energy and commitment and desire to take a simple message to the people of Mozambique was inspirational. For not only did they gig, they got their hands dirty out and about in their local community, proving that direct community action will work every time. We'd all been inspired and uplifted today and left with a deep sense of reflection on our amazing two weeks here. >> DEAN BRODRICK [Empty Boat]: It's beyond everything that you can talk about really. There's something super special about the people that live here. It's beyond a dream for me to come here. It's fantastic.>> MARK LITTLE: This has been my first trip to Africa, and as I stand on a Maputan beach at dawn with a peculiarly balmy winter breeze caressing my very soul, it does feel like a dream. But, for far too many people of Mozambique, the lack of basic human requirements, like a toilet and clean drinking water, can make life here beyond a nightmare. It's our last day in Mozambique and we're heading to the Costa Do Sol, a fishing village just north of Maputo. It seems idyllic until one is made aware of the extent of death, dying, and suffering here due to the lack of clean water. Once a playground for the jet set, the Costa Do Sol, like most of Mozambique, has had its basic infrastructure quite literally blown apart. And, as usual in these scenarios, it is the poor who are left to their own devices. Six thousand people live here with only five working water points. In plain English, that means between 6,000 people in this village, there are five taps. >> MAN: Cholera comes every year here?>> ROSARIA MABICA: Yes.>> MAN: And in the cholera season, this gets infected.>> ROSARIA MABICA: Yeah.>> MAN: But if it was sealed like we saw previously, if it is sealed where the cups go down and bring the water up, does that make a difference?>> ROSARIA MABICA: Yeah, I think so.>> MARK LITTLE: At global summits on sustainability and development, sanitation is often de-prioritized because, ridiculously, no one likes talking about poo. It's time for leaders of the so-called developed world to catch up and come to terms with this silent emergency. Just over 100 years ago, Britain led the way in sanitation and the eradication of water-borne diseases such as cholera and dysentery. We can lead the way again. This is Johannesburg, 2002. It says here that they should half, by the year 2015, the proportion of the world's peoples whose income is less than one dollar a day. And, by the same date, to half the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water. Are these targets realistic?>> ROSARIA MABICA [translating for Pimentel]: It's going to be really difficult, because he thinks that government, the civil society, and the international community has to be really involved if we want to have this result. But it's going to be really difficult.>> MARK LITTLE: These are all words, you know, nations, agreements, and everything. But, bottom line, Pimentel's there in these areas ... bottom line, what is needed most now, straight away?>> ROSARIA MABICA [translating for Pimentel]: He thinks that what's needed, just everyone must be committed to solve this problem. Everyone must be. That's really, really important if we want to have some good results.>> MARK LITTLE: Everyone?>> ROSARIA MABICA: Yeah.>> MARK LITTLE: Everyone. Everyone. Everyone. What an extraordinary trip. What an extraordinary country. I bought this little exercise book at Lichinga market. Property of the Malawi government, not for sale: 3,000 meticais. Three thousand meticais, that's the price of a box of matches in Maputo. Just over five pence in Great Britain. Now, when we were at Metamengue, I gave the Senior Regulo, the traditional leader, five of these little books as a personal token of my respect for his honesty and hospitality, and they were received and treasured for his school. And it was only then that I realized, that these are the people that the United Nations talks about as the most impoverished people on the planet, who are earning a lot less than a dollar a day. And even being in the village, it's hard to get your head around it. As a group, we've had to confront our own prejudices, preconceptions about Africa, but we're here at a good time. Six months of the year, Mozambique is wet, well wet. Cholera, malaria are rife ... diarrhea and dysentery ... life is miserable. And it's only by coming to Mozambique, seeing the work of WaterAid and its partners, that one can begin to make sense of this dreadful situation. WaterAid's desire to have clean water points, sustainable water points within the village make sense. The work of Estamos in Niassa rural province with human waste compost makes sense. Massukos, singing songs about washing your hands makes sense. Not showing compassion for the most impoverished people on the planet makes no sense and is wrong. There are problems but, yes, there are solutions. We've seen within Mozambique, some of the most radical innovations within sustainability that could eventually help us all. And it is, it is only arrogance that will lead us to believe that we can learn nothing here. Yes we have, we've seen the poor sanitation, the lack of just clean drinking water are two of the world's biggest killers, but I think we've also seen conclusively, that the world's biggest killer is ignorance. Adios, Mozambiquee. Obrigado. Bon.>> TITLE: [end credits] http://www.viewchange.org/videos/explore-yangtze <p>One mile long and 600 feet high, the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River is an enormous feat of engineering, with huge controversies to match. Completed in 2008, the dam created a vast reservoir extending 370 miles. It provides drinking water and electricity, but it has also displaced some two million people and caused widespread flooding, destroying rural villages and cultural treasures. In this film, we meet some of the people whose lives have been affected.</p> Thu, 15 Jul 2010 00:32:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/explore-yangtze Three Gorges Dam, China, Yangtze River, Shen Nong Stream, Hydropower, Sichuan, Fengdu County, Annenberg Foundation, Charles Annenberg Weingarten, Environmentalism >> TITLE: explore>> CAPTAIN LI JUNPING: I love this river. The Yangtze is the mother river of the Chinese people. There's been a great change. Before, the river was very narrow and turbulent. Now the river is much wider, more calm, and easier to navigate.>> CHARLES ANNENBERG WEINGARTEN [Founder, explore]: Technology versus nature. China is trying to shift away from being a coal-burning society, into using hydropower, a more efficient, cleaner source of energy.>> TITLE: explore CHINA>> CHARLES ANNENBERG WEINGARTEN: I'm right now in Fengdu with Yang Xin, photographer and environmentalist. Yang Xin has taken over 50,000 photographs of the Yangtze River, and he's turned it into an environmental cause here in China. I've talked to many environmentalists on this trip. And I seem to get a common theme that China needs to progress, but at what point is this going to become a problem?>> YANG XIN [Founder, Green River Foundation]: China has already reached a crucial juncture, not in five or 10 years, but now. For example, the Yangtze River, if you look at the upper, middle, and lower reaches of the river, the more developed an area is, the more polluted the water becomes. Every year, 28 billion tons of polluted water are washed down the Yangtze River. Here in Sichuan Province, at the upper stream of the river, you can still see some clear water. But downstream at the middle and lower parts of the river, you can hardly see any clear water. The Yangtze is the longest river in Asia, supporting a population of 400 million. Now, we are building a channel from the Yangtze River to Beijing. This will alleviate the serious water shortage in the northern part of the country. Once that project is completed, the Yangtze water will reach 700 million people.>> CHARLES ANNENBERG WEINGARTEN: One of the things that makes the Three Gorges Dam project so controversial is that over a million people have been removed. We're in the historic town of Fengdu. Or what -- I should say -- is left of it, for the rubble you see was once a city. But it's now all been torn down. These towns scatter the Yangtze River. Old towns, being replaced with new ones. But talking to people what I've learned is that new people, the younger people, are actually not so against the Three Gorges project. They're looking forward to living in modern cities. It's the old people, who are losing their way and their culture, that are concerned. We're now entering Lock One of the Three Gorges Dam. The Three Gorges Dam is a modern-day version of the Great Wall of China. Built with over 40,000 employees, it is the largest project since the Great Wall of China. And, to many, this Three Gorges Dam is a symbol of China's reemergence as a world power. What can you say, but "I'm in awe." What a technological marvel. >> CHARLES ANNENBERG WEINGARTEN: We're in Shen Nong Stream, a tributary to the Yangtze. An interesting point that the captain told me was that before the Three Gorges Dam, all this beauty was inaccessible. But because of the dam this water rose from one meter to 40 meters, allowing people to come up here and enjoy all this beauty. These are some of the gentlemen who've been moved from their old, rural farms to the new cities that you've seen. Hopefully, when we take a pause, we'll be able to ask them how they feel about the move. How do you feel about the move, from the old place to the new homes?>> BOATMAN: The dam is great. Before, there was no electricity here or it was very spotty. Now there is electricity all the time. >> BOATMAN 2: I like my new house. My new house is much better, it's much more comfortable. The water level is higher now, so there are more economic opportunities.>> CHARLES ANNENBERG WEINGARTEN: Are there any drawbacks to the move?>> BOATMAN 2: Those people who had money before are still able to succeed. However, those people who didn't have much money, like many older people, were forced to move to a smaller piece of land, so their situation has worsened.>> CHARLES ANNENBERG WEINGARTEN: The sturgeon here, a 140-million-year-old species, almost went extinct. To the Chinese, what the panda is to the woods, they [sturgeon] are to the sea, so they're very sacred. One of the drawbacks of the Three Gorges Dam project has been just the environmental protection of animals. The migratory path of the sturgeon has been cut off. The sturgeon can no longer come in from the ocean and go up the Yangtze to reproduce, so the Chinese government is trying to artificially inseminate the sturgeon and bring back the population. But the sturgeon is genetically modified; this is not natural reproduction. So how this will affect it, we don't know. How they will react out at sea is another big issue. The results are still to be determined. Is the government doing a good job in handling the environmental situation, yes or no?>> STUDENT 1: Good, but not enough. >> STUDENT 2: Yes. >> STUDENT 3: Not good.>> STUDENT 4: I think we should not answer the question so simply. Our country is a developing country. Our economy is developing. We must, on one hand, develop our economy. On the other hand, we should solve the environmental problems. Though there are many problems now, but our government is trying their best to solve the problems. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/welcome-to-nollywood <p>In just 20 years, the Nigerian movie industry has grown from virtually nothing to become the third largest in the world, fueled by low-budget films that are shot fast and released straight to video. But perhaps the most remarkable part of this explosion is that it has required almost no government help or outside aid; instead, it's all down to cheap technology and some remarkably driven filmmakers.</p> Fri, 09 Jul 2010 20:22:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/welcome-to-nollywood Movies, Nigeria, Chico Ejiro, Nollywood, Welcome to Nollywood, Cinema of Nigeria, Filmmaking, Lagos, Technology, Film director >> TITLE: Excerpt from the film: Welcome to Nollywood. More info about the feature-length documentary film at: www.welcometonollywood.com >> TITLE: Lagos, Nigeria >> TITLE: Idumota Electronics Market >> CHARLES NOVIA [Producer/Director]: Every Nigerian or every African is a storyteller. You can call a five-year-old girl or boy and say, "Tell me a story." And he will tell you a story and embellish it with such visuals and all that. So, you know, it's part of the way of life here. So it's very unique to us. >> TITLE: Nonexistent in 1990, Nollywood is now the third-largest producer of movies worldwide. >> CHICO EJIRO ["Mr. Prolific," Grand Touch Pictures]: Nigerians just believe when you hear "Chico Ejiro," they say: "Ha! That guy can shoot movies!" >> DON PEDRO OBASEKI [Producer/Director]: Chico is the embodiment of the very Nigerian phenomenon. I don't know the count. Chico has said he's shot over 40 or 50 films. But I think it's up to a hundred. I think he's just being ... He's scared to say he's shot more than that. People will say, "Hey, hello! Is it a bakery?" >> CHICO EJIRO: One of the first movies I did in Grand Touch, my company, is called "Obsession." Then I did "Silent Night" with Ramsey Nouah. That "Silent Night," because it was a successful movie I have "Silent Night 1," "Silent Night 2," "Silent Night 3." I have "Day Break 1" and "2," I have "Flashback." This is called "Blind Love." A girl fell in love with a blind boy. "Day Break." Father and son falling in love with one girl. This is called "Cry for Justice." I've forgotten the story. >> VOICE: We have developed in spite of government. >> CHARLES NOVIA: This industry is an example of a small-scale industry that has flourished on its own, without government support. We've been able to earn, officially, about USD$400 million in the past 10 years in the industry. That is officially, but I think it is even triple that. >> VOICE: From Nigerian action master Izu Ojukwu: A tale of conspiracy at the upper echelons of power: "Who Will Tell The President." >> IZU OJUKWU [Director, Black Fox Pictures]: I did something that's action oriented, and everybody felt I can do action movies. Yeah, I can do ... that's the most difficult kind of movies to make. It involves a lot, even your life. I had an occasion where I lay on the car bonnet, with my camera under the car, and the car was on high speed. The driver held my leg, I was lying with my head in front of the car. On top speed! So I was twisting my camera to the car, the camera was chasing to the cars behind. Whenever I stand beside a camera, whenever I hold a camera, I can pull stunts that I can never imagine doing when I'm not with a camera. I just know and understand pictures. How to cut them, how to piece them together. Pictures that you think they are meaningless, you know. I gather them, pick them, and they will be meaningful. I just love making good movies. People see me as an action movie director. That's not where I want to end up. >> TITLE: Movies are released straight to video, onto videocassette tapes or video compact discs (VCDs). >> TUNDE KELANI [Producer/Director Mainframe Productions]: What we are witnessing today is a democratization of means of production. There is no doubt about it, working in celluloid was exclusive. If you didn't have the money, you didn't have a voice. And suddenly, by a shift in technological advancement, Nigerians discovered their voices. What's so special about the Nigerian industry: it is supported primarily at home. Because the Nigerian average audience prefers Nigerian film to the blockbusters, the Hollywood blockbusters, you know? So they would buy their films first, before they watch American films. >> PEACE ANYIAM-FIBERESIMA [Founder/CEO, African Movie Academy Awards]: This is one thing which we're doing without the help of any foreign counterpart. It is totally homegrown. It is totally unique to us. We tell our stories, we muck them up the way we want to. We're bringing them out the way we want. >> CHICO EJIRO: Roll tape! I like to go straight to the point. I always start my movie on fast pace. I don't like to start on a slow pace. From the beginning of my movie, the pick-up is there. You got "Punch"? We go pay you 500 Naira now. And you go act. One man will come from here. He goes, "Ah! Let me see that paper." You will give him paper, he will buy, he walks off like this. We'll do it three times. OK, take. I've paid you. >> DON PEDRO OBASEKI: Chico has turned filmmaking into an assembly line. >> CHICO EJIRO: Hey, vendor, action! Emeka, action! >> EMEKA [actor]: What! Joshua? >> CHICO EJIRO: Cut! >> DON PEDRO OBASEKI: He has turned guerrilla filmmaking into ... into an industry, into a norm. The case study I want is Chico. How does he think? How does he work? Other directors laugh at Chico. But Chico's films have endured. He's done the good, he's done the bad, and he's done the nastiest of films. >> CHARLES NOVIA: What we are still doing now is a stage of experimenting, and saying, "Wow, we are doing this!" But it's going to a stage now where we say, "Okay, fine. What is the true Nollywood film?" Give or take, in the next 10 years, we will see the prototype Nollywood film. >> TITLE: Izu's Family Home, City of Jos, Nigeria >> IZU OJUKWU: I went to the cinema, a lot. Against my father's wishes though. I would sneak out, look for money. If it meant stealing I did that, to go to cinemas. I was opportune to see the projector. And I saw that the projector was not something too difficult to handle. So I constructed the projector, and it worked. I would go to the cinema, pick Indian films, and then have children pay some little amount of money to watch films. And they watched and they were amazed: they enjoyed it. I quickly started understanding the concept of film production. It's all made out of still pictures. If you go slower, it will become slow motion. The pictures will be moving like this. Then, I'll increase the speed of the motor, and it will run faster. And the films will be sliding down. And even if you're not watching from the lens, if you concentrate on just the small hole where the light will pierce through, you will see the movement. So I learned how to make movies the hard way. I understood what it was to have a tape roll. Before even coming close to handling a camera. I'm a survivor. I can survive anywhere. Thrown in to anywhere, with nothing, I will make things happen. >> TITLE: Find out more information about the feature-length film at: www.welcometonollywood.com >> TITLE: Welcome to Nollywood >> TITLE: A film by Jamie Meltzer >> TITLE: Produced by Cayce Lindner and Henry S. Rosenthal >> TITLE: NBPC National Black Programming Consortium http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ted-nathan-myhrvold <p>Nathan Myhrvold and team's latest inventions&mdash;as brilliant as they are bold&mdash;remind us that the world needs wild creativity to tackle big problems like malaria. And just as that idea sinks in, he rolls out a live demo of a new, mosquito-zapping gizmo you have to see to believe.&nbsp;</p> Fri, 09 Jul 2010 20:13:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ted-nathan-myhrvold Nathan Myhrvold, TED, Malaria, Invention, Africa, Intellectual Ventures, Mosquito, Mosquito net, Developing country, Technology >> TITLE: Nathan Myhrvold >> NATHAN MYHRVOLD: We invent. My company invents all kinds of new technology in lots of different areas. >>TITLE: Feb 2010, Long Beach California >> NATHAN MYHRVOLD: And we do that for a couple of reasons. We invent for fun. Invention is a lot of fun to do. And we also invent for profit. >>TITLE: Recorded at TED2010 >> NATHAN MYHRVOLD: The two are related because the profit actually takes long enough that, if it isn't fun, you wouldn't have the time to do it. So we do this fun and profit-oriented inventing for most of what we do, but we also have a program where we invent for humanity, where we take some of our best inventors, and we say, are there problems where we have a good idea for solving a problem the world has? And to solve it in the way we try to solve problems, which is with dramatic, crazy, out-of-the-box solutions. Bill Gates is one of those smartest guys of ours that work on these problems. And he also funds this work, so thank you. So I'm going to briefly discuss a couple of problems that we have and a couple of problems where we've got some solutions underway. So vaccination is one of the key techniques in public health, a fantastic thing. But in the developing world, a lot of vaccines spoil before they're administered. And that's because they need to be kept cold. Almost all vaccines need to be kept at refrigerator temperatures. They go bad very quickly if you don't. And if you don't have a stable power grid, this doesn't happen, so kids die. It's not just the loss of the vaccine that matters; it's the fact that those kids don't get vaccinated. This is one of the ways that vaccines are carried. These are Styrofoam chests. These are being carried by people, but they're also put on the backs of pickup trucks. We've got a different solution. Now, one of these Styrofoam chests will last for about four hours, with ice in it. And we thought, well, that's not really good enough. So we made this thing. This lasts six months with no power, absolutely zero power, because it loses less than a half a watt. Now, this is our second-generation prototype. The third generation prototype is, right now, in Uganda, being tested. Now, the reason we were able to come up with this is two key ideas. One is that this is similar to a cryogenic dewar, something you'd keep liquid nitrogen or liquid helium in. They have incredible insulation, so let's put some incredible insulation here. The other idea is kind of interesting, which is, you can't reach inside anymore, because if you open it up and reach inside, you'd let the heat in, the game would be over. So the inside of this thing actually looks like a Coke machine. It vends out little individual vials. So a simple idea, which we hope is going to change the way vaccines are distributed, in Africa and around the world. >> NATHAN MYHRVOLD: We'll move on to malaria. Malaria is one of the great public health problems. Esther Duflo talked a little bit about this: 250 million people a year; every 43 seconds a child in Africa dies; 27 will die during my talk. And there's no way for us here in this country to grasp really what that means to the people involved. Another comment of Esther's was that we react when there's a tragedy like Haiti, but that tragedy is ongoing. So what can we do about it? Well, there's a lot of things people have tried for many years for solving malaria. You can spray. The problem is, there's environmental issues. You can try to treat people and create awareness. That's great, except the places that have malaria really bad, they don't have health care systems. A vaccine would be a terrific thing, only they don't work yet. People have tried for a long time. There's a couple of interesting candidates. It's a very difficult thing to make a vaccine for. You can distribute bed nets, and bed nets are very effective if you use them. You don't always use them for that. People fish with them. They don't always get to everyone. And bed nets have an effect on the epidemic, but you're never going to make it extinct with bed nets. Now, malaria is an incredibly complicated disease. We could spend hours going over this. It's got this sort of soap opera-like lifestyle. They have sex. They burrow into your liver. They tunnel into your blood cells. It's an incredibly complicated disease, but that's actually one of the things we find interesting about it and why we work on malaria. There's a lot of potential ways in. One of those ways might be better diagnosis. So we hope this year to prototype each of these devices. One does an automatic malaria diagnosis in the same way that a diabetic's glucose meter works. You take a drop of blood, you put it in there, and it automatically tells you. Today, you need to do a complicated laboratory procedure, create a bunch of microscope slides, and have a trained person examine it. The other thing is, you know, it'd be even better if you didn't have to draw the blood. And if you look through the eye, or you look at the vessels on the white of the eye, in fact, you may be able to do this directly, without drawing any blood at all, or through your nail beds. Because, if you actually look through your fingernails, you can see blood vessels. And once you see the blood vessels, we think we can see the malaria. We can see it because of this molecule called hemozoin. It's produced by the malaria parasite. And it's a very interesting crystalline substance -- interesting, anyway, if you're a solid-state physicist. There's a lot of cool stuff we can do with it. This is our femtosecond laser lab. So this creates pulses of light that last a femtosecond. That's really, really, really short. This is a pulse of light that's only about one wavelength of light long. So it's a whole bunch of photons all coming and hitting simultaneously. It creates a very high peak-power, and it lets you do all kinds of interesting things. In particular, it lets you find hemozoin. So here's an image of red blood cells. And now we can actually map where the hemozoin and where the malaria parasites are inside those red blood cells. And using both this technique and other optical techniques, we think we can make these diagnostics. We also have another hemozoin-oriented therapy for malaria: a way, in acute cases, to actually take the malaria parasite and filter it out of the blood system, sort of like doing dialysis, but for relieving the parasite load. This is our thousand-core supercomputer. We're kind of software guys, and so nearly any problem that you pose, we like to try to solve with some software. One of the problems that you have if you're trying to eradicate malaria or reduce it, is you don't know what's the most effective thing to do. Okay, we heard about bed nets earlier. You spend a certain amount per bed net. Or you could spray. You can give drug administration. There's all these different interventions. But they have different kinds of effectiveness. How can you tell? So we've created, using our supercomputer, the world's best computer model of malaria, which we'll show you now. We picked Madagascar. We have every road, every village, every -- almost -- square inch of Madagascar. We have all of the precipitation data and the temperature data. That's very important because the humidity and precipitation tell you whether you've got standing pools of water for the mosquitoes to breed. So that sets the stage on which you do this. You then have to introduce the mosquitoes, and you have to model that and how they come and go. Ultimately, it gives you this. This is malaria spreading across Madagascar. And this is this latter part of the rainy season. We're going to the dry season now. It nearly goes away in the dry season, because there's no place for the mosquitoes to breed. And then, of course, the next year it comes roaring back. By doing these kinds of simulations, we want to eradicate or control malaria thousands of times in software, before we actually have to do it in real life. To be able to simulate both the economic trade-offs -- how many bed nets versus how much spraying? -- or the social trade-offs -- what happens if unrest breaks out? We also try to study our foe. This is a high-speed camera view of a mosquito. And, in a moment, we're going to see a view of the airflow. Here, we're trying to visualize the airflow around the wings of the mosquito with little particles we're illuminating with a laser. By understanding how mosquitoes fly, we hope to understand how to make them not fly. Now, one of the ways you can make them not fly is with DDT. This is a real ad. This is one of those things you just can't make up. Once upon a time, this was the primary technique, and, in fact, many countries got rid of malaria through DDT. The United States did: 1935, there were 150,000 cases a year of malaria in the United States, but DDT and a massive public health effort managed to squelch it. >> NATHAN MYHRVOLD: So we thought, we need to control ... we've done all these things that are focused on the plasmodium, the parasite involved. What can we do to the mosquito? Well, let's try to kill it with consumer electronics. Now, that sounds silly, but each of these devices has something interesting in it that maybe you could use. Your Blu-ray player has a very cheap blue laser. Your laser printer has a mirror galvanometer that's used to steer a laser beam very accurately, that's what makes the little dots on the page. And, of course, there's signal processing, and digital cameras. So what if we could put all that together to shoot them out of the sky with lasers? Now this is, in our company, this is what we call "the pinky-suck moment." What if we could do that? Now, just suspend disbelief for a moment, and let's think of what could happen if we could do that. Well, we could protect very high-value targets like clinics. Clinics are full of people that have malaria. They're sick, and so they're less able to defend themselves from the mosquitoes. You really want to protect them. Of course, if you do that, you could also protect your backyard. And farmers could protect their crops that they want to sell to Whole Foods because our photons are 100 percent organic. They're completely natural. Now, it actually gets better than this. You could, if you're really smart, you could shine a nonlethal laser on the bug before you zap it, and you could listen to the wing beat frequency, and you could measure the size. And then you could decide: is this an insect I want to kill, or an insect I don't want to kill? Moore's law made computing cheap, so cheap we can weigh the life of an individual insect and decide thumbs up or thumbs down. Now, it turns out we only kill the female mosquitoes. They're the only ones that are dangerous. Mosquitoes only drink blood to lay eggs. Mosquitoes actually live ... their day-to-day nutrition comes from nectar, from flowers. In fact, in the lab, we feed ours raisins. But the female needs the blood meal. So, this sounds really crazy, right? Would you like to see it? Okay, so our legal department prepared a disclaimer. And here it is. Now, after thinking about this a little bit, we thought, you know, it probably would be simpler to do this with a nonlethal laser. So Eric Johanson who built the device, actually with parts from eBay. And Pablo Folman, over here, he's got mosquitoes in the tank. We have the device over here. And we're going to show you, instead of the kill laser, which will be a very brief, instantaneous pulse, we're going to have a green laser pointer that's going to stay on the mosquito for, actually, quite a long period of time, otherwise, you can't see it very well. Take it away Eric. >> ERIC JOHANSON: What we have here is a tank on the other side of the stage. And we have, this computer screen can actually see the mosquitoes as they fly around. And Pablo, if he stirs up our mosquitoes a little bit, we can see them flying around. Now, that's a fairly straightforward image processing routine. And let me show you how it works. Here you can see that the insects are being tracked as they're flying around, which is kind of fun. Next we actually can light them up with a laser. So, now, this is a low-powered laser, and we can actually pick up our wing beat frequencies. So you may be able to hear some mosquitoes flying around. >> NATHAN MYHRVOLD: That's a mosquito wing beat you're hearing. >> ERIC JOHANSON: Finally, let's see what this looks like. There you can see mosquitoes as they fly around, being lit up. This is being slowed way down so that you have an opportunity to see what's happening. Here we have it running at high-speed mode. So this system that was built for TED is here to illustrate that it is technically possible to actually deploy a system like this. And we're looking very hard at how to make it highly cost-effective to use in places like Africa and other parts of the world. >> NATHAN MYHRVOLD: So it wouldn't be any fun to show you that without showing you what actually happens when we hit 'em. This is very satisfying. This is one of the first ones we did. The energy's a little bit high here. We'll loop around here in just a second, and you'll see another one. Here's another one. Bang. An interesting thing is, we kill them all the time; we've never actually gotten the wings to shut off in midair. The wing motor is very resilient. I mean here we're blowing wings off, but the wing motor keeps all the way down. So, that's what I have. Thanks very much. >> TITLE: For more talks visit TED.com >> TITLE: TED. New TEDTalks each week at www.TED.com http://www.viewchange.org/videos/kinshasa-2-0 <p>Technology is helping to revolutionize politics the world over, including in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. When prominent lawyer and politician Marie-Th&eacute;r&egrave;se Nlandu was imprisoned, her supporters used the internet to quickly publicize the case, leading to her release a few months later. This film explores how the arrest affected Nlandu's family, still living in a tense, militarized city where it is extremely difficult to film.&nbsp;</p> Fri, 09 Jul 2010 17:43:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/kinshasa-2-0 Marie-Thérèse Nlandu, DR Congo, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo general election 2006, General election, Technology, Governance & Transparency, Why Democracy?, LinkTV Picks >> TITLE: Why Democracy? >> SIGN: Free Marie-Theresa! >> TITLE: Hello Carine :) >> TITLE: Hi Teboho, my aunt Marie-Thérèse has just been arrested! She is accused of trying to overthrow the government. She was a presidential candidate during the recent elections, our first elections since independence. I have started an internet campaign to spread the word. >> TITLE: Ok. I will pass on the message? >> TITLE: Kinshasa 2.0 >> TITLE: Congo River, DRC. >> TEBOHO EDKINS: Carine's internet campaign seemed to have worked. After five months in Kinshasa's worst prison, Marie-Thérèse was finally released. All charges against her were dropped. She is now in Belgium getting medical treatment. I decided to go and visit Carine and her family in Kinshasa. >> CARINE NGUZ [Marie-Thérèse's niece]: My aunt's just been arrested and this, and you know we're still, what's like, one, two days afterward ... I think, I think my aunt's daughter sent the email first and then my brother. So, the whole point was to spread out the word. I wanna do something for the people who actually do something, you know. This is what can happen and, I mean, it just happened now and she just got released now, so ... I don't know if she's gonna take up ... she's gonna keep doing what she's doing, and being in the opposition. >> DENNIS NLANDU [Marie-Thérèse's sister]: My sister loves her country, but the treatment she received ... It was wrong. That's all I can say. One can't say more than that. It wasn't right. I have to restrain myself. Our father fought for this country. He crossed the Congo River by canoe, to fetch Maître Croqué, in 1959, who then negotiated independence for our country. >> CARINE NGUZ: Here in Kinshasa it's strange because my aunt is not here and, because of what happened to her, everything is a bit uncertain. For example, now it's difficult for me to phone my aunt straight from a phone in Kinshasa because the lines are all tapped. So the only way we can communicate is through the internet >> CARINE NGUZ: Aunt Marie-Thérèse, I hope your health is better. >> MARIE-THERESE: Thank you my dear, I am doing much better. >> CARINE NGUZ: A friend of mine is here, I am helping him make a short film. >> MARIE-THERESE: I am surprised he even got permission to film. >> CARINE NGUZ: Yes, but everybody feels scared to be filmed, few are willing to talk freely. There are soldiers everywhere ... we are always being watched. >> VOICE 1: Some other people once tried to film here. >> VOICE 2: Will you be working this evening or will someone else take your shift? >> MAN 1: A thousand for each? >> MAN 2: That's four thousand. >> MAN 1: No, how many are there? >> MAN 2: There are four. >> MAN 1: That's fine. >> MAN 2: How much is it in total? >> BEA [member of the Marie-Thérèse's household]: If I meet a soldier, I have to hide or run away. Because, if he catches you, he will search you. If he finds a phone, he will take it. Money, he will also take. He might rape you or even kill you. A soldier represents a danger to me. It's a danger. >> CARINE NGUZ: Marie-Thérèse told me when she was arrested they had planned to kill her that evening. But a general called her to his office and then left, leaving her alone. In that time he saved her life. >> LOURDS BUZANGU [owner of internet cafe]: If I speak in front of your camera, tomorrow they will arrest me. I would speak if I were in some other place. We know lots of stories, but we are stuck here. Instead of calling it a democracy, one should change the term. We aren't democratic, beginning with those that govern us. They don't have the spirit of democracy. You can't criticize them, or tell them the bad things they have done. How will we ever progress? >> CARINE NGUZ: Dear Marie-Thérèse, terrible news! This evening the arrest warrant has been reissued by the state. It's not safe for you to come back, you have to remain in exile. Warrants for certain members of your household have also been reissued. They will have to go into hiding! >> BEA: What do these warrants mean for us? Why are they doing this? >> JEANINE [Marie-Thérèse's household staff]: I don't know. >> BEA: They should let us be. Carine, you have studied well. You also have it; you have politics in your blood. >> JEANINE: It's in your family. >> BEA: Whether or not you'll get into politics. >> TITLE: Marie-Thérèse's extended family >> SINGING: Independence cha cha / We conquered it. >> MAN: You know, we still aren't independent. >> WOMAN: Independence in name only. After almost 50 years of independence, directed by the men, our country is actually regressing. >> MAN: Is that the men's fault, or the women that give us bad advice? >> WOMAN: It is because of the men. Fifty years after independence, you can't say it's a traditional problem. It's a structural problem. Congolese women are well educated, they have important positions all over the world. But what happens to them here? >> CARINE NGUZ: Auntie Marie-Thérèse. Look, I brought you a video. We had a family dinner last Saturday. >> MARIE-THERESE: So good to see you all, even if only here in cyberspace. I have been receiving emails of support from the Congo. But I am really worried about the others. I wonder if things will ever get better? >> TITLE: All animation was filmed in Second Life, an internet-based virtual chat platform. >> TITLE: [end credits] http://www.viewchange.org/videos/the-last-kankan-of-nakhchivan <p>Water scarcity has become one of the world's greatest challenges. In less than 20 years, nearly two billion people could face shortages. But Azerbaijan, which sits between Europe and Western Asia, has come up with an ingenious solution to its water crisis by looking to its past for inspiration.&nbsp;</p> Wed, 07 Jul 2010 00:05:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/the-last-kankan-of-nakhchivan United Nations, Azerbaijan, Water security, Water supply, Water supply network, Irrigation, Drinking water, Groundwater, Western Asia, International Organization for Migration >> DALJIT DHALIWAL: Water affects the survival of every living thing on Earth. The scarcity of this precious resource has become one of our greatest challenges. In less than 20 years, nearly two billion people could face water shortages. But one country -- Azerbaijan, which sits between Europe and Western Asia -- has come up with an ingenious solution to its water crisis. >> VOICEOVER: Water resources in the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan are very limited. Precipitation in many regions of the country is very low. The water distribution system is obsolete: pipes are rusted and a significant amount of water is lost due to leakage. But, in the early part of the 20th century, the people in Azerbaijan had plenty of water, much of it delivered by a man-made system of tunnels that took underground water to the surface through gravity flow. This system is locally known as kahriz. >> YUNIS IBRAGIMOV: We all know that there is no life without water. The kahriz provided water without the need of external energy, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for months, for years. >> VOICEOVER: Like his grandfather and his father before him, 71-year-old Yunis Ibragimov is a kankan, an expert in ancient construction skills. Kankans were tasked with building and maintaining the kahrizes. This model of water distribution was used throughout Asia for thousands of years. Gently sloping horizontal tunnels with interconnected wells collect water and bring it to the surface for household and irrigation use without the need for pumping. Kahrizes were the people's life-line, especially in places like Nakhchivan, a province of Azerbaijan. Four hundred thousand live here, one of the driest places in the country. But just below ground there is plenty pure water. Once there were 400 kahrizes here. Fifty-six-year-old Hasanali Nikbin can't hear or speak. But he is a prolific writer and he has written about the essential role of Nakhchivan's kahriz water systems. >> HASANALI NIKBIN [narrated]: Their streams are rays of light, flashing fires and telling stories of abundant harvests, turning deserts into heavens of grass and trees, of thorns and blossoms. >> VOICEOVER: The arrival of electricity during Soviet times spelled the end of the ancient water networks, even though electric pumps were powered by fuel. Tunnels began collapsing and water stopped flowing. People no longer depended on kahrizes for their water. >> ARZU MUSAYEV: No one looked after them. >> VOICEOVER: Water engineer Arzu Musayev. >> ARZU MUSAYEV: The specialists, the kankans, forgot their skills. This was the main reason for the breakdown of the kahriz system. >> VOICEOVER: After Azerbaijan's independence, there was no money for maintenance and the Soviet-built system of pipes and pumps fell apart. Now there was no access to either water system: the kahrizes or the fuel- and electricity-based system. Water shortages became acute. Low-income rural communities, heavily dependent on agriculture for their survival, suffered serious hardships. Regional conflict and lack of access to water led to unemployment and poverty. Hundreds of thousands were driven out. Entire communities in Nakhchivan began migrating to the country's capital, Baku, and further afield. Alverdi Ismailov is the president of a water users group. >> ALVERDI ISMAILOV: If there was enough water, no one would have left the villages and people would have continued working on their land. >> VOICEOVER: Enter IOM, the International Organization for Migration. In 2000, they began implementing a program here to identify and rehabilitate the existing kahrizes. >> YUNIS IBRAGIMOV: I heard that they were looking for kankans. One day someone knocked on my door. He said that they needed my help to fix a kahriz. When we discussed my salary I said that I would do it for any amount of money. >> VOICEOVER: As Yunis began training dozens of young people on the art and science of building kahrizes, IOM staff inspected hundreds of abandoned wells, explored many kilometres of tunnels and examined historical documents and blueprints. >> YUNIS IBRAGIMOV: The first thing you do is to put small stones in the water, more or less the size of my hand. The second layer of stones should be slightly larger. >> YOUNG KANKAN: I started as a worker, now I am a master. From him I learnt to build walls, measure water flows and prevent structure collapse. >> VOICEOVER: It takes years to learn how to become a master kankan. It's hard work and many apprentices find it utterly frightening. >> YUNIS IBRAGIMOV: It's a difficult and dangerous work and it's not easy for young people to learn the skills. I have worked for decades and it's still a challenge for me. >> VOICEOVER: The dangers go well beyond the poisonous snakes that move below ground to escape the intense outside heat. Gas and tunnel collapse have taken the life of kankans in the past. But the profession is seen with great respect and admiration by the people here. The fact is that without these irrigation systems nothing could grow and no one could live here. But for many communities here, the kahriz is more than just a communal water source. It's a way of life. In the ancient mountain village of Yuxari Aylis, a sunnat toyu -- a circumcision party -- is taking place. It's a momentous event in the life of this young man and the village comes together to celebrate it. Two thousand people live here and almost all depend on kahrizes. People like farmer Xanim Qasimova. She's expecting guests today and goes to her kahriz to store fruit juices and fetch water for tea. Xanim keeps her perishable foods here as temperature inside the tunnels are always cool, whatever time of the year it is. The water that comes from a source way up the mountains is pure and refreshing. >> XANIM QASIMOVA: I would not give up my kahriz for anything. For no amount of money. During the hot summer I go to sit there. That place means everything to me. >> VOICEOVER: Since the beginning of IOM's project, 100 kankans have been trained and are now working full time. Almost 70 kahrizes have been rehabilitated. Each renovation cost, on average, USD$12,000, a pittance compared to funds needed for building new water distribution systems. Kahrizes have proven to be sustainable and eco-friendly, providing pure water all year around without the need for external energy sources. Since their rebirth, agricultural production in Nakhchivan has increased, and so has employment. This is a clear example of traditional technology helping to solve one of today's most crucial problems: how to make sure that drinking water will continue to be available to future generations. >> DALJIT DHALIWAL: And that's all for this edition of 21st Century. We will see you next time. Until then, goodbye. >> TITLE: 21st Century a production of United Nations Television Department of Public Information http://www.viewchange.org/videos/explore-hebron <p>In Hebron, human rights organization B'Tselem is giving children video cameras to document their daily lives, hoping that it will lessen violence between Palestinians and Jews.</p> Thu, 17 Jun 2010 00:00:06 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/explore-hebron B'Tselem, Oren Yakobovich, West Bank, Israeli-occupied territories, Hebron, Israeli settlement, Israel, Second Intifada, Israel Defense Forces, Charles Annenberg Weingarten >> TITLE: explore >> TITLE: explore went on a philanthropic fact-finding mission to Hebron to observe the state of human rights in this contentious city. >> TITLE: Hebron >> CHARLES ANNENBERG WEINGARTEN [Founder, explore]: We were invited to tour the city of Hebron, in the West Bank, by a human rights organization known as B'Tselem. Our guide in Hebron was Oren Yakobovich. Once an officer in the Israeli army, Oren was so affected by the situation in the West Bank that he joined B'Tselem. He brought us to Hebron to show us just how bad things have gotten. Following the Second Intifada, which started in 2000, the Israeli army had kept a constant force here, and restricted movement of Arab residents. >> TITLE: Intifada is an Arabic word for "uprising." It literally means "shaking off." >> OREN YAKOBOVICH [Director of Video, B'Tselem]: All right, you see we're walking now where the Palestinians can walk. Here, the Palestinians can walk. And then they have to take a left. And they have a certain gate. And it's not that it's open from here out. It's just one certain point that they go through and go back to H1, to where the rest of the Palestinians are living. >> TITLE: Hebron has been divided into two areas: H1 and H2. >> OREN YAKOBOVICH: You see all these houses around? You see how everything is closed? So you can see easily that there is hardly any life here. >> TITLE: The restriction of movement is so great that most Palestinians have left the H2 area. >> CHARLES ANNENBERG WEINGARTEN: The abandoned area is now being settled by what many call extremist Jews, who claim the land was stolen from them after the horrific massacre of 67 Jews in 1929. >> SIGN: These buildings were constructed on land purchased by the Hebron Jewish community in 1807. This land was stolen by Arabs following the murder of 67 Hebron Jews in 1929. We demand justice! Return our property to us! -- The Jewish Community of Hebron. >> OREN YAKOBOVICH: You see the same system running all over the West Bank. You see separation of the population, you see restriction of movement. >> TITLE: You must be at least 13 years old to be charged with a criminal act in Israel. >> CHARLES ANNENBERG WEINGARTEN: It's so weird. >> OREN YAKOBOVICH: And they're running free! >> CHARLES ANNENBERG WEINGARTEN: I know, it's so bizarre. These kids are going through like it's just normal, you know? >> OREN YAKOBOVICH: You know, the kids here are part of the game and part of the war. Because if you are a child and you're below 13, you cannot, they cannot charge you with a criminal act. So what they're doing, the father and the mother will say, "Go!" And they send them. The children will attack me. >> MAN: They attack you? >> OREN YAKOBOVICH: Yeah. But the kids, you cannot do anything about them. So, you know you're filming and suddenly you're getting hit on the ass or on the leg or on the stomach, and you see kids. That's who are hitting you. >> CHARLES ANNENBERG WEINGARTEN: The sad part is what you realize is ... so the kids already at such a young age are being bred into believing this is the way of life. The situation has grown particularly difficult in the Tel Rumeida area of Hebron, where a Jewish settlement lies across the street from the last Muslim home in the area. Notice the caged house. The Abu 'Ayesha family lives caged in their own home to protect themselves from the frequent harassment from the settlers across the street. We were fortunate enough to be invited in for tea, to hear the Abu 'Ayesha story, and about the program developed by B'Tselem to help the situation. >> MAN: God and our beloved prophet Muhammad taught us to accommodate our neighbors. He did not ask the neighbor if they were Muslim or Jewish or Christian. He made room for his neighbors and helped them. We are supposed to help the neighbors and generally take care of them. I have grapes, peaches, and cucumbers in my orchards and I used to bring them home and would always share some with them. With these settlers, other Jews would refuse to live with them. They would refuse. An official once asked me: "If there is peace, would you live with the settlers?" And I told him that not even other Jews would live with these settlers. >> CHARLES ANNENBERG WEINGARTEN: Tell me, how did you come up with this program, "Shooting Back"? >> OREN YAKOBOVICH: At B'Tselem, a vision, or the idea that we are trying to create, we're trying to bring stories from the West Bank, from human rights violations to the media. To evoke for the improvement of human rights. And one day me and Karim were driving here, and Karim told me, this family here, they've got to have a camera, because they are getting so much hassle here. Because they're just, you know, a few meters from the settlement and they're getting so much problems, and stones been thrown on them, and they cannot walk in the streets. They had no proof. They had no proof. They know I have to prove it because everybody's saying, "No, no, no, it's not possible, it's not happening," and nobody saw it. And then we gave a camera to the family here, taught them how to film with the camera -- a very simple digital camera, it's not that expensive anymore. You know, you can give them away, you don't have to be a professional, you're getting a good shot. We gave the children the camera and I told them, "Just shoot your life. Just shoot what's happening with you," you know? And then once in a while we come here and we see what they're shooting, and we get a massive footage, documenting what's happening with them. One of the famous ones was a clip, a one-minute clip, a girl from the family, she's 16, was filming, when settlers from here tried to lock her in the room here. >> WOMAN: Close the door. >> VOICE: Stay out of this! >> OREN YAKOBOVICH: She's come here and tried to close the door, and they're shouting at her that she's a whore, she's a whore. >> WOMAN: Whore! Whore! >> OREN YAKOBOVICH: And I got back this footage by mistake. I came a few days after because of something else, I got the footage, I saw it, and sometimes the family even don't realize how extreme their life is. People who are living at these checkpoints near the wall, near ... in refugee camps, they're suffering from the invasion of the army on a daily basis, not realizing how difficult their life is. And people never saw how they're living, because usually when the filming crew comes, or when the news channels will come, it will never be the same. Things will change. Everybody will act and behave differently. And with the camera, when they have the camera, and they have their own life and they can document ... we have footage at night where soldiers are shouting and singing to them from here, we have footage of stones being thrown at the family, cursing at the family. It's something that only the family can feel. >> MAN: And it's very interesting to know that since we bring the cameras to the family, the violence of the neighbors, the settlers, became down. >> OREN YAKOBOVICH: Reduced. Went down. >> MAN: Because they are afraid from these cameras and the things which they produce, the children of the family. >> CHARLES ANNENBERG WEINGARTEN: Well, yeah, I mean, if you think about it, you know, children are innocent. That's what's so sad about this whole thing, actually. It's like sweet kids right here. It's unbelievable. And they'll be fueled with hatred, in no time. But when you hand a child a camera, he's not going to try to manipulate anyone. It's just, like you said, he's just playing, and showing his life. I mean, there's no angle. I'm not trying to say anything's right or wrong, it's just what is. And so, wow, so you've been using a video camera, basically, as a first line of defense. >> OREN YAKOBOVICH: Exactly. We called this project Shooting Back, because there is only weapons. The Palestinians can fight, and in the end, I think, we'll achieve something. >> TITLE: explore.org >> TITLE: With the support of the Annenberg Foundation, explore has made funding possible to: B'Tselem. For more information: www.btselem.org http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef-youth-radio-initiative-in-lao-pdr Laos National Radio and UNICEF support a weekly radio program ran by youngsters in Luang Prabang. The show, &ldquo;Smile of Hope,&rdquo; is part of a four-year-old initiative that is giving young people a chance to reach out to others like themselves, via the airwaves. Wed, 09 Jun 2010 20:47:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef-youth-radio-initiative-in-lao-pdr Laos, Health, Southeast Asia, Luang Prabang, Youth, Lao National Radio, UNICEF, Technology >> VOICEOVER: Going live on air tends to be a nerve-wracking experience. But there’s a quiet assurance about the youngsters who run this weekly radio show in provincial Laos. The program is called “Smile of Hope.” It's part of a four-year-old initiative, run by Lao National Radio with backing from UNICEF, that’s giving young people like Pany and Denphachanh a chance to reach out to others like themselves, via the airwaves. >> PANY [Laos Youth Radio]: Up until now, we’ve done programs about immunization, but soon we will include other issues like hygiene and sanitation, avian flu, and education. >> DENPHACHANH [Laos Youth Radio]: There’s nothing sensitive, even when we talk about drug addiction, it's acceptable for the youth program. >> VOICEOVER: When they’re not in the studio, the youth radio team is going out to the community, using their skills as live performers to promote the same messages that they put on the air. The puppet show is always a big hit, especially with the younger members of the audience. Events like this, spread over a weekend to ensure maximum participation, are designed to change the habits and beliefs of centuries, and thereby boost the health and well being of children. Humor is a key weapon in getting the message across. Here, the radio team plays the part of seven childhood diseases that are vanquished thanks to the power of immunization. But even while the show goes on, Pany and another colleague are back in the role of radio reporters, gathering the interviews and other material they will need for their next show. It’s in encounters like this, with ordinary villagers, that the impact of their work becomes clear. >> HOUMPANH VITHAYAPHONE [Luang Prabang Radio]: It’s very important that young people here in Luang Prabang can contribute in providing information about immunization and other issues that affect the social and economic development of the province. >> VOICEOVER: This is only one of ten provincial stations now hosting youth programs, in addition to a national youth radio show that was launched recently. Clear evidence that in Laos, the power of youth radio is yet to be fully tapped. This is Simon Ingram in Laos, reporting for UNICEF. Unite for children. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unia_0880 <p>People who are blind and partially sighted have traditionally struggled to take advantage of digital technology, particularly in developing countries. But a new Adaptive Technology Center in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa is changing that.&nbsp;</p> Fri, 28 May 2010 21:20:36 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unia_0880 Blindness, Ethiopia, UNESCO, International Telecommunication Union, Addis Ababa, United Nations, Economic development, UN in Action, Information technology, Technology >> VOICEOVER: Graduation day for a special group of people. Despite being blind or visually impaired, they've recently completed a course in computer use. For years, people with similar disabilities around the world were deprived of the benefits brought about by digital technology. Now computers can literally speak, making them accessible to those who can't see. In Ethiopia, in the Horn of Africa, for example, more than 500,000 people are blind. Millions of others are living with varying degrees of partial loss of sight. To help the blind and visually impaired take advantage of computer know-how and skills, the Adaptive Technology Center for the Blind was established in Addis Ababa four years ago. The General Manager of the center is Tamiru Ewnetu. >> TAMIRU EWNETU: This technology is new for our country, and many blind people are using it nowadays in their offices and schools, and they are accessing information independently: reading and writing. >> VOICEOVER: With support from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the center acquired new computers and adaptive devices such as voice synthesizers and Braille printers. Head of the ITU Regional Office for Africa is Brahima Sanou. >> BRAHIMA SANOU: It's part of the framework of our activities, the framework of our pilot projects, to actually help and show to the whole community worldwide in Geneva in December how information technologies can be used today. >> VOICEOVER: The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, provided funds for training. Thirty-four blind people have been trained in the use of the new technology. One of them is 37-year-old lawyer, Metmku Yohannes. >> METMKU YOHANNES: This technology gave me an access that I didn't have before to the Internet and a lot of other information. And also it made me self-supporting. >> VOICEOVER: Temesgen Mulleta is also blind. He has been employed by the Ministry of Mines for 21 years. He's already using the adaptive technology he acquired through the training. His job's been made easier and his productivity enhanced. If they are given a chance, the blind and visually impaired can play a more constructive role in the socio-economic development of their countries. Making the information technology available to them will be among the issues to be discussed at the ITU-sponsored World Summit on the Information Society to be held in December this year in Geneva, Switzerland. This report was prepared by Kamil Taha for the United Nations. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unia-0175 <p>The Arms for Arms program is a unique recycling project, one that turns decommissioned weapons into prosthetic limbs for victims of conflict. This video tells the story of Elba Garcia, a Nicaraguan woman who lost an arm when she was caught in crossfire between Sandinistas and Contras.&nbsp;</p> Wed, 26 May 2010 00:52:24 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unia-0175 World Rehabilitation Fund, Artificial limb, United Nations, Nicaragua, Prosthesis, Central America, Contras, Sandinista National Liberation Front, Nicaraguan Revolution, UN in Action >> VOICEOVER: Elba Garcia arrives at the World Rehabilitation Clinic in Honduras. It's a very special day for her. Two years ago she lost an arm. Selling goods along the border with Nicaragua, Elba got caught in a crossfire between Sandinistas and Contras. She's spent weeks at the clinic learning how to operate her prosthetic arm. So far, her story could be that of thousands of people receiving artificial limbs all over the globe. But Elba's new arm, like all the limbs produced here, are quite different from any other prosthesis in the world. >> VOICEOVER: The peak of the Nicaraguan demobilization in April 1990. UN soldiers disarmed the Contras, destroyed their weapons, and sent the former resistance fighters back home to civilian life. Remaining was a mountain of useless weapons. The United Nations decided that the tools of devastation could be utilized to serve the process of peace and reconstruction. Ten tons of scrapped weapons were donated to the World Rehabilitation Fund to be turned into artificial limbs. The program Arms for Arms as part of the organization's work in 153 countries. The metal components of the weapons are ideal for use in prosthetic devices, says center director Mike McGee. >> MIKE MCGEE: They have to be made of hardened steel. They have to be durable. They have to be usually of very high-quality materials, because they're going to take a lot of use and may be not be so well cared for, so that they have to be able to operate under any condition. >> VOICEOVER: The donation has made it possible for the center to cut dramatically manufacturing costs for otherwise very expensive prosthesis. The scrapped metal has also helped speed up the production process. Parts of the guns can be taken out and used almost immediately with only minor adjustments. The rod from an AK-47 assault rifle is carefully re-shaped to become the hooks for Elba Garcia's arm. Therapy at the center is aimed not only at physical disabilities, but also at addressing the mental problems of civilians wounded in the wars in Central America. It's a special day because, after weeks of therapy, Elba finally graduates to receiving her own prosthesis, modeled exactly to replace the arm she lost. She's intrigued by the thought that she might be wearing spare parts from the very same weapon that caused her injury. >> ELBA GARCIA: I can't help thinking that the rifle that wounded me also changed my life and gave me my new hand. >> VOICEOVER: Elba signs out to a more comfortable life. She's told her family that she's bringing back an amazing toy. But that's not all she's taking home. At the center, she met Candido Monge, who was there to get an artificial leg. They're now planning to get married. This has been a report from the United Nations. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unia-0872 <p>An innovative solar experiment is helping to bring electricity to a remote part of Swaziland for the first time, powering classrooms, water pumps, and even the community's first pay phone.&nbsp;</p> Wed, 26 May 2010 00:52:24 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unia-0872 Solar power, Africa, UNESCO, Manzini District, Southern Africa, United Nations, Swaziland, Renewable energy, UN in Action, Foreign Assistance >> VOICEOVER: In rural Africa, most villages are still without electricity. One of them is the village of Mphaphati in the Manzini region in the landlocked Southern African kingdom of Swaziland. The nearest electricity line is more than five kilometers away from the community, and there are no plans to extend it. In cooperation with a number of government agencies including the Ministries of Education and Natural Resources and Energy, in 1998 UNESCO selected Mphaphati for the Solar Village project. Piet Nkosi is from the Renewable Energy Office: >> PIET NKOSI: The Solar Village was a concept of UNESCO. They are the ones who funded the project and they asked the ministry to choose a school that would benefit from solar power. >> VOICEOVER: Through batteries charged by the solar panels, there's enough power to light all classrooms of the primary school in the village for several hours a day. Teachers are also able to use audiovisual equipment in their classroom instruction. The panels also provide enough power to light the school surroundings, to discourage break-ins and vandalism. The teachers' lounge and living quarters are also supplied with electricity. And modern communications are now easy to use. The availability of solar power made it possible for the only shop in the village to install a solar-powered pay phone. This important communication service is a blessing for the local community. The community vegetable garden is another beneficiary of the solar power. For years, irrigation water had to be carried from the river to the plots. It's hard and time-consuming work. A water pump run by power generated by solar panels now pumps water from the river to a storage tank above the garden. The constant availability of irrigation water has increased the garden's yield. Members of the community are pleased with the results says Regina Hleta, chairman of the group. >> REGINA HLETA: With the availability of water, we are able to cultivate more. Now we have a few more vegetables at home to eat and sell the surplus. >> VOICEOVER: To avoid theft and vandalism to the solar panels, the group is being provided with a portable system. The panels have to be dismantled and reinstalled when they're used. Providing basic electricity requirements to rural areas is a step in the right direction for sustainable rural development in one of the poorest countries in Africa. With continued assistance from the international community, Swaziland hopes to improve the standard of living of its rural population. This report was prepared by Kamil Taha for the United Nations.