http://viewchange.org Videos from ViewChange.org (Filtered by topics: Water & Sanitation) en-us Tue, 12 Jun 2012 08:27:00 +0000 Copyright 2011 Link Media, Inc. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/the-health-show-pure-water-in-two-minutes The Health Show interviews Timothy Whitehead, the inventor of a water bottle that makes water safe to drink in two minutes using a filter and UV light. Tue, 12 Jun 2012 08:27:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/the-health-show-pure-water-in-two-minutes Water & Sanitation, Sub-Saharan Africa, Water security, Water supply, Water, Portable water purification, Ultraviolet, United Kingdom, Ayan Panja, Purified water >> DR. AYAN PANJA: Nearly nine hundred million people around the world don't have access to safe drinking water. It's a huge problem, not just for local people, but travelers. It's an issue that's been worrying Timothy Whitehead, who's with me now. Tim, how did you become concerned about this?>> TIMOTHY WHITEHEAD [Inventor, Pure Water Technology]: I was traveling in Zambia a couple of years ago, and I just saw there's so little water there. People relied on chlorine and iodine tablets to sterilize water, which takes a long time, and it just tastes horrible. So I thought there must be a better solution.>> DR. AYAN PANJA: And you've come up with a device to tackle this, haven't you.>> TIMOTHY WHITEHEAD: I have, yes. I designed a water bottle -- this is part of my degree project -- which filters and sterilizes water within two minutes. >> DR. AYAN PANJA: Wow, should we have a look at how it works?>> TIMOTHY WHITEHEAD: Yeah. So it's got two chambers, an outer one and an inner one, and we first fill up the outer one from our lake, stream, or dirty puddle.>> DR. AYAN PANJA: Yes.>> TIMOTHY WHITEHEAD: And let's just say it's a bit of a dirty lake, so put some soil in it.>> DR. AYAN PANJA: Yeah, looks like lake water to me, yeah, for sure.>> TIMOTHY WHITEHEAD: And then just like a cafeteria, you take the inner chamber, and you plunge it down, and the filter at the bottom will get rid of all the sediment and yuck from the water, so it becomes clear.>> DR. AYAN PANJA: Oh yes, fantastic. And what about the bacteria that are left there, what happens to that?>> TIMOTHY WHITEHEAD: So then we've got a UV bulb, I don't know if you can see that, suspended in the middle.>> DR. AYAN PANJA: Oh yes.>> TIMOTHY WHITEHEAD: And that sterilizes the water. So there we have the bulb.>> DR. AYAN PANJA: Yeah, you can see it lighting up there. And you do this for how long?>> TIMOTHY WHITEHEAD: This is for ninety seconds. The UV light disrupts the DNA of the viruses or bacteria in the water, and that renders them harmless, so they're safe for us to drink. There, and I think that's just about ninety seconds.>> DR. AYAN PANJA: Brilliant. Should we give it a go?>> TIMOTHY WHITEHEAD: Yeah, do you want to...?>> DR. AYAN PANJA: Excellent. Yeah, let's have a taste. I'm intrigued. I'll take a sip after you take a sip. Excellent. Cheers.>> TIMOTHY WHITEHEAD: Cheers.>> DR. AYAN PANJA: It's pretty drinkable, actually. It's no different from what comes out of the tap, really. And who do you think is going to use this, in the main?>> TIMOTHY WHITEHEAD: I think it's primarily for disaster scenarios, tsunamis or anything where there's lots of water around, but you just can't drink it. And with this, you could just filter and sterilize it within two minutes and it'd be safe to drink.>> DR. AYAN PANJA: Fantastic. And have you had it tested scientifically for effectiveness?>> TIMOTHY WHITEHEAD: Yes. I'd carried out tests at Loughborough University, looking at the combination filter and the ultraviolet light, and we did e.coli bacterial tests, and it sterilized 99.9 percent of known viruses and bacteria. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/the-health-show-cholera-introduced-to-haiti A cholera outbreak in post-earthquake Haiti has affected half a million people in just six months. While the Haitian government scrambles to build sanitation infrastructure to break the cycle of disease, health workers rely on education. Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:16:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/the-health-show-cholera-introduced-to-haiti Haiti, Water & Sanitation, Cholera, Public health, Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Partners In Health, Artibonite River, Physician, Nepal >> TITLE: The Health Show >> VOICEOVER: Rosaline Duvantine is very ill. She can barely walk. A hundred people with symptoms like hers come to this cholera center for treatment every day. Five thousand people have died and almost half a million have fallen ill in just six months. >> DR. RALPH TERNIER [Partners in Health, Haiti]: We discovered a lot of new cases of diarrhea, which appeared, by the symptom, it was cholera. >> DOCTOR: Are you feeling ill? >> ROSALINE: Yes. >> DOCTOR: How many times did you go to the toilet? >> ROSALINE: Many times. >> DOCTOR: Were you sick? >> ROSALINE: Yes. >> DOCTOR: How many times did you vomit? >> ROSALINE: Many times. >> VOICEOVER: Patients have to share beds. >> DR. RALPH TERNIER: We are lacking beds. Normally this site is fit for 25 beds, so we're doubling right now. >> VOICEOVER: The disease is contracted by eating or drinking food or water contaminated with cholera bacteria. This causes severe diarrhea and vomiting. Rosaline is quickly put on rehydration therapy. All patients with cholera symptoms are isolated in these wards and treated with antibiotics and fluids. As desperate as these people look, this fast response has slowed the spread of the disease. It means fewer people are dying. But it's a short-term solution. >> VOICEOVER: Haiti had been free of cholera for over a century. Scientific reports, including one published by the US Centers for Disease Control, strongly suggest the source of this outbreak was a battalion of United Nations peacekeepers from Nepal, operating from this base in October 2010. A South Asian strain of cholera contaminated the nearby Artibonite river, and beyond. >> DR. RALPH TERNIER: The river next to the camps was infected. Now it spread into all the country. The experts said that we're going to have cholera for years. >> VOICEOVER: Poor sanitary conditions speed the spread of cholera bacteria. A million earthquake survivors are still living in tents, with no access to reliable sanitation or clean water. The government has started to build its first solid waste treatment plant. >> WILSTON ETIENNE [Department of Water and Sanitation, Haiti]: It will be a huge improvement for Haiti. It's a facility where all the excrement can be disposed of. It can go through a treatment process, so any excrement which potentially has cholera it will be contained, it will be treated, so that it's not disposed of maybe as is currently being done in canals and ravines. >> VOICEOVER: It's this kind of structural development that is needed to break the cycle of disease. Back at the emergency treatment center, health workers take an extra preventative step before discharging patients. They're teaching them how to sterilize water. >> NURSE: Take home these sachets of tablets. Use them to make your water clean. I will show you how. Remember to wash your hands with soap and water. >> VOICEOVER: It will take a long time to create a basic sanitation system for Haiti. But changing people's habits through education is also vital to keep millions of people safe from this highly contagious disease. 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/the-health-show-the-gulper Eighty percent of Dar es Salaam's population lives in unregulated settlements, forced to rely on smelly and hazardous pit latrines. "The Gulper" is transforming the way those latrines are emptied, improving the health of the whole community. Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:57:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/the-health-show-the-gulper Tanzania, Health, Dar es Salaam, Water & Sanitation, Cholera, Sewage, Toilet, Water supply, Feces, Latrine >> 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. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/trachoma-preventing-and-treating-blindness Trachoma is the leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide, a painful sensation caused by bacteria that feels like sand stuck beneath the eyelid. Helen Keller International is advancing techniques and knowledge to treat and prevent this disease. Thu, 06 Oct 2011 08:30:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/trachoma-preventing-and-treating-blindness Trachoma, Sub-Saharan Africa, Trichiasis, Water & Sanitation, Tanzania, Africa, Blindness, Mtwara Region, Eyelash, Eyelid >> TITLE: Helen Keller International >> TITLE: Complex problems, simple solutions: Trachoma: preventing and treating blindness. >> PETER NYANDA [HKI Coordinator, Eye Health]: Trachoma is an infectious disease that affects the upper eyelid of a human being. A bacterium causes it, and it affects most people in places where there is a lack of proper hygiene and sanitation. If you are suffering from trachoma, when the eyelashes are blinking they cause scarring of the cornea of the eyes. >> AMINA FAKIHI [Tandahimba District, Mtwara, Tanzania]: At night, in the afternoon, all the time. I wipe my eyes but nothing comes out. It seems like there is sand in them, but nothing comes out. >> PETER NYANDA: The more you blink, the more pain there is, every second of your life until you get treated. >> AMINA FAKIHI: If I am treated and I am able to see, I will be very grateful. >> TITLE: Complex problems, simple solutions: Trachoma is the number one cause of preventable blindness in the world. Trichiasis, the last phase of this disease, causes blindness that can be corrected through surgery. HKI trains surgeons, provides antibiotics, and educates communities to reduce blindness from trachoma. >> PIRMIN NYERIO [Nurse, Trichiasis Specialist]: Most people who are affected by this disease do not have the capacity to access the medical services that are available. For those patients of trichiasis, if they don't have any place to get service, they usually take a small knife to cut the eyelashes. That technique relieves pain temporarily, but the eyelashes are very sharp after being cut, so they eyelashes are rubbing the cornea and one is becoming blind from trachoma. One principle of saving the blind is you as care provider have to follow the blind patient to give the service. There were no surgeons in hard to reach areas, so we thought of training surgeons so the patients could benefit from their service. >> PETER NYANDA: During the selection of trainees, we made sure that trainees come from the grassroots level. The majority of them are clinical officers, so they meet the community each and every day. They are the community doctors, if you will. So they play a major role in addressing trachoma at the local level. >> PIRMIN NYERIO: In our district we sent four surgeons and they've already been trained. If the procedure was done very nicely, there is no chance of recurrence. If the surgery is successful, I feel nice because they'll say, "Oh, that's a good surgeon!" >> TITLE: Complex problems, simple solutions: HKI helps prevent trachoma by empowering communities to take control of their own health. >> FROWIN CHITTANDA [HKI Program Officer, Eye Health]: The School Health Program is a key program. HKI is trying to educate children to give them knowledge on the disease so that they can take preventive measures so they don't contract the disease. The simple kind of face wash can help them to prevent trachoma. Just a simple face wash. >> PETER NYANDA: Primary school kids can be very good ambassadors to the rest of the communities. They can bring the message home. Development can work better if it starts from within. >> FROWIN CHITTANDA: With international efforts put together, you can always dream of success in the future. >> TITLE: Helen Keller International, www.hki.org. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/kiberatv-kdi-cleans-up-kibera Kounkey Design Initiative is a unique organization that collaborates with communities in impoverished areas to create public spaces that improve quality of life. They've teamed up with the residents in one of Kibera's poorest areas to turn a dump into a community center and daycare facility. Wed, 31 Aug 2011 08:23:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/kiberatv-kdi-cleans-up-kibera Kenya, Water & Sanitation, Environment, Mashimoni, Laini Saba, Africa, Kibera, Nairobi, KiberaTV, Hot Sun Foundation >> TITLE: KiberaTV >> WILFRED MASEA [Reporter]: KDI [Kounkey Design Initiative] is an organization in Kibera that is working with the community and educating the community on how to improve their environment and also how to generate income through small projects. KDI has been undertaking different kinds of projects in the community. Chelina Odbert, the organization's CEO, has now started up a new project on sanitation. The residents of Kibera Laini Saba gathered all around to do the clean up and to build a new site for this project. >> MARY NGONYO [Laina Saba Resident]: Today, us women of Kibera Mashimoni have gathered together to do the clean up. The reason for the clean up is that we want to start a new project on sanitation. As residents, we are working on this project to avoid sickness and disease. >> JEAN [Business Consultant, KDI]: I'm Jean, I'm here today working with KDI. Today we're cleaning up the site. This site was a major dumping ground for a lot of people in the area, and what we're doing is we're going to build a series of projects here. We've talked to the community, we've had several meetings, and we've asked them what they wanted. They said they wanted a toilet, they said they wanted a place that they could meet, they wanted a daycare for their children, they wanted a playground. So today is the first day that we're actually working on the ground to help clean up the site and set up the foundation to build these things for the community. >> WILFRED MASEA: Laini Saba, which is widely known as one of the non-secure villages in Kibera and is full of dumping sites, today experienced a new kind of idea. >> BERNARD ASANYA [Laina Saba Resident]: Disposal of garbage everywhere and a lack of toilets is the reason for today's project. Today we've kicked off this new project so that we can build toilets and create a good site for the residents. The residents have gathered together is large numbers to support this project. We have around 150 residents who have come out for this clean up project. >> JEAN: My hope is that there will be a physical place where the community can meet, that they community will become closer, and that they will be able to interact with each other better and also become economically stronger. >> WILFRED MASEA: As KDI is trying to educate the community; many are having good thoughts for tomorrow. Wilfred Masea, KiberaTV, Nairobi, Kenya. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/viewchange-challenging-hunger Chronic hunger affects one billion people around the world on a daily basis. How are aid groups, rural farmers, and other innovators working together to feed the planet? Find out in this special from Bread for the World and ViewChange.org. Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:00:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/viewchange-challenging-hunger Agriculture & Food, Bread for the World, Mexico, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Microfinance, Water & Sanitation, Drought, Muhammad Yunus, Grameen Bank >> VOICEOVER: Next up: two migrant farmers get a new chance to grow their own food, to make a living wage, and to return to Mexico and their families. From Ethiopia to Bangladesh, see how aid groups and entrepreneurs are working to put hunger out of business in this special report from Bread for the World and ViewChange.org.>> VOICEOVER: Having enough to eat is a basic human right, one that almost a billion people don?t have. That?s a billion people who go for days and weeks without enough food to feed themselves and their families. In the poorest regions of the world, chronic hunger is a steady drumbeat of life. >> TITLE: Hunger around the world: Asia/Pacific: 578 million, Sub-Saharan Africa: 239 million, Latin America/Caribbean: 53 million, Near East/North Africa: 37 million, Developed Countries: 19 million. >> VOICEOVER: And it?s a situation that becomes even direr in emergencies. Right now, across the horn of Africa, droughts have triggered a food emergency so desperate that more than ten million people are relying on food aid. But chronic hunger doesn?t have to be the status quo. Smart investments from governments and aid groups are helping the hungry to weather the worst emergencies and become resilient against future crises. And the ripple effects of hunger are huge. Take Mexico, for example. Every year, thousands of migrants see the US as the last option for finding work to feed their families. But in this story from Bread for the World, two men are given a new choice: to stay in their country.>> TITLE: Stay, Bread for the World, Mexico>> TITLE: Chiapas, Mexico>> MARVIN GARCIA SALAS [Comitan, Chiapas, Mexico]: I was happy yesterday. You know why? I was waiting in the street outside the hospital, and a group of students said, "Come! Have a little bit of coffee and some bread." If society had the same attitude, the world would be better.>> TITLE: Oaxaca, Mexico>> SANTIAGO CRUZ [San Miguel Huautla, Oaxaca, Mexico]: Unfortunately, the government has abandoned the Mexican countryside. The results are never good. I decided to migrate [to North America] because I have a large family and there isn't any money in this community, there are no sources of income, nothing. >> TITLE: Sixty percent of unauthorized immigration to the US comes from Mexico. They come to escape poverty. In 2009, 96 percent of US foreign assistance to Mexico went toward military and drug enforcement. Investing in rural areas of Mexico instead can help reduce the pressure to migrate.>> TITLE: Stay: Migration and poverty in rural Mexico>> TITLE: Permanecer: Migración y pobreza en el México rural >> MARVIN GARCIA SALAS: The reason I went to the US was because I wanted to progress. Not that I didn?t have work here, but peoples? stories made it sound so much easier to earn money in the United States. That was the reason my family agreed it would be better to try my luck there. And I went there for the first time in 1998. My wife Victoria stayed here with the kids. I made it across the border, but it was a really bad experience. For example, when I was at the border, when I was crossing, I was robbed by bandits, "cholos." It was a bitter experience. I had different jobs. I picked tomatoes. I picked chilies. And in six months, I was able to save 8,000 pesos [USD$675]. Eight thousand pesos, here in Mexico, I couldn?t make that in six months.>> TITLE: After returning to Mexico due to health issues, Marvin and his wife bought land in Chiapas with the help of a US nonprofit called AGROS. Today, Marvin and his wife grow the crops that support their family. >> MARVIN GARCIA SALAS: We found land that we can work on. Victoria and I were excited about this from the very beginning. It was a project to help people help themselves. It hasn?t been easy. We need more resources.>> TITLE: Marvin?s wife, Victoria, is a community activist who sometimes works out of town for many days. Which means Marvin is often the family?s primary caretaker. >> MARVIN GARCIA SALAS: She has had responsibilities that have been difficult for me. Now that my children are older, it?s easier. But when they were smaller I had to take care of them. I had to cook or change their diapers. There were moments when they were little that I had to carry them because they were crying or feeling bad. Sometimes people were saying, ?Why are you doing domestic work, women?s work?? And I said: ?I feel good. Both of us are parents to these children. We both have to take care of them.? I want to do a lot of things. But unfortunately, there are some barriers that don?t let us develop.>> SUSAN BIRD [Program Officer, Ford Foundation, Mexico]: What we see more and more is this - the rite of passage, this idea that young people, specifically, can no longer make it in their communities and it's no longer interesting to them. My name is Susan Bird. I'm a program officer with the Ford Foundation in Mexico. And so they kind of wait for the day that they can leave. That's the saddest thing I think, is the cultural loss. You know, you see communities, entire communities made up of children and grandparents and there's a whole generation that is missing. >> SANTIAGO CRUZ: I hope most of my children don?t migrate. Most of them would live here in my town. In our grandparents' time, our land was more productive. They harvested more. Now the land is deteriorating, depleted. We need more ideas, more techniques, and more innovation to be more productive. It?s difficult, you know? This is a very poor, rural area of Mexico. That?s why I decided to migrate. I looked for the possibility of migrating legally. And I made it to Canada. >> VICTORIA MARTINEZ LOPEZ [Santiago's Wife]: So, he had the opportunity to go. And he left, but I was left behind alone with my children. Among all of us, we divided his chores. That was very hard.>> SANTIAGO CRUZ: The first season was very difficult. I was very lonely. It was very difficult to get used to another country, another culture, you know, the customs. It was difficult.>> VICTORIA MARTINEZ LOPEZ: We were not accustomed to being without him. It felt like he was gone a very long time.>> TITLE: When Santiago returned from Canada in 2008, he and Victoria got involved with CEDICAM http://www.viewchange.org/videos/a-dollar-a-day-bombay-jungle Khurshida Bano and her family live in a slum that is being demolished by the government because of its proximity to a national park. Architect P.K. Das works with the Slum Rehabilitation Authority of Bombay to relocate the slum residents. Will they be able to navigate a bureaucratic system filled with corruption to successfully relocate people like Khurshida? Mon, 20 Jun 2011 08:06:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/a-dollar-a-day-bombay-jungle India, Slum, Governance & Transparency, Water & Sanitation, Mumbai, A Dollar A Day, Poverty reduction, Poverty, Electricity, Economic development >> TITLE: EMF Films and Global Visions & Associates present>> TITLE: A Dollar A Day: Bombay Jungle>> TITLE: A film by Frank Vellenga>> VOICEOVER: Within the city of Bombay, or Mumbai as it is now called, a battle is waging. Like many megacities around the world, as populations grow, space becomes more and more precious. In Bombay, the battle lines are drawn between the "nobodies" and the "somebodies." Ironically, their battlefield is the border area of a vast national park, a hilly area populated by wild animals, and thousands of people who cannot afford to live elsewhere. But now, due to a political decision to reclaim the forest, lifelong squatters are being violently uprooted and forced to move. And unless they can prove they are "somebodies", they have no rights, and no access to shelter and other basic needs.>> MAN 1: The people tried to stop the bulldozers. But they broke our homes. They beat a lot of people. My son also broke his leg. That's what happened.>> MAN 2: On March 27th around 10:30 am the bulldozers came from up there. The people were there by the rim. People from the Congress Party had come. Both men and women had come and formed a human chain. Until about 1 pm they didn't do anything. After that, the police started to beat the people and they started bulldozing. >> P.K. DAS [Architect]: What we have is the city of Mumbai, which is surrounded by sea on almost three sides of it. And you have a profile that then has creeks, and in the heart of it, actually, which is amazing because Mumbai is one such city that has a national park within it, within its boundaries. Now, what is happening is that this national park has been encroached by slums over the years. Some of them have been actually here for over fifty years. The High Court gave a ruling that the national park needs to be protected, and therefore ordered for eviction of over 80,000 families.>> VOICEOVER: Even in the poorest slum areas, systems are created by dwellers to accommodate their basic needs: water, shelter, and a clean spot to relieve themselves. To be evicted from a slum is to be denied even these primal rights.>> KHURSHIDA BANO: Here you can still make ends meet. Two square meals a day are what we barely make. We don't have any land back in the village. Nor do we have anything here. Just this house. We depend on this house only. We all live in this house. Where else can we go? Where will we stay? We don't have that much money. We cannot rent a house. We all live together, even with our grandchildren. Our two sons do everything and look after us.>> KHURSHIDA BANO: Please, give me a bit of bread.>> P.K. DAS: Sadly, the court did not consider the rehabilitation as being important. That's why housing rights organizations like ours got in the picture of demanding rehabilitation as necessarily being a condition prior to demolition. What we finally did was, we negotiated with a private owner who has a piece of land here. This happens to be an exhausted quarry. This rehabilitation is carried out under the principles of the state government. Three players are responsible. The state government contributes sanctions and other facilities of infrastructure. The private developer brings in the investment required for construction. And you have the community of the slum dwellers who are affected. These three form the alliance of the partnership for the slum's redevelopment.>> RAMESH SHAH [Real Estate Developer]: Here we are going to build three towers with two apartments on each floor. This is also for upper-class people. It is a three or four bedroom apartment. Each apartment is about 200 to 260 square meters in size. The total number of people that can live here is 300 to 400 people can live here basically.>> SUMER SHAH: I have to see it first. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?>> VOICEOVER: For Ramesh and his father Sumer, the trade-off for the right to build a luxury apartment complex is to also build low-cost housing for uprooted slum dwellers.>> SUMER SHAH: It is lying with you, what can I tell you? The invitation is with you, so what can I say? Yes, send it to me. My chap is sitting there, so let him take the invitation with him. Yes, send it to me at my residence.>> VOICEOVER: This Bombay "jungle" is not only about the land, it is also about the bureaucratic system that has put the cart before the horse. Long before completing the low-cost housing, bulldozers began the slum demolition, further compromising already shaky living conditions.>> KHURSHIDA BANO: This wall was broken at that time by those bulldozers. The house is totally unbalanced now. It can fall on us any time. This house is not stable anymore. We are staying here at a big risk. The three walls are out of balance, in the living room as well. We are at great risk. We live in fear.>> KHURSHIDA BANO: Mohammed, how much did you pay for the chickens? How much did you pay?>> MOHAMMED: It's 60 kilograms.>> KHURSHIDA BANO: Have you worked out the calculations?>> MOHAMMED: Let me sell some and we'll see.>> KHURSHIDA BANO: But how will you work it out?>> MOHAMMED: Let the sale happen.>> KHURSHIDA BANO: Will we at least break even? We owe people money. How will we manage to get rice and flour?>> MOHAMMED: We will return the money, but let's first earn and then pay back.>> KHURSHIDA BANO: How will we do this? At least work out the logistics.>> MOHAMMED: Let's at least make some sale. We can pay them back once we've made some money. We cannot sell at a loss, you know that.>> SAIRA BANO: Water leaks from everywhere, it's a big problem. I keep vessels here and there. I also cover the roof with plastic, but it is of no use as water seeps in from everywhere. We have been here for a long time now. My husband passed away here. I have two children, they both work. I came here because of my aunt Khurshida, and because of the bad situation in my village. Things were bad there. So I thought why not come to Bombay. Maybe I will be somebody, my kids will have a good life. It was a very poor situation over there. That's why we left.>> TITLE: Chandivali - relocation site for slum dwellers>> P.K. DAS: Look at Mumbai's demography. It's a city of approximately 12 million people. Of the 12 million people approximately 60 percent, that's about 7 to 7.5 million people, live in slums. They constitute the majority of the city's population. Unfortunately, due to lack of planning, we have not provided adequate land for housing of the urban poor.>> RAMESH SHAH: The level is up here. This is seventy-two. This is fifty-nine. The difference is one to one and a half meters.>> P.K. DAS: The idea of clusters, that's what we are working on. In clusters people will live as communities, or as groups together, the way they're used to living in their present areas. Apart from the clusters, we also have little neighborhoods with their own open spaces. Multiple open spaces form the main idea of this plan.>> UJJWAL UKE [CEO, Slum Rehabilitation Authority]: Suppose a railway, a road, or any vital public project has to be built. In such a situation the slum dwellers have to be shifted from that spot to another spot. Here we are having a situation where a whole complex is coming up with various facilities all earmarked for the people of the Sanjay Ghandi National Park. The land is needed by the Forest Department, because encroachments in the forest have to be removed. Instead of keeping them homeless, since these people have been staying here since first January 1995, it is the duty of the government to give them alternative accommodation, as per law.>> P.K. DAS: Let's say this is a slum pocket, filled up with slums. The policy says that the builder, who comes in and re-houses the slum dwellers into a part of this land, provides housing to them. The balance land that is available is then developed and sold in the open market. The profits provide housing for the slum dwellers. This is the logic, the principle. >> UJJWAL UKE: For a period of time the city does need the watchmen, it needs the postmen, the paper deliverymen, the taxi driver. These people can't afford housing of 600 rupees and above. They need houses of a smaller size.>> RAMESH SHAH: In 1990 we started this project. The last two are the end of number one and two Sumer Tower. Then we started with number three and four, and this is number five. I am going to build there also; we've already built Wimlachal Tower. On the next road we are building an identical tower, 22 floors high.>> TITLE: High Court>> VOICEOVER: In order for slum dwellers to be eligible for relocation, there?s a catch -- they have to prove that they?ve lived in the slum since 1995. And in order to prove that, they must verify their identity through official paperwork. The many who cannot produce documentation that proves their status as "somebodies" are caught in a desperate conundrum. Lawyer P.A. Sebastian sees the glaring flaw in a system that defeats the very citizens it relies upon to serve the privileged, and is passionate about helping them get access to their basic needs and fundamental rights as Indians.>> P.A. SEBASTIAN [Lawyer]: There's a system that generates slums. The people who stay in the slums are not responsible for that. The people who denounce them as criminals, trespassers, they are responsible. Their system has generated the slums, because it suits them. It gives them cheap labor and luxury. On 2000 rupees, no person can live in a place of his own which he legally possesses or owns. You can't do that. He has to live. You can demolish their houses because they are illegal. But you can't deport them. If you deport them, if you throw them out of the city, then there is no India. India ceases to exist.>> KHURSHIDA BANO: We did have electricity every now and then, but we do not have a meter here. Sometimes the electricity was given to us directly by the meter people. Then the forest wallahs cut the electricity lines. Now, we haven't had electricity here for three months. Not only in this house. The whole of Krantinagar is without electricity. The Forest people say, "Don't give them water and electricity." Because they are afraid that, once given to these people, they will not move from here anymore.>> VOICEOVER: By denying people shelter, water and electricity, authorities are actually denying their existence. The responsibility is on each individual to prove his or her identity. >> SAIRA BANO: I have to go to that meeting, but I don't have proof of any kind.>> KHURSHIDA BANO: Of course you should go there.>> SAIRA BANO: But how?>> KHURSHIDA BANO: You will not achieve anything sitting at home.>> SAIRA BANO: That's true.>> KHURSHIDA BANO: You need a voting card. Otherwise nothing will happen. You have two kids. You really should go there. Now you don't have a ration card and you are not registered.>> SAIRA BANO: But no one ever told me anything. I have no idea what to do.>> KHURSHIDA BANO: You should go there. Otherwise nothing will happen.>> SAIRA BANO: But who will listen to me?>> KHURSHIDA BANO: Sitting at home, nobody will give you a house. Nobody is going to say, "Here is a house." You have to make an effort. >> VOICEOVER: People who have lost their papers, like Saira, feel so disenfranchised that the extra efforts that have to be made seem overwhelming.>> P.A. SEBASTIAN: They always complain. Residents have no place to walk on the sidewalk because trespassers, illegal occupants, occupy it. They say that the people in the slums pollute the air, and citizens can't breath good air, fresh air, clean air. Which means: They are citizens and residents, but the people in the slums are not citizens and residents. In the last three months not much progress has been made, but in Chandivali houses are being built. How many houses are being built there?>> MAN: Around 16,000 houses is the target. Of which 8,000 will be allocated as soon as possible.>> KHURSHIDA BANO: They have taken the money from us, by fooling us.>> P.A. SEBASTIAN: You can say this in court: That it is has been three months now, and there is still no water or electricity.>> KHURSHIDA BANO: I don't think the court will listen to us. The city just couldn't give us water and electricity. After we paid them, they came to threaten us.>> MAN: They think that you will refuse to move out when they give you water and electricity.>> KHURSHIDA BANO: How can we move away from here when we have nowhere to go?>> VOICEOVER: P.A. Sebastian encourages his clients to keep fighting for their rights and to be sure their papers are in order. Khurshida and Saira heed his advice by checking their status at the Rehousing Registration Office. >> TITLE: Rehousing Registration Office>> KHURSHIDA BANO: These are my papers.>> MAN: Your number is 715.>> KHURSHIDA BANO: That's right.>> MAN: Where is your voting number?>> KHURSHIDA BANO: The voting list is here. There is one from 1990 and one from 1992.>> MAN: And 1995?>> KHURSHIDA BANO: We voted then, but we don't have a receipt of that.>> MAN: Where is the 1995's voting receipt?>> KHURSHIDA BANO: I think this is 1990.>> MAN: There is a verdict by the judge. They will check whether you're on 1995's list as well. You have 1990, but do you have 1995's voting number?>> KHURSHIDA BANO: We have made an application for that.>> SAIRA BANO: My house was demolished, but I rebuilt it. I still live there.>> MAN: Have you paid money?>> SAIRA BANO: Money?>> MAN: To the Forestry people?>> SAIRA BANO: No.>> MAN: But you have a number?>> SAIRA BANO: My papers are -->> MAN: Did they put a number on your house? Even though bulldozers ruined it, you had to remember the number. The Forest guys gave a number to every house. That is, put it in their register. This authorizes a person to a house.>> KHURSHIDA BANO: During the tear down of our homes, there were a lot of police that beat us. They broke all the pots and pans into little pieces. >> MAN: This is forest land. You don't have any rights. The court decided: 1995.>> KHURSHIDA BANO: But they did not even listen to the court. They just started bulldozing. People have died. When Shabana came, they stopped. Thanks to the support we got, we are still here.>> MAN: Listen to what I have to say: I don't want anything from you. When your house is demolished, we will give you a new accommodation. We do it in a different way than the people of the Forestry Department. The Forestry people collected 7,000 rupees and filled their pockets. Their attitude is, "Just drop dead.">> KHURSHIDA BANO: I will look for them. I need those papers to take care of everything. Here they are. These papers need to be laminated. Will you keep an eye on the place?>> KHURSHIDA BANO: I would like to have these two documents laminated. How much will it cost?>> MAN: Twenty rupees.>> KHURSHIDA BANO: When can I get them back?>> MAN: In fifteen minutes. You really have to take care of these papers.>> KHURSHIDA BANO: Yes, that's why I'm having them laminated.>> P.K. DAS: We opposed forced evictions. We demanded that a viable or an acceptable rehabilitation scheme must precede eviction. People have not merely come here to just get a house. They have come to work in the city and earn their living, which they can't earn back in their villages. So it's a question of livelihood. They can't be displaced from their income. It is a basic human right.>> SIGN: Slum Rehabilitation Authority - Reception>> UJJAWAL UKE: The Chief Secretary has given an affidavit in the High Court, and I will also be making an affidavit. Next week we meet and we take a final decision on this matter, because I don't think I can afford any further delays on this project.>> P.K. DAS: But Mr. Uke, this is a very unique example and -- one second. Let's discuss a few larger issues. This is a very unique project. It is a very interesting tripartite. This is going to be a model example for slum rehabilitation, at the same time, clearing up an area of the national park, which needs to be protected.>> UJJWAL UKE: In the past we've always had the SRA and the developer, the SRA and the NGO. This is the first time the three of us have come together for the benefit of the citizens of this city.>> VOICEOVER: While striving to reach their common goal in this unique joint project, tensions arise as each representative protects his organizational interests. Meanwhile, the community continues to wait for decisions to be made.>> MOHAMMED: 250 grams costs you twenty rupees.>> MAN: Give him five rupees. Are you happy now?>> VOICEOVER: As project delays continue, the slums also continue to expand, reaching deeper into the national forest and clashing with its wild inhabitants.>> SIGN: Wild animals in forests dislike sound of mobiles. Please switch off your mobile>> ASHOK KHOT [Ministry of Forestry]: By the end of March we have to remove them. Before that we removed already 20,000 encroachments. All these 60,000 people, when they encroached, along with them the dogs came, the chickens came. Then sheep, goats, then cows, buffalo, all these animals came. Leopards, like any animal, if they can get an easy prey, and for leopards the dog is one of the easiest preys. There were a number of dogs in the area where the attacks were taking place. About fourteen incidents of leopard attacks have taken place, in June. A lot of these attacks were taking place only in a remote place and late at night. I don't think anyone should enter in the forest. In another case, an early morning walker, he went into the deep forest at three o'clock in the morning. He was trying to do yoga. That is not a place to do yoga. Unfortunately he was killed while sitting there. This leopard doesn't attack a large animal, or a man who's walking. If a person is sitting, or if a small child is there, then he doesn't see the difference between a human being and an animal. He wants his prey, so it attacks. It is not the leopard's fault. It is the human being that is encroaching. The men, they're at fault.>> KHURSHIDA BANO: We are the residents of India. We have a right to be here. Everywhere in India, in Maharashtra, Delhi, Calcutta. Since we are born in India, we have every right to stay anywhere freely. Who are these people from the Forest Department to tell us to leave? Is it the property of the people from the Forest Department by birth? Indira Gandhi said India belongs to us all. We made her Prime Minister. She said that the whole of India is ours. Who are these Forest Department people to say that this land belongs to them? Has God decided that?>> WOMAN 1: They release tigers.>> KHURSHIDA BANO: And now our children suffer.>> WOMAN 2: These tigers are not from a circus. The Forestry people release them. There are a lot of tigers there. One tiger is enough to frighten people. They deliberately starve the tiger to death, so that it will attack.>> MAN: We all come from Krantinagar. Our neighborhood has been destroyed. This new housing project is taken shape under supervision of the Nivara Association. These clusters are numbered from one to six. A cluster consists of 16 buildings. On each floor there are seven apartments. The work starts early in the morning. Bamboo scaffolds are there for plastering that starts tomorrow. This means that 80 percent of the work is completed. Please, follow me.>> VOICEOVER: Ramesh pushes to complete the luxury towers. He is doubly invested in finishing them, since he and his father will profit greatly from them and will also live there themselves.>> RAMESH SHAH: This is going to be my living room, and this is going to be my dining. For formal occasions. This is going to be a guest room. This is going to be a regular dining room. A regular dining room for every day. This is going to be for every day and formal dinners over there. The view is excellent. From the Oberoi Hotel to Narriman Point you can see the buildings. I am going to stay here myself also. Nowadays I am staying with my parents. After all, my father is the owner of the house. So, I am going to stay with him. He is not going to stay with me.>> VOICEOVER: While Ramesh makes the luxury building construction his priority, Khurshida and her community must wait, and wait, and wait.>> KHURSHIDA BANO: Sonu, please get me some milk and tea.>> KHURSHIDA BANO: They gave us false hope. They keep on saying we're getting a house soon, but we've been waiting five years. How much longer? We should be informed, for the sake of the future of our children. How much longer will it take? Today they say this, the next day something different. I really don't understand it anymore. I might go crazy here.>> MAN: The mafia and the police are in it together. Both knew precisely to whom this land belonged. Listen to me. Whose place is this? The police. Why would a cop want to sell this place? The mafia and the police let us build our home after taking a bribe from us. I'm telling you the truth.>> SAIRA BANO: We stay until we are being kicked out. When they start to demolish, we will see. Until then we will stay and live here. I don't have any other place to go anyway.>> SIGN: Slum Rehabilitation Authority, Fifth floor>> UJJWAL UKE: This is a joint scheme between the NGO, the developer, and the slum dwellers. You can say this is an agreement between us and the developer. Certain payments have to be made; on behalf of the developer, we are making these payments. We'll receive the check. But you have to pay this gentleman. There he is.>> P.K. DAS: Speaking about the devil.>> UJJWAL UKE: Come in. We were talking about certain things, which was short. Keep it off the record, please. While in this transition, we were talking about certain things, which I'm not officially supposed to tell.>> RAMESH SHAH: Mr. Das, this project we started in 2003. You know you too have to pay money sometimes. Why are you taking so much time? Because of this, the project is delayed.>> P.K. DAS: I'm sorry Ramesh; this decision to delay the project has arbitrarily been taken by you. Let me complete. I'm sorry to intervene.>> RAMESH SHAH: One second. We are talking about money from March and from January.>> P.K. DAS: I've got your point. You have arbitrarily decided to delay the project. This project is not singularly yours. This is a State Government approved scheme in the larger public interest, for the social priority of clearing the National Park and to start rehabilitation.>> RAMESH SHAH: You are saying, I am a developer. So what's that question about misleading?>> P.K. DAS: One second. The contribution that the slum dwellers are going to make is not for the total value of the project. It is less than about 10 percent of the total value of the project.>> UJJWAL UKE: My only concern is, we have to go on with the project, it has to be completed.>> P.K. DAS: We have come to an understanding.>> UJJWAL UKE: You have to narrow down the differences.>> RAMESH SHAH: And you pay! That's all. That's my only request.>> UJJWAL UKE: I believe that now, that you've narrowed down your differences.>> RAMESH SHAH: From their account, already, from my pocket, I have paid.>> UJJWAL UKE: I would not like to go into whatever your accounting differences are. My only request and desire is that you narrow down the differences and come down to a level by which you can see eye to eye, and start the project in earnest.>> VOICEOVER: Of course, all of this infighting eventually lands on those waiting to be relocated, year after year.>> RAMESH SHAH: That's not the issue. Okay, okay. I'll get back to you by the evening.>> VOICEOVER: Although Saira has not yet been able to qualify for relocation, she still has hopes that she can come through, for the sake of her children.>> SAIRA BANO: Our dream is to get a house, so we could all live there. My children are afraid that their mother will die just like their father. Once I can get my two children to marry, I can die peacefully.>> RAMESH SHAH: For slum people this location is too expensive. People are squatting here on the sidewalks. In principle, it is very costly to live here. Today the squatters are not paying anything for maintenance, for electricity. They are not paying any water taxes. They will have to start paying the water taxes and the electricity and all. Today they are getting it all for free.>> VOICEOVER: Expressing an attitude that is felt throughout the world, Ramesh represents the "haves," who simply don?t want to see those "have-nots." Not in their neighborhoods, not in development deals, nor anywhere in their community, except when they are needed to perform a service. But even if Saira?s dream is invisible, she is not. Nor are the basic needs of millions like her, regardless of their official status.>> KHURSHIDA BANO: Come, I'll show you the apartment that they're going to give me. I've seen it once already. It's in here. It's from here on. You can go in here. Come along, we're going inside.>> SAIRA BANO: Is there no door?>> KHURSHIDA BANO: This is the living room and this is the kitchen. This is the toilet.>> SAIRA BANO: But the toilet in the kitchen? Isn't that unhygienic?>> KHURSHIDA BANO: There will be an extra door. And there's a tap and all.>> SAIRA BANO: Two doors?>> KHURSHIDA BANO: Here you can open the doors and air it out.>> VOICEOVER: While Khurshida has a chance to step out of poverty, Saira?s future remains in question. When her home is bulldozed, where will she go? Without an official identity, the system that needs her labor denies her existence. She has no rights -- not to shelter, water, or electricity. Certainly not to her dream. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/hope-in-a-changing-climate For more than ten years, John Liu and the EEMP have been identifying the best methods for the large-scale restoration of damaged or destroyed ecosystems. One such place, the Loess Plateau, was transformed from a barren, brown landscape into a functioning, green ecosystem where rainfall infiltrates, water is retained and crops are readied for export. Wed, 18 May 2011 08:41:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/hope-in-a-changing-climate Environment, Agriculture & Food, Climate change, Reforestation, Water & Sanitation, Ecosystem, Erosion, China, Ethiopia, Rwanda >> JOHN LIU: This is China's Loess Plateau. Until recently, this was one of the poorest regions in the country, a land renowned for floods, mudslides and famine. But with the fanfare comes the hope of change for the better. My name is John D Liu. I've been documenting the changes on the plateau for fifteen years. I first came here in 1995 to film an ambitious project where local people were constructing a new landscape on a vast scale, transforming a barren land into a green and fertile one. The project certainly changed my life, convincing me to become a soil scientist. The lessons I've learned in the last few years have made me realize that many of the human tragedies that we regularly witness around the world -- the floods, mudslides, droughts, and famines -- are not inevitable. Here on the Loess Plateau, I've witnessed that people can lift themselves out of poverty. They can radically improve their environment and, by doing so, reduce the threat of climate change.>> TITLE: Hope in a Changing Climate>> JOHN LIU: When I first came to the Loess Plateau, I was astounded by the degree of poverty and degradation, and I wondered how could the Chinese people, the largest ethnic group on the planet, and my fathers and my own ancestors, come from a place that was this barren. >> JOHN LIU: China's Loess Plateau is a region that stretches for 640,000 square kilometers across north-central China. Unspoiled valleys in neighboring Sichuan show us how it might once have looked. It's the sort of natural abundance that is necessary to support an emerging civilization. How could a landscape with such potential have been reduced to this? When Chinese scientists and civil engineers began to survey the area, they realized that several thousand years of agricultural exploitation had denuded the hills and valleys of vegetation. The relentless grazing of domestic animals on the slopes meant that there was no chance for young trees and shrubs to grow. The rainfall no longer seeped into the earth but simply washed down the hillsides, taking the soil with it. Over millennia, this progressively destroyed the region's fertility. When this happens over an area as extensive as the plateau, millions of tons of silt are swept down into the Yellow River, which gets its name from the color of the fine Loess soil. The mounting quantities of silt clog up the river, impeding its flow, contributing to the floods that give the river another name: China's Sorrow. In some areas, creating floating mud mattresses that attract passing tourists. A local problem becomes a national problem. In the dry season, the light unprotected soil is swept up in the winds, causing the dust storms that are blown over China's cities and beyond its borders. On the plateau, the researchers realized that progressive degradation of the environment trapped the local population into a life of subsistence farming. It's a process that has occurred throughout the world in places where poor agricultural communities find themselves overusing their land in order to survive, depleting its fertility and thus further impoverishing them. >> JOHN LIU: One thing that became apparent early on is the connection between damaged environments and human poverty. In many parts of the world there's been a vicious cycle. Continuous use of the land has led to subsistence agriculture, and generation-by-generation this has further degraded the soils. The vital question we have to ask is, can this be destructive process be reversed? >> JOHN LIU: Fifteen years ago, Chinese and international experts were confident it could be. They decided that to prevent further erosion it was necessary to cease farming on certain key areas to allow the trees and shrubs to grow back. But this could not happen without the consent of the farmers themselves. They took some persuading.>> TA FUYUAN [Chief Engineer, Water Protection Bureau]: Of course a lot of people didn't understand the project, they weren't thinking in the long term.>> MAN 1 [Farmer]: They want us to plant trees everywhere, even in the good land. What about the next generation? They can't eat trees.>> JOHN LIU: What eventually convinced the local people was the assurance that they would have tenure of their land, that they would directly benefit from the effort they invested in the new project. >> TA FUYUAN: The goal was to give a hat to the hilltops, give a belt to the hills as well as shoes at the base. The hat meant that the top of these hills had to be replanted with trees. The belt meant that terraces had to be built, which would be used for crop planting and also for trees. The shoes were dams, which we had to build so that the hills could grow back to life and our economy as well as our lives could improve. >> JOHN LIU: Hills and gullies were designated as ecological zones to be protected. Farmers were given financial compensation for not farming on them and keeping their livestock penned up. When I first filmed Mr. Ta Fuyuan and his colleagues back in 1995, I had no idea that this initiative could achieve such dramatic results. The effort that people put into converting their slopes into terraces has resulted in a marked increase in agricultural productivity. The higher yields are directly related to the return of natural vegetation in the surrounding ecological land. Now when it rains, the water no longer runs straight off the slopes. Trapped by the vegetation, it sinks into the ground, where it is retained in the soil, taking weeks and months to gently seep down and irrigate the fields and terraces below. Restoration has occurred over an area of thirty five thousand square kilometers. The impact of such an enormous addition of vegetation goes far beyond the plateau itself. There's been a significant reduction in the soil rushing down into the Yellow River. >> JOHN LIU: As I've been travelling around the Loess Plateau, I've seen extensive changes. The vegetation cover on the hillsides, on the tops of the hills, and down in the valley; everything has changed. It has changed the lives of the people, and in fact, the people themselves have done this. They were the ones who changed their behaviors, terraced the fields, improved the soils, and learned to protect the marginal areas. The changes are not simply on the hillsides. On the plains, you can see greenhouses that are filled with vegetables. This extends the growing season; it's very high value produce. >> JOHN LIU: The abundance and variety of new produce can be seen in the local market. Follow-up studies have shown that incomes have risen three-fold, and scientists point to a more global benefit. Plants, through photosynthesis, remove carbon from the air, countering the effect of human greenhouse gas emissions on the climate. >> PROFESSOR CAI MANTANG [Beijing University]: In terms of climate change, we can say that the project made a double contribution. Firstly the project was successful in recovering vegetation on a large scale. So many trees and so much vegetation grew up, and this definitely helped take carbon out of the atmosphere. Secondly, because the health of the Loess Plateau's ecosystem has been so much improved, the region will be better able to resist the negative impacts of climate change. >> JOHN LIU: As a result of its success, the lessons learned from the Loess Plateau rehabilitation are now being applied all over China. But could such projects work elsewhere in less centrally controlled societies with fewer resources and different soils? Ethiopia, perhaps more than any other country, has come to symbolize the vulnerability of humankind to environmental catastrophe. This is a country whose problems have been increased by war and civil conflict. And now, human-induced climate change is predicted to make matters worse. As on the Loess Plateau, centuries of subsistence farming practices have stripped the land of natural vegetation. The dry gullies bear the scars of flash floods.>> JOHN LIU: These gullies are evidence of the enormous power of runoff during the rainy season. Without vegetation cover on the hillsides, when the rains come the water doesn't soak into the ground but flows away in a flood. Then it's not available for agriculture during the rest of the year. This leads to drought and, famously for Ethiopia, famine. But just as I've witnessed in China, there is hope that the situation here can be reversed. In just six years, Professor Legesse Nagash and local villagers have transformed a severely eroded terrain by planting indigenous trees and plants. Almost miraculously, a clear flowing stream has emerged where once there was a muddy trickle.>> JOHN LIU: How is it that it's possible for you to get the stream to flow throughout the year?>> PROFESSOR LEGESSE NAGASH [Founder, Center for Indigenous Trees, Addis Ababa University]: It is because of the vegetation cover that has been regenerating on this mountain. This water is maintaining the landscape because as soon as rain falls, on the canopy on this vegetation, that rain then infiltrated gradually into the ground, ending up with this steady flow of this river. Water is life. Without water nobody can do anything. I'm amazed: as short as five years, six years, you get clean water like this, provided you work hard for restoring this degraded landscape. >> JOHN LIU: About a thousand kilometers further north, in the village of Abraha Atsebaha, another near miraculous phenomenon is occurring. Farmers are finding water at the bottom of their wells, despite the poor rains this year. The famine of 1984 struck the people of this valley very hard. Many migrated, many died. Now the people are returning. The village chairman Gabre Giday remembers well how life used to be.>> GABRE GIDAY [Village Chairman, Abraha Atsebaha]: Ten years ago I'd say, even five years ago, I'll tell you what the situation was: it was absolutely terrible. The sun, the drought, the wind, it was dry like the desert. There was a refugee program for our village. So we had a choice -- leave the valley or do something.>> JOHN LIU: With government support, they applied the same principles as the Chinese: setting land aside land for natural vegetation to return. In the ravines they built small dams, which are now fed by underground springs. And like Professor Legesse's stream, rain that fell weeks ago now slowly seeps through the subsoil, replenishing the supply of water. >> GABRE GIDAY: The eroded land has become fertile; it's changed for the better. In the drought, our fruit trees dried up. Now they're coming back, and we're growing even more varieties. These are the real benefits we've seen. We have food security and our children can go to school. Our lives have improved. We no longer need to beg the government for aid, thanks to the changes that we have made. Even wild animals that disappeared are returning, even the leopards.>> JOHN LIU: These villagers are now better able to withstand the impact of climate change. With International assistance, their achievement could be repeated across the country. The benefits, as Professor Legesse points out, would spread far beyond Ethiopia's borders.>> PROFESSOR LEGESSE NAGASH: The most important issue for Africa, and I consider this Africa's twenty-first burning issue, is restoration. No matter what we do -- we might be good at rocket science, nuclear science -- but the environment, restoring this huge, vast degraded landscape, is critical for Africa, particularly for Ethiopia. Half of Ethiopia is mountain, and this mountain system is degraded. This degradation of this huge landscape, huge mountain chain of Ethiopia, is critical not only for Ethiopia but also for the entire region. Consider Egypt or the Sudan, where 86 percent of the Nile flows to these countries. How can you support life in Egypt without restoring Ethiopia's mountains? So this is regional, national, and international.>> JOHN LIU: Environmental degradation is not only a problem for the dry regions of Ethiopia. It can be just as devastating for countries like Rwanda, where rainfall is plentiful. This tiny country is grappling with the problem of a growing population, trying to eke out a living on a finite amount of land. As in China and Ethiopia, over-farming on the hillsides caused serious erosion and a decline in fertility, forcing poor farmers to move into protected areas such as the Rugezi wetlands, a wildlife site of international importance.>> JOHN LIU: When farmers drained this marsh to try to grow more food, they not only damaged an important wetland ecosystem, they also had a significant impact three hours drive away in Kigali, the capital city. The water that pours from the marshlands is a vital source of hydropower for Rwanda's capital. As the wetlands began to dry out, power stations below couldn't generate enough electricity. The Rwandan government rented diesel powered generators to make up the shortfall. Dr. Rose Mukankomeje took me to see them.>> DR. ROSE MUKANKOMEJE [Director General, Rwanda Environment Management Authority]: So what is happening here is that we are renting the generators from this company, and we are obliged to rent them especially when we degraded the wetlands and we lost twenty megawatts of electricity. To run those machines we're paying 65,000 US dollars a day.>> JOHN LIU: Sixty-five thousand dollars a day. That's multi-millions of dollars per year.>> DR. ROSE MUKANKOMEJE: Yes, it is millions of dollars, and as you might know, Rwanda is not a rich country. Some of that money has been borrowed from the bank; some is from taxpayers.>> JOHN LIU: How does this affect the climate?>> DR. ROSE MUKANKOMEJE: Of course those machines, they're run on diesel. When you burn the diesel up you are producing greenhouse gases.>> JOHN LIU: Environmentally damaging and more expensive. Locals had to pay three times as much for their electricity. So government policymakers focused on how to restore the Rugezi wetlands. If people were the problem, they could also be the solution.>> H.E. PAUL KAGAME [President of Rwanda]: We had to take a careful look at what had actually been happening that damaged this system, and therefore had to reverse that again with the human action. And this is why it is important to look at how human actions can destroy or can reverse what has been destroyed or even protect our environment.>> JOHN LIU: The government decided to help the farmers leave the wetlands and to restore the degraded slopes above them, improving the croplands and encouraging trees and shrubs to grow back, capturing the rain.>> DR. ROSE MUKANKOMEJE: We have been supporting them by doing terraces, specifically there on the hills, where they can increase and improve the productivity. The most important thing is to have people with you on your side.>> JOHN LIU: The wetlands are now recovering. Great volumes of water once again cascade down to power the hydro stations. Carbon-free electricity is replacing the diesel generators and electricity prices have stabilized. Restoring and preserving natural ecosystems like the Rugezi wetlands benefits everyone. And so much more could be achieved. >> H.E. PAUL KAGAME: If we had more involvement by different institutions coming in to help with available resources, Rwanda could do more, much more, and benefit much more, but so would other countries, if such partnerships and support were provided.>> JOHN LIU: What the Rwandans recognized is that the marshlands are far more valuable as a natural system, providing water for energy, than as farmland. This principle is the same for the remaining hillsides and ravines. >> JOHN LIU: What we're seeing here is very interesting, because it's a line between human activity and natural systems. In the human activity, we've been able to value the productivity from agriculture and give it a monetary value. But in the natural systems, we haven't been able to value the trees, the biodiversity, and the water that's absorbed into the biomass and into the soils. And there's another vital service that trees and plants provide: photosynthesis. Vegetation reduces the greenhouse effect by taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. >> PROFESSOR LEGESSE NAGASH: Climate change is better withstood with trees. Humans, no matter how intelligent we are, no matter how capable we are with all our technologies, we are helpless in the face of climate change. We have not yet properly understood the miracles performed by trees. >> JOHN LIU: A measure of what restoring nature can do has been shown here on China's Loess Plateau, where farmers have continued to prosper despite the worst drought in decades. Since the beginning of the project, the soil that nurtures their crops has been accumulating organic material from plants and animals. This holds the moisture and contains carbon. >> JOHN LIU: What's interesting about this is all these root materials, all this other stuff, this is organic material and this organic material is mixing together with the Loess, the geologic soils here, and it's making a living soil. This is where the moisture resides. Yesterday it rained and there's still moisture in this soil. This is where the nutrients are recycled so that each generation of life emerges here, and this is where the carbon is. What's interesting about this is that they made this field, this is new, and so they're helping to sequester carbon. >> JOHN LIU: Living soils like this retain, on average, three times more carbon than the foliage above the ground. If we were to restore the vast areas of the planet where we humans have degraded the soils, just think what an impact we would have in taking carbon out of the atmosphere. As much as a quarter of the world's land mass has been degraded and much could be rehabilitated in the way we have seen on the Loess Plateau. And we've only just begun to recognize the real value of natural capital. Surely, investing in the recovery of damaged environments is a cost-effective way of solving many of the problems we face today. >> ACHIM STEINER [Executive Director, United Nations Environment Program]: Why do we not invest an equal amount, if not more, into a shovel-ready technology, so to speak, which is nature's way of sequestering and storing carbon. It is actually by investing in our ecological infrastructure and ecosystems and expanding the ability of nature to sequester and store carbon that we have the greatest opportunity to do something. And the wonderful thing is, it's not only carbon sequestration, we're also faced with loss of ecosystems that will affect our food security, our water security, we're losing species on an unprecedented rate. So maintaining, restoring, protecting, expanding natural ecosystems has multiple benefits. Immediate in terms of climate change, but also fundamental to the future of many of the services that we simply take for granted from nature. >> JOHN LIU: My hope is that the developed countries, those most responsible for climate change, will recognize the enormous potential of restoration.>> JOHN LIU: What we've seen in China, in Africa, and around the world, is that it's possible to rehabilitate large scale damaged ecosystems. If we can transfer the capital, the technology, and empower the local people to restore their own environment, it'll have enormous benefits. Restoration can sequester carbon, reduce biodiversity loss, mitigate against flooding, drought and famine. It can ensure food security for people who are now chronically hungry. Why don't we do this on a global scale? http://www.viewchange.org/videos/life-on-the-edge-the-prince Rafeh Malik, the young prince of a powerful Pakistani family, was given the poverty-stricken village of Ratrian on his eighteenth birthday. He is attempting to implement the UN's Millennium Development Goals in the village, yet soon finds out that resources and determination might not be enough to challenge the status quo. Mon, 16 May 2011 08:25:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/life-on-the-edge-the-prince Pakistan, Millennium Development Goals, Governance & Transparency, Water & Sanitation, Health, Islamabad, Education, South Asia, Poverty, Life on the Edge >> VOICEOVER: This is the beginning of a fairy tale. It might not end like one. The prince has come to sell his people a dream.>> RAFEH MALIK: A group of the world's nations have come together and agreed on eight basic targets for development that all countries should achieve. We can achieve these targets.>> VOICEOVER: The question is, are they interested?>> TITLE: The Prince>> VOICEOVER: Our prince is Rafeh Malik. His kingdom is Ratrian, a poverty-ridden village in the North of Pakistan. He inherited the village from his vast family estate on his 18th birthday. Rafeh is the only scion of a powerful family, both in terms of the land they own and the political influence they wield. Any attempt by him to change the status quo here will lead to a dilemma: how to modernize without alienating his father, his friends, maybe even the villagers.He spends most of his days and nights about two hundred kilometers south in Islamabad, Pakistan's capital. He's an outward-looking man. His friends include TV journalist Shehryar Mufti. In their many evenings together, an idea came up. Why not try and implement the Millennium Development Goals in Rafeh's own village? The MDGs are eight ambitious development targets signed by world leaders in 2000. The deadline: 2015. The prince has some catching up to do. We asked Shehryar to film Rafeh's progress. >> SHEHRYAR MUFTI [Television journalist]: So you do think that your family's political legacy might actually depend on the success of this project?>> RAFEH MALIK: Oh yeah. Political legacy entirely will depend on its success. >> SHEHRYAR MUFTI: So aren't you afraid that this might not work? Aren't you scared?>> RAFEH MALIK: I am scared, but I'm willing to take the risk.>> SHEHRYAR MUFTI: First you've got to get past your dad. How do you think that's going to happen?>> RAFEH MALIK: Well, I'll sell him the idea; tell him how it is. It'll be quite difficult. >> VOICEOVER: A visit to Rafeh's family home lends some insight into his dilemma. Life for Rafeh's family here has never really begged for drastic change. For generations, this house has been the headquarters from which Rafeh's family has practiced politics. Today his father, Malik Atta Mohammad, is hosting a meeting of other influential men from nearby villages. This is also a training session of sorts for Rafeh, although his lack of facial hair renders him almost out of uniform. The guests are uneasy at the presence of what they see as a film crew representing the "Western media." They're also uneasy that development agendas like the MDGs may reflect a misplaced sense of superiority in the West. >> MALIK ATTA MOHAMMAD: What the West is projecting; I do not know what they have in their mind when they are trying to propagate this policy. Because I met a lot of NGOs; so they say we have told them how to wash hands and how to -- in Islam, you see, we are supposed to wash hands five times a day. We call it ablution, 'wuzu.' So we do it five times. So who the hell are they to tell us how we should keep ourselves clean? We know how to keep ourselves clean! >> VOICEOVER: Malik Atta doesn't openly oppose his son's plan. But he does question how he can make it happen.>> SHEHRYAR MUFTI: In a way, for you to take this initiative now would almost be an admission of guilt, in the sense that: why hadn't you done it earlier? Do you think that'll be a problem?>> RAFEH MALIK: It's not a problem that we could have done it earlier. But over the years, certain things came one way or the other; we weren't able to fully implement them, due to political repercussions. >> VOICEOVER: These are the people of Ratrian. Their standard of life, even in comparison to that of other village-dwelling Pakistanis, is pretty low. Rafeh's uncle's political connections paved the way for an erratic electricity supply here a year ago. Life otherwise hasn't changed much for these people for generations. The only local source of water is an occasional hand pump. This young man is idly walking the dung-ridden streets of Ratrian at the peak of the school day. There is a school in Ratrian, but he's not playing truant -- the teacher is. >> SIGN: Welcome>> VOICEOVER: It's padlocked and desolate. The only signs of life here are pages of notebooks and textbooks strewn about. Even the hand pump here is dry. With an estimated ninety percent of livelihoods here depending on sharecropping, poverty is rampant. The tenants earn enough in food not be malnourished. But having money in their pockets is, for most, a distant fantasy. They don't blame their local royal family for their poverty, at least on camera, but they do believe the family has the power to change things.>> SHEHRYAR MUFTI: So what if they decided to get these problems solved? Could they?>> MAN 1 [Villager]: Of course, absolutely.>> VOICEOVER: And so Rafeh calls the men, as well as the women, of Ratrian to talk about life and how it can be made better. Rafeh wants to know what they think it might take to achieve these goals. Despite finding themselves in a completely unrecognizable situation, the villagers begin to open up. Water is a popular topic of conversation, as is the state of literacy in the village.>> MAN 2 [Villager]: We need a hospital and a school for girls. If something could be done about the drinking water, we'd be grateful. >> VOICEOVER: Women speak openly of their worries for their children.>> WOMAN 1 [Villager]: One day it's diarrhea, the next day it's fever, the next day vomiting. >> RAFEH MALIK: Their query about electricity and all, I made it clear to them that I couldn't help them with that, that's the government's thing. But I will aid them with that as well, but our major primary concern is about the UN Millennium Development Goals, and implementing them over here. So, I think when I told them this would be a humble beginning, I was being honest with them. I think that was the turning point. >> VOICEOVER: Back in the big city, Rafeh begins the critical journey from good idea to solid plan. He makes contact with the Omar Asghar Khan Development Foundation.>> ALI ASGHAR [Omar Asghar Khan Development Foundation]: I mean, how do you sit with them? Do you sit on a charpai? You know? Have you got a special position over there? Have you got extra takiyas behind you? Or are you sitting on the ground with them and sort of, you know, talking to them?>> VOICEOVER: The village would have to be studied closely by people with no vested interest in it. They volunteer the services of their own organization, an offer that Rafeh accepts. Ratrian will be profiled. This village profile is a missing piece in the puzzle for Rafeh. He has met with people from the government as well as the World Bank. Both have identified a village profile as a critical document central to the whole plan. Maybe even a prerequisite to having one. The Bank has also recommended that he visit a water supply project in nearby Balkassar. At the meeting, several new possibilities are discussed. Rafeh is told of a widely implemented development program. Villages can be rewarded with safe drinking water hand pumps. To qualify, they must end the practice of defecating in the outdoors. It sounds achievable enough, but Ratrian will need help. Several other opportunities are identified and contacts are exchanged. By the end of the meeting, the mood is upbeat.>> SHEHRYAR MUFTI: Do you feel you've bitten off more that you can chew?>> RAFEH MALIK: I don't think I've bitten off more than I can chew. It's just that I need patience. I need perseverance. >> MUMTAZ [NGO team leader]: We're here to help you identify your needs. The point of today is to make a plan, the plan for Ratrian. >> VOICEOVER: As activities commence, the villagers seem to be somewhat bewildered. A handful catches on quickly. They proceed to help Mumtaz's team to construct what is the first ever map of Ratrian. >> MAN 1 [Villager]: If you're ready to do things, we're ready for them to be done. People come, conduct their surveys, and then just disappear!>> VOICEOVER: The village profile is now firmly on track. >> SHEHRYAR MUFTI: You're not used to this, are you? Knocking on doors and stuff like that.>> RAFEH MALIK: No, things were different; we never really went about it this way. >> SHEHRYAR MUFTI: How's your father taking this whole thing?>> RAFEH MALIK: Well, so far he's just standing by me.>> VOICEOVER: Malik Atta Mohammad speaks for himself.>> MALIK ATTA MOHAMMAD: I don't think I can help him much. Of course, the connections that I have, he can benefit from them. And where politically we're opposed, he will face the same music. You see, somebody could say this is a crazy lot, talking about millennium goals when people are suffering. Unless you see something happen before you, something concrete, only then you will believe it. At present it is all in the air. >> VOICEOVER: You'd think meeting the MDGs is a matter of resources and will. But it's not that simple. The prince is caught between two worlds. Should he risk disrupting a society that, for better or for worse, has at least functioned for centuries? It's a tough choice. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef-hygiene-education-in-remote-mali UNICEF is piloting a new program called Community-Led Total Sanitation in the village of Fadieda, some 100 kilometers north of Bamako. It relies on community leaders, like Mr. Sho Traore, to teach people how to make major changes in their hygiene and sanitation habits. Fri, 22 Apr 2011 08:04:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef-hygiene-education-in-remote-mali Mali, Water & Sanitation, UNICEF, Health, Community-led total sanitation, West Africa, Bamako, Latrine, Education, Kolokani >> VOICEOVER: You're watching UNICEF Television. Some 100 kilometers north of Bamako, in the heart of the rural area of Kolokani, welcome to Fadieda. Since recently, the village proudly displays a sign that says, "Clean village," at its entrance. UNICEF and its partners in the Ministry of Health selected Fadieda among 15 villages to pilot a brand new experience in West Africa: the CLTS approach, the Community-Led Total Sanitation project. Meet Mr. Sho Traore. In the village, he is in charge of leading the population towards major changes in sanitation and behavior. In this village, a few weeks ago, people were still defecating in the open air. >> SHO TRAORE [Community Leader]: Here is the place where we used to defecate. >> VOICEOVER: Open Air Defecation is a common practice in rural villages in Mali. More than 30 percent of the population still does it, causing many health issues. >> SHO TRAORE: Defecating in the open air is a problem because the areas are located very close to our houses and our families. Poo and flies are like iron and magnets. As soon as the flies smell poo, they come, and eventually end up on our food.>> VOICEOVER: If the villagers came to that conclusion, it is because UNICEF and its partners put together a brand-new approach, a demonstration that shattered everyone in the village. >> OUMOU DIARRA [Villager]: Children and adults were having stomachaches and we didn?t know what caused them. We didn?t have latrines, and when people came and put next to each other some human excrements and food, we saw flies coming and understood it was the cause of those diseases. Right away, we promised to build latrines.>> VOICEOVER: Putting together excrement and everyday food provoked a strong feeling of disgust among the villagers, and the reaction came as fast as expected. In less than a month, villagers had built not less than 40 latrines. And today, Fadieda is the first village to receive the Open Air Defecation-Free Status. >> DIARRA DIADOUBA [Social Development Technician]: Villagers themselves have committed to building the latrines. It?s their own initiative and their own strength. No external funding has been brought in.>> VOICEOVER: Thanks to this original approach and since the construction of the latrines, diarrhea cases have plummeted in the village. And the method is all the more efficient that it is the community itself that takes responsibility of its own health and sanitation. The CLTS approach is also a good way to promote other good behaviors, such as hand washing with soap. Since it started in Mali, the CLTS approach has brought results that go beyond what was expected. >> NICOLAS OSBERT [Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Manager]: We have had a really strong impact. In three months only, the coverage in latrines in the test villages went from 30 percent to 100 percent, and without any funding. This was a big surprise for us and for those who were involved. It?s very promising for the following steps in Mali.>> VOICEOVER: Villagers have built one hundred and eighteen latrines, and as many are in construction. The next step of the CLTS approach consists of sharing the message throughout neighboring villages. Here again, it will be the job of Sho Traore and other community leaders. In Fadieda, it seems the message has had a great impact on everyone, even children. This is Edward Bally reporting for UNICEF. Unite for Children. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/hardest-hit-vietnam Climate change in Vietnam means more frequent droughts and unpredictable weather. Farmers from Bac Ai, who have worked the land their whole lives, must adjust on the fly to shifting weather conditions. Oxfam America and the local government are helping farmers adjust by building a new reservoir and providing training sessions on new farming techniques. Wed, 13 Apr 2011 09:12:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/hardest-hit-vietnam Vietnam, Climate change, Ninh Thuận Province, Agriculture, Bác Ái District, Water & Sanitation, Oxfam, Environment, Agriculture & Food >> TITLE: Hardest hit: Survival strategies form the frontlines of climate change>> TITLE: Narrated by Majora Carter>> HUYNH KHANH HOA [Water Management Expert, Bac Ai]: In the future, with more changes in the climate, there will be more droughts. >> NGUYEN THI THU THUY [Aid Worker, Vietnam]: Because of the climate change, droughts almost happen every year, with different levels of severity. The people suffer a lot. >> CHAMALÉA BAC [Community Leader]: I?m highly concerned about global warming and the impacts of climate change. The weather changes make it hard to determine when it is time to plant crops. >> TITLE: Vietnam: Hanoi: Bac Ai>> VOICEOVER: Southeast Asia is known for its floods. But the unpredictable weather caused by climate change has also led to devastating droughts. In Vietnam, farmers who depend on rainfall to irrigate their crops struggle to earn a living and feed their families. The situation is especially difficult in the Bac Ai district in the Ninh Thuan province. This area has the hottest temperatures, least rainfall, and some of the worst poverty rates in all of Vietnam.>> NGUYEN THI THU THUY: Bac Ai is one of the 61 poorest districts in the country, which received special attention from the government. More than 60 percent of the people in this district are living on an income of less than 12 dollars per month. >> CHAMALÉA BAC: I have lived here for more than 30 years; my family is a farming family. I am highly concerned about global warming and the impacts of climate change, because it has not only affected me, but also my community. Everybody is affected. >> VOICEOVER: The Rag Lai people, an ethnic minority who make up most of the Bac Ai population, are among the hardest hit. >> PI-NANG THI GIAO [Rice and Cashew Farmer]: My husband and I have a rice field, but we do not get much from it. We have five months of dry season and only two to three months of rainy season. Sometimes it rains too much, sometimes it rains too little. >> VOICEOVER: While many Vietnamese people are accustomed to managing floods, the Rag Lai people find dealing with droughts to be the real challenge. >> PI-NANG THI MAI [Commune Chairwoman]: Climate change affects the people here, especially those that depend on agriculture for their incomes. When it?s too sunny, there?s no grass for the cows. Rice and corn die when there?s too much sun. The water resources are drying out. >> CHAMALÉA BAC: After the drought, our family lost two and a half acres of corn and two and a half acres of rice. We lost two cows. People didn?t have fresh water, so we had to take water from the streams, which is a little more than a half-mile walk from here. The quality of the water was bad; it caused skin diseases and stomach disease. >> VOICEOVER: The Rag Lai people are working to adapt to harsher growing conditions. With the help of the government, they are bringing more clean water to their communities, and they are learning how to cultivate crops and raise animals that can survive dry spells. >> HUYNH KHANH HOA: When this reservoir is completed, we can be in more control: increasing the water for irrigation when it is needed, or reducing it when it is not. >> NGUYEN THI THU THUY: The local government provides the construction of the big reservoir, and from Oxfam?s side, we support them with training to the local people to enable them to manage the water system effectively. >> VOICEOVER: The local farmers are growing hardier crops, like certain varieties of rice, cashews and corn. >> KATOR CHUONG [Rice and Cashew Farmer]: In the morning, my wife and I work on the rice field, and later we work in the cashew garden. Most of our food comes from the rice field. Oxfam?s training showed us a technique for growing rice. I know more now. Before, I didn?t know when it was the best time to plant the rice in the ground, and when to stop planting. >> VOICEOVER: And in Bac Ai, they?re also raising different breeds of livestock that need less water and fodder. >> PI-NANG KHUYEN [Cow Farmer]: My name is Pi-nang Khuyen, I?m 22 years old and I?m a cow farmer. I don?t have much education because my parents are poor. I?m happy to have the cow; once she gives birth, life will be easier. I chose to raise a cow because it is easier to take care of than other animals. The cow survives the dry season better here. I have to feed other livestock and give water three to four times a day. But for the cow, it?s only two times a day. >> VOICEOVER: For communities that have worked the land for generations, these strategies have helped make responding to the changing climate conditions easier. Using their new skills, the reservoir and irrigation canals, farmers can continue to provide for their families doing what they know best: farming. >> CHAMALÉA BAC: We are learning how to adapt to climate changes. We are beginning to understand how to change our farming and crops. People are learning better ways to plant and raise livestock. All of this has contributed to increasing the incomes of the local people. >> TITLE: oxfamamerica.org/climate http://www.viewchange.org/videos/hardest-hit-el-salvador Oxfam America and Pro Vida are teaming up to bring clean drinking water to rural El Salvador by building healthy wells in communities affected by contaminated surface water. Salvadorans on the frontlines of climate change are taking their futures into their own hands by helping maintain these wells for generations to come. Wed, 13 Apr 2011 08:12:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/hardest-hit-el-salvador El Salvador, Environment, Water & Sanitation, Climate change, Drinking water, Oxfam, Zacatecoluca, La Paz, Central America >> TITLE: Hardest hit: Survival strategies from the frontlines of climate change >> ELVIRA [9 Years Old]: Hi, I?m Elvira. The water from the old hand-dug well had little creatures in it. We couldn?t drink that water because we would get stomachaches. With this clean water, we do not get stomachaches anymore. >> TITLE: El Salvador. San Salvador: capital of El Salvador >> VOICEOVER: El Salvador is both the smallest and most densely populated country in Central America. Many Salvadorans have struggled to overcome historic inequities. The long civil war and natural disasters have made things more challenging. Almost half of El Salvador?s population now lives in poverty. And more than 90 percent of the country?s surface water is contaminated. Increasingly erratic rainfall and floods, caused by climate change, threaten El Salvador?s water supply even further, especially in the Zacatecoluca area, about 35 miles outside the capital. >> FLORENTINO DIAZ CRUZ [Community Leader]: During the wet season, it rains day and night. Day and night. The rivers swell, and then the water gets contaminated. >> KARINA COPEN [Oxfam America}: So what generally happens here is that when it floods, the water gets extremely contaminated. The streams overflow; this is an area with a lot of cattle, and all that waste goes into the hand-dug wells that are found in most of the homes here. >> MARIA LUISA PORTILLO [Resident]: I get our drinking water from a hand-dug well. We use this water to clean the dishes, cook, and drink. When it rains, a lot of the water comes out muddy, but because we do not have other options, this is the water that we drink. >> VOICEOVER: Oxfam and local partner Pro Vida built five healthy wells. Lined and outfitted with filters, these wells provide a clean source of drinking water. >> KARINA COPEN: The proposal of these healthy wells is to build a sealed well that not only gives them higher-quality water all year around, but in the case of flooding, which is happening more and more as we?re seeing changes in the climate, this is going to provide a safe water source during emergencies and throughout the year. >> FLORENTINO DIAZ CRUZ: We all have the right to water. But not to the bad water we used to drink. Quality water, water that helps us stay healthy. >> VOICEOVER: In the town of El Recuerdo, in Zacatecoluca, the healthy well is located in the schoolyard, the heart of the community. The well provides many families with clean water. >> BLANCA CALERO DE CATIVO [Teacher]: This healthy well has changed the lives of all the kids here. Before the healthy well, the kids used to get sick and they were often absent from school. >> CINDY MELISA [8 Years Old]: My name is Cindy Melisa. I drew my mom bringing water to the house. The water that comes out of the tank is drinkable and healthy. >> DR. CRISTINA SALAZAR [Pro Vida]: The community has responded in a very positive way. Therefore, they are involved in its maintenance and are trying to keep the healthy well in good condition. >> TITLE: Village of Agua Zarca, Zacatecoluca>> ANA FRANCISCA REYES [Local Water Committee Member]: We have learned how to clean the wells inside, how to put chlorine in the water. Pro Vida and Oxfam America have taught us how to do it. >> VOICEOVER: As the climate changes, increased flooding puts thousands in this region at risk. >> DR. CRISTINA SALAZAR: We are talking about approximately 50 communities and only five healthy wells. Our short-term dream is to bring quality water to as many communities as possible. This is the way I would like to see these communities get a better quality of life. This is what we would like to see. >> TITLE: oxfamamerica.org/climate http://www.viewchange.org/videos/one-in-six One billion people in the world face hunger and malnourishment on a daily basis. The international community has long sought to tackle this problem. But what if everything we thought we knew about how to erase hunger was wrong? Concern Worldwide and Valid International brought their innovative ideas and faced off against entrenched interests to change people's perceptions of this problem. The result was a sea change in how the world looks at hunger. Tue, 12 Apr 2011 08:52:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/one-in-six Malnutrition, Agriculture & Food, Concern Worldwide, Africa, Water & Sanitation, Foreign Assistance, Non-governmental organization, Tom Arnold (economist), Community Therapeutic Care, Food security >> VOICEOVER: Every night, almost one billion people go to bed hungry. Global economic chaos and ongoing climate change is pushing that figure even higher. But in the last decade, thanks to the efforts of a group of courageous and determined people, the lives of those worst affected by starvation have been transformed. Hundreds and thousands of lives have been saved. Of all the continents, Africa carries the heaviest burden of hunger, and of all the people, African women bear by far the heaviest load. To most of us this is wrong. But to some, it is simply unacceptable.>> TOM ARNOLD [CEO, Concern Worldwide]: I think for most of us, who actually have never really been hungry for a sustained period of time, it can be hard to convey how awful this is as a daily reality. But it is a daily reality for maybe close to a billion people in the world. Everybody, as a basic human right, has a right to food. It's almost as basic as life itself.>> DR. STEVE COLLINS [Director, Valid International]: All I know is that starvation is an obscene fact in the modern world. People should realize that people are starving unnecessarily. There's enough food in the world. We can put probes on Mars, you know, we can definitely treat hunger with basic food, you know, it's not rocket science.>> TITLE: One In Six>> VOICEOVER: Over the past 20 years, Steve Collins, a medical doctor who specializes in nutrition, has worked in every major famine emergency in Africa. Nowadays he works from a small farm on the southwest coast of the last European country to have experienced famine: Ireland. >> VOICEOVER: In 1998, Steve was awarded an MBE for his work in adult malnutrition. But it was when he teamed up with Concern Worldwide in 2000 that the way the world viewed and treated malnutrition was challenged and changed for good. They sought a new way to treat an old problem, and they found it in the form of Community-based Therapeutic Care, CTC. It is a remarkably simple, yet revolutionary, idea that restored the treatment of malnutrition to African mothers.>> WOMAN 1 [Mother]: I become anxious when there's no food in the house. I don't have enough money, I wander here and there and then I give up and I can't do housework. I have no energy.>> WOMAN 2 [Mother]: I feel bad when my child is ill and refusing food. I don't eat either because I feel sad.>> WOMAN 3: It's miserable when you're hungry and there's nothing to eat. Your vision is blurred and even your heartbeat changes.>> VOICEOVER: Until recently, these mothers and their babies would have been treated in centralized feeding centers. Traditionally, these centers were set up to administer famine relief to starving people, and were considered the gold standard in treating malnutrition. To overturn this system, Steve Collins and Concern would have to take on the medical and aid establishment and prove that their approach was more effective. In 1996, Steve Collins went to Liberia to set up a traditional feeding center. What followed was an outbreak of cholera, which was to herald the end of these centers for good.>> DR. STEVE COLLINS: Liberia was a difficult situation. We were trying to set up nutritional treatment centers across two front lines. There were so many factions in Liberia -- it was 1996 -- so we arrived to lots of death, lots of destitution, and we started setting up a center. At the beginning I asked, you know, "Is there cholera?" and people said, "No, there's no cholera." And I actually asked the wrong question. I'd asked a sort of close-ended question. I asked, "Is there cholera?" and they said no because there wasn't cholera that week. But actually cholera's endemic there. Had I asked, you know, "What do people usually die of?" They would have said, "Oh, cholera." But I hadn't asked the right question. And that one mistake meant that I didn't-- because can't do everything at once, you prioritize different things-- so I prioritized the feeding-- because I'd seen people dying of malnutrition-- over putting more effort into the water and sanitation. So, when people arrived for the treatment, it meant that you had a lot of people who didn't know the village, they didn't know where people normally drank, so they started to drink downstream of the village, of course getting all the polluted water. And so, the day it started we had two cases; the next day, I think we had ten. And then we were treating about thirty cases the next day. And the war started up, and we could actually hear the shooting in the background, and we had to leave. And we couldn't go back for two days. And when we came back, I think there were twenty dead people. And that made me realize there are so many dangers involved in having centers that I started to try and look for a different way of doing it.>> VOICEOVER: Around the same time, Anne O'Mahony, who has worked in emergency situations with Concern since the 1980s, was struggling with the shortcomings of feeding centers in Sudan.>> ANNE O'MAHONY [Concern Worldwide]: Our dilemma was that if we set up centers to cater for these malnourished, we would be open to aerial bombardment. We were also worried about ground attacks, and we felt that by setting up a center it would be an attraction in itself to insecurity. And I suppose more and more, it became clear that center-based care wasn?t the solution. Up to then, I suppose, the big constraint to having community care or enabling women to feed their babies in their homes, malnourished children, was the fact that there wasn't suitable food that could be used in this circumstance. Anything we were giving out had to be mixed with water.>> VOICEOVER: In 1996, a French nutritionist, Andre Briend, invented a product called Plumpy'nut, a peanut butter-like supplement rich in vitamins and minerals. This was a major breakthrough in the fight to prove the value of the community-based approach.>> DR. ANDRÉ BRIEND [Nutritionist]: My hope when I was developing this product was to start a revolution in the management in acute malnutrition, because the solution before that was quite unsatisfactory. So this is what we wanted, to have something that could be used at home. Developing the food was not enough. It?s a little bit like inventing the computer without adapted software. We needed some program adapted to that, and Steve Collins was very much involved in program management, and he was a key person to change the approach.>> DR. STEVE COLLINS: I think the invention of Plumpy'nut was a key breakthrough. It's an oil-based product, there's no water in it, and so bacteria can?t breed in it, and so having this perfect nutritional product that could be used safely at home really facilitated CTC.>> VOICEOVER: But in order to develop a more community-based approach, Steve Collins knew he needed to have a thorough understanding of the people, and in particular the women, he wanted to help. If the mistakes of Liberia had taught him anything, it was to ask the right questions.>> DR. STEVE COLLINS: So is the pump broken? How long has the pump that is in the village been broken? One of the key things that struck me when we were developing CTC and looking at life in Ethiopia was the incredible workload that women have. We did lots of studies looking at how women spend their days, because obviously that's vital, you have to know what women are doing. If you're going to say you?ve got to come for a day to a center, you have to know what they're going to miss. >> HEKUAT KAHSAY FANTA: I wake up at about 5 AM and I clean my house. I grind grain until 8 AM. Then I work in the field. Carrying stones, plowing the soil and preparing the land. When it gets dark, I work by lamplight.>> VOICEOVER: Hekuat Kahsay Fanta lives with her family in a remote part of Tigray in northern Ethiopia. She is a mother of six and, like other African women, is busy from before dawn until after dusk working in the fields and looking after her house and family.>> HEKUAT KAHSAY FANTA: My daughter is 14 months old. She started coughing and getting sick last year. Maybe it's because I didn't feed her properly. I worry that this could be the cause of her illness. I think about this all day long.>> VOICEOVER: When one of her children is sick, Hekuat struggles to get them the care they need. The isolation of her home and the fact that she has no form of transport means that any journey she undertakes is long, arduous, and on foot. >> DR. STEVE COLLINS: I realized from very early on that the main limiting factor wasn?t the medical care; it was how people could get into the program. And so to do that you have to talk to people, you?ve got to find out, "where do you live? Are there rivers in the way?" Or, "how many children have you got, what happens if you leave your children behind, who?s going to take care of them?" Obviously if it?s harvest time, people don?t want to have to walk for two days and miss their harvest because someone might steal it, or birds might come in. So all these questions about what are their lives like? What is their reality?>> ANNE O'MAHONY: Well, very often, when we go to visit the villages, we do find that Mother X?s child died last week. You ask her why she hasn?t brought in her child, and she would say there was nobody to look after the children. And we got that, story after story. And that?s quite common. And taking a mother out of their home scene leaves a huge gap. So who's going to feed the other kids? Who's going to provide the care and nutrition and nourishment that the rest of the family needs in the absence of the mother? And very often it doesn't happen. It?s a question of mothers making these decisions that are so difficult, that no mother should be asked to make. >> WOMAN 4 [Mother]: I feel very bad when I see my baby sick, I feel depressed.>> WOMAN 5 [Doctor]: If you go to the hospital with this child, what will happen in your home if you're not there?>> WOMAN 4 [Mother]: My children are very small and there is nobody that can prepare food for them. If I leave my other children at home, I close the door on them. To save one life, I can lose the rest of my children.>> WOMAN 5 [Doctor]: Do you want to ask your husband what to do?>> WOMAN 4 [Mother]: He doesn't care.>> VOICEOVER: With a better understanding of the difficulties confronting these women, it became obvious to Steve why so many mothers did not make it to feeding centers. Plumpy'nut made it possible to develop a program that would allow malnourished children to be treated in their own communities. By using a simple band to measure the width of a child?s upper arm, Steve argued that anyone could tell if a child was malnourished. The child could then be admitted into a CTC program to receive ready-to-use food and drugs. Instead of having to leave their family and livelihood for up to six weeks to stay in a traditional feeding center, mothers could return home and make weekly visits to the health center for monitoring and therapeutic food. Children who had lost their appetite completely could still be admitted to a hospital for care until they too could be sent home with the necessary supplements. This system made it possible to reach and support far more women and children. But many people had put a lot of time, energy and investment into the traditional feeding center model, and were far from convinced by this new approach.>> ANNE O'MAHONY: When children are sick, especially large numbers of children who are sick with malnutrition, there?s a tendency to keep them all together, to give them food, to give them medicine, to bring them back under our care so that they can then be released back into home. And the idea of CTC was, sending these children home with the correct food and the care that went with it so that the mothers could actually take care of them themselves. This was a mind-blowing idea in some ways.>> VOICEOVER: Many of the more clinically minded professionals had ethical problems with the radical nature of what Steve was proposing, people like Professor Michael Golden, a world-renowned nutritionist who lives on the northwest coast of Ireland.>> PROFESSOR MICHAEL GOLDEN [Nutritionist]: To me there is an ethical problem about taking risks. If you know there?s a risk, you do it step by step, and you do it extremely carefully, and you do it with a few children that you know, and then you build on that. You don?t suddenly tear down everything and go out and create a whole structure, involving thousands of children, which may or may not work. I don't think that we have the right to take risks with other people. We take risks with ourselves, but I mean why should we take the responsibility ourselves of taking a risk with someone else's life?>> VOICEOVER: Despite Steve Collins' conviction that his new community-based approach to treating malnutrition, CTC, could save hundreds of thousands of lives, he needed proof. He happened to be working in the Walta region in Ethiopia in 2000, when in the middle of yet another desperate famine he saw an opportunity to try CTC out. The government had banned the setting up of traditional feeding centers, as they believe them to be ineffective. Concern was working in a neighboring district, and when Steve suggested that they try CTC and study the results, they agreed. >> TOM ARNOLD: In a way, when the CTC idea come along, it came along at the right time, because a sufficient number of people were asking questions about the effectiveness of the traditional model of dealing with malnutrition. So then the challenge was that over a period of time, could you actually demonstrate, with evidence, that this was indeed a better way of dealing with it? And that?s what we set out to do.>> DR. STEVE COLLINS: And so, we worked together to design another CTC program in the district where Concern was working. And in this one, we put in some extra monitoring, so that we could actually start to produce concrete data. That program ran, I think, for eight or nine months, and was a success. The mortality rates were 4.5 percent, whereas the standard you aim for in emergencies is 10 percent, and the norm in a developing country hospital is 20 to 30 percent mortality rate-- that?s twenty to thirty percent of every child that?s admitted dies-- whereas our mortality rates were only four percent. So it was obvious it was working, and the numbers were quite high. She's feeding him three times a day. And what will she feed them at lunchtime? Will people here still be eating teff? Is there still enough to eat? After 2000, after the two trials we had in Ethiopia, I realized that CTC would work, and that it would be the future. And in a way I became a bit obsessed by it, I think. So I actually went round to all the agencies I could think of-- I went obviously back to MSF [Médicins Sans Frontières], I went to Oxfam, I went to Save the Children, Action Contour la Famme-- all these different agencies saying this is the future, this is what we should be developing. Unfortunately, I think it was too threatening at that stage; it was too much of a change, and probably, to be fair, at that stage there probably wasn?t enough evidence.>> VOICEOVER: But one person who did agree with Steve that there had to be a better way was Concern's director of policy and evaluation, Howard Dalzell.>> HOWARD DALZELL [Concern Worldwide]: I suppose when Steve first put it to us, I don't think he realized the full potential of it. And I don't think he realized what would be involved in actually getting it accepted internationally. And he wanted to do quite a small trial, and I actually said to him, "Steve, I think you're missing the point. I think you're being too conservative. If you really want to make it work, we've got to have loads of evidence in loads of different places, and therefore we need to do big trials, not small trials.">> DR. STEVE COLLINS: He was the first person who really realized the potential for this change. He realized it needed to be a coherent research program. In the month before I'd gone to DIFID, the UK government donor, with a project proposal for a hundred thousand. And they had refused, and it was Howard that saw that actually you need a program, you need a research program.>> VOICEOVER: What Howard understood was that in order to make real progress, they would need more than just nutritionists in the research team. They would need food economists, sociologists, anthropologists, and social workers who could mobilize a community. But Howard believed in Steve's ideas, and agreed to support him in his search for the necessary funding. >> TOM ARNOLD: Well, Howard came to me with this idea about CTC, and he explained it and the principles underpinning it. He was very convinced that this was a potentially important way to deal with hunger, and particularly severe acute malnutrition. And he then had the idea that in order to get further support, we would try and get support from Irish Aid, and he went and spoke to Irish Aid, and said critically we?re prepared to put some of Concern?s money in this, and would you, Irish Aid, put your money in it, and we would work together. And obviously crucially the core idea that was from Steve Collins.>> BRENDAN ROGERS [Director General, Irish Aid]: So when Howard came to me and said, "Look, we have an innovative project here, we think that through CTC we can change the architecture of emergency response," my eyes lit up, of course. In the early part of this century, thousands and thousands of people were coming together because of the results of conflict, or the results of natural disasters, and the UN system and NGOs had put in place a system that was very well-run logistically, providing food, shelter, water and sanitation to thousands and thousands. Yet, there were great dangers in that. People were coming long distances, particularly women and children could have lost their lives in those journeys, and there was the possibility of cross-infection, of communicable diseases, the issues of HIV and AIDS and of sexual exploitation with large amounts of food being distributed in situations of great famine. So we wanted to challenge that, we wanted to determine, "Could we address those issues closer to people's homes, closer to their communities?" But this essentially was a real challenge to the accepted wisdom. We took that risk.>> TOM ARNOLD: Equally important at this time was the support of USAID and the Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance. They had come to the same conclusions as Irish Aid about the potential impact of CTC, and their support at this time allowed the expansion of the program into Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Malawi. So it was the combined effect of the Irish and US funding that really catalyzed the expansion of CTC, and led to the increased acceptance and legitimacy of this program in the wider international community. >> CAROLINE ABLA [Public Health Advisor, USAID]: Once we had enough evidence that this new approach really does work, it was time to bring it up to scale if we could. And we'd been working with Concern on the pilot phase, and having had Concern basically write the manual of how to do CTC, they were the best partners that we had to go ahead and scale it up.>> VOICEOVER: In 1999, Steve Collins had set up Valid International to research and evaluate the effectiveness of aid programs. With the success of the trials in Ethiopia, and with funds from the Irish government and Concern, Valid assembled a team of research specialists who, together with Concern, were finally able to take CTC to Malawi in southern Africa. >> DR. STEVE COLLINS: We started implementing in Malawi. There we had another key person who got involved, Theresa Banda, who was the Ministry of Health nutritionist. She has worked in malnutrition for many, many years, and she'd seen the problems with centers, and she was willing to stake her reputation and take a chance on giving us a district where we could do a pilot.>> THERESA BANDA: We were in the process of reviewing national guidelines. When Dr. Steve Collins came in, we had a meeting with him in the office, and he brought in some evidence from Ethiopia. So that really got us interested. At that time we were looking for innovative ways to improve nutritional status, innovative ways to deal with the influx of malnutrition due to the food crisis. We decided as a ministry that we should use one district to implement this and learn from it.>> VOICEOVER: With the go-ahead from the Malawian government, Concern and Valid had for the first time a real opportunity to gather hard evidence. They were assigned the Dowa district in Malawi, where they treated almost two thousand children within the first year.>> DR. STEVE COLLINS: Has she seen it used before?>> WOMAN 6 [Interpreter]: She has not seen anybody use this.>> VOICEOVER: But it was the work of sociologists and anthropologists that uncovered the most significant and far-reaching obstacles to treating malnutrition.>> EMMANUEL MANDALAZ [Anthropologist]: One main issue was the cultural issues surrounding malnutrition with, for example, people believe that malnutrition is caused by parental sexual behavior. If a father goes out and sleeps with some other woman, that brings a spell on the child. >> DR. STEVE COLLINS: When the child had the problem with the stomach before, she took the child to a traditional healer who burnt the child. What did the traditional doctor say to her? What did the traditional doctor tell her to do about this illness? >> WOMAN 7 [Interpreter]: He said it was abdominal parasites.>> DR. STEVE COLLINS: Abdominal parasites. I think that the fact that she's waited for a month now... >> EMMANUEL MANDALAZ: Usually, mothers, even if there's treatment at the health center, they wouldn?t bring the child immediately, they would wait. First of all, they would try to consult a traditional healer until they have failed. That?s when they will come back to the program. So, later on, we try to engage with these traditional healers. Say if a mother sees a child maybe in the nearby vicinity, whose child is malnourished, they would encourage them. And that's one of the secrets with CTC: there's mother-to-mother transmission of information about treatment, where to go get it, and all those things, and how best they can take care of their children.>> GRACE NIKHOMA: The child was sick. He was refusing to eat and had diarrhea. He was looking malnourished and my friends helped me to get CTC. There was a great change when he started receiving peanut butter. The loss of appetite and diarrhea stopped, even his malnourished appearance improved. It took the child one month to change.>> VOICEOVER: In the two years following the program in Malawi, the team developed a database of over 23 thousand cases. They had run 21 programs in four different countries. Their mortality rates remained under five percent, but more importantly they reached over 70 percent of those in need, a massive improvement on the old system, which never reached more than 10 percent. They were ready to present their findings to the international community, and push for change in international policy.>> HOWARD DALZELL: We felt we had enough evidence, enough strong evidence to go public. And we obviously needed to convince the rest of the international nutrition community that these results were solid. So we organized a conference in October 2003, to present the results, and to have a discussion with the rest of the nutrition community.>> DR. STEVE COLLINS: The Dublin conference was really the turning point, I think. We really wanted to get the data on CTC to the agencies in a more formal manner, and give them a chance to respond and feedback.>> HOWARD DALZELL: That turned out to be a tension-laden conference. I would have to say it generated more heat than light. There were people who'd worked for two or three decades on refining and improving therapeutic feeding centers, and then there was the new fringe doing the community therapeutic care approach.>> DR. STEVE COLLINS: Treating starving children is a very emotive subject, and here were we, saying that we could actually do so much better, and there's an implied criticism of what was going on before.>> PROFESSOR MICHAEL GOLDEN: I think that there was a resistance by some NGOs for everyone to jump into bed and do the same thing and abandon what they were doing. They wanted to see how the risks that were being taken would pan out before they did the same thing. So there was a reticence for everyone to copy and say, "We're going to abandon everything that we've done in the past, and we're all going to do exactly the same as Concern.">> DR. STEVE COLLINS: A lot of opposition came from large agencies based around volunteers, and I think they probably felt a little bit threatened that we were saying that the volunteer model, as well, didn?t really fit with CTC, where you actually only need one professional, and it?s much better if they're a local person who knows the environment, rather than a lot of enthusiastic volunteers. >> TOM ARNOLD: There were still people on both sides of the argument at that stage. But what was beginning to emerge was that the evidence was beginning to accumulate. And with that, of course, the argument began to tilt towards the CTC.>> DR. STEVE COLLINS: After the Dublin meeting, when they had seen the strength of our data, I think people realized that they could no longer use just ideological objections, and I think they realized in a way that the CTC train was leaving the station, and they were either on board or they were left at the station.>> HOWARD DALZELL: Well, after that conference we continued to do trials, and we also extended the work to other agencies, so it wasn't just Concern doing it: MSF was doing it, Tearfund was doing it, Save the Children was doing it, so other agencies following that conference decided that they were going to give it a real try, and see could it work for them, and it did.>> VOICEOVER: It isn't just children, however, who benefit from CTC. It has also transformed the lives of thousands of people with HIV/AIDS. In 2005, Ortiz Primetime visited Malawi and met Akim, who was then close to death. He had been abandoned by his family and had even been moved to a hut close to the graveyard. >> AKIM BONZO: I go searching on my own for food, my relatives are not interested in me.>> VOICEOVER: Less than three years later, Akim has a new life, thanks to the potent combination of Community-based Therapeutic Care and antiretroviral drugs.>> AKIM BONZO: At first, when I started receiving therapeutic food, I used to have abdominal pains and diarrhea. After taking the food, I picked up and I could feel energized. The difference between then and now is that I can work on my garden and at home.>> MUONERETU BANDA [Akim's Wife]: The happiest time is when we chat together. If there's food, we cook and eat together and spend time in the garden. >> AKIM BONZO: The most important thing is to have love. Loving your partner the way you love yourself. I think that attitude keeps us together as a family.>> VOICEOVER: But the real success of CTC could only be measured when and if the United Nations and the World Health Organization endorsed it. This was the next crucial and defining step. In 2005, a meeting was held at the WHO headquarters in Geneva that would decide whether or to replace the traditional feeding center model. Although some trenchant resistance remained, the majority of those present supported the more community-based approach, but there was still one main stumbling block: the way child malnutrition is measured. >> DR. STEVE COLLINS: The evidence has always been extremely strong that Middle Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) is a great predictor of mortality in young children. But there is a large group of people who thought, "No, no, we need to do mathematics, we need to do weight and height, basically because that's what we've always done," I think.>> DR. ELIZABETH MASON [World Health Organization]: The factor that you could consider is perfect being the enemy of the good. So if we consider weight for height, and you get Z scores, standard deviation, you've got the the perfect gold standard. But on the other hand, you have a simple upper arm circumference that, yes, it's not perfect, but it is a good measure to use for a community screening. And when we're looking at public health and when we're looking at options for the community, then we will choose the good over the perfect.>> VOICEOVER: In 2006, only six years after the initial trails were carried out by Concern and Valid in Malawi, CTC received the ultimate endorsement from the United Nations. This achievement was the culmination of years of work by the staff of Concern and Valid, and of many other agencies, such as Medecins Sans Frontieres, Save the Children, and the Tearfund. The pressure was now on African governments to adopt the new approach. Malawi was the first to take up the challenge. But Concern and Valid realized that local manufacture of ready-to-use food was critical. To achieve this, Concern supported the setting up of Valid Nutrition, a new kind of charity based on ethical business practices. With no shareholders, all profits are reinvested into local production and economies. >> DR. STEVE COLLINS: We want to produce a whole range of ready-to-use food, both for treating severe starvation, but also for treating moderate starvation and preventing malnutrition, from this factory, made locally in Malawi, by local Malawi people, using ingredients grown by local Malawian farmers. Effectively, you've got a local system to address malnutrition rather than having to depend on external interventions. >> DR. MARY SHAWA [Department of Nutrition, Malawi]: The advice I can say to everybody who is interested in this is traditionalize the CTC program, have the highest political commitment, and make sure that the private sector is also given room to take part in the production of the product. We have 201 facilities running the CTC program. Our target is to cover the whole country. And we believe if we can do that, we'll reduce the problem to zero. And that's our target: we want zero malnutrition in Malawi.>> VOICEOVER: Community-based Therapeutic Care, the radical new approach pioneered by Dr. Steve Collins and championed by Concern Worldwide, has transformed the treatment of severe acute malnutrition throughout the world. Although this required conviction, courage, and dedication, and has saved hundreds of thousands of lives, it is only part of the picture. Severely acute malnourished people make up only 10 percent of the world's hungry. The other 90 percent, the chronically malnourished, are far less visible. These are the hidden hungry, people who may not be in immediate danger of dying, but who are nonetheless suffering the effects malnutrition. Apart from the daily torment of going without food and all that entails, these people are also burdened with the life sentence of stunting, the affects of which only become apparent later in life.>> DR. STEVE COLLINS: When a child is born, its nervous tissue grows fastest. And if you don't have the right nutrients in the first couple of years of life when the brain is being wired, then the brain never reaches its full potential. So a child that was born to be an Einstein ends up not being able to cope with primary school. And once you miss that two years, and you miss that brain development, it's gone forever. You can't get it back by good nutrition.>> DR. ELIZABETH MASON: In the Western countries, we're now used to opening a jar or putting a whisker in the food and actually having energy-rich complementary feeds. So the first feeds the child gets are very energy-rich. Whereas the first feeds that the baby gets in many African countries is diluted porridge.>> PROFESSOR MICHAEL GOLDEN: There are 40 important essential nutrients, at least 40 essential nutrients. You need every one of them, all 40 of them, to be healthy. All you do is miss one of those 40 out, and you will not be able to resist disease, you will become sick, you will lose your appetite. You just sit there like a zombie. One of the worst things about malnutrition is that the child doesn't cry. How do you know if your child is hungry? He cries. How do you know if he's thirsty? He cries. If your child doesn't cry, and you think, "Oh, I'm a wonderful mommy, I love my child but my child doesn't need for anything, I can go about my other work, I can go and collect the wood, I can prepare the food," and the child just sits there. So the mother doesn't stimulate the child. So you have these two things. You have the stimulation, and you have then the nutrients that have to make those connections in the brain. But the connections won't be made if it's not stimulated, so you need both. You need good food, and you need stimulation.>> TOM ARNOLD: Stunting is something that I don't think enough is known about. Stunting means you're cutting off somebody's life prospects. You're reducing the economic future of many of these countries. And countries themselves need to know that, unless they've worked to prevent stunting, they're actually putting a burden on their own potential for decades to come. >> WOMAN: I ask God to give my children and me a healthy life and for the means to feed my family, to give me grace, health and to help me lead a decent life.>> TOM ARNOLD: Preventing hunger is actually a good investment for individuals and for countries. Now what to be done, where should the policy focus be? It should definitely be on better nutrition for pregnant women and children under two, massive intervention programs to deal with that problem.>> VOICEOVER: CTC provided a window into the world of the severely malnourished, and in doing so revealed the shocking reality of the daily lives of many African women. Most importantly, it highlighted how their unequal status is contributing to their own and their families' vulnerability to hunger. Not only are they fully responsible for the care of their children and home, they also do 80 percent of the agricultural work. They have few rights and even less choice. They are usually the last to eat at meal times, and the first to go without food when it is scarce. They are often anemic during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and their babies are frequently born underweight, perpetuating the vicious circle of malnutrition.>> ALICE GANDIWA [Concern Worldwide]: Most mothers, they work very hard in the fields, and they grown enough food, probably in the end that food may be sold and the children may not be fed enough. They suffer inwardly. They wish they could have done better for their children, but probably they don't have the means or they don't have the knowledge to do it. At times it's the feeding practices. At times it's the cultural practices. But inwardly, the mother would want a healthy child. Every mother would want a healthy child.>> BRENDAN ROGERS: There's no doubt about it, African women are very much second-class citizens. That's the fact. And while at the UN we pay lip service to equality and gender equality and gender empowerment, it's not happening underground. And there is that gap, and it's being increasingly recognized at every level of society. But if we want to improve the lives of women, if we want to improve the lives of children, if Africa wants to produce enough food to sustain itself, there has to be a refocus on agriculture and rural livelihoods. >> DR. STEVE COLLINS: Most of the hungry people are actually living on small farms. So one key way to get around it is not that the state comes and brings food to them, it's that they are enabled to produce the food themselves. And that requires big changes in the importance of agricultural policy, in government giving more support to farmers and to the rural areas so that farmers can produce and can trade. >> HOWARD DALZELL: The development of CTC has been unusual in that a private sector research organization (Valid International), an NGO (Concern), and a public sector body, such as the Irish government, work together to make it happen, and none of us could have done it by ourselves, but the public-private partnership worked.>> DR. STEVE COLLINS: In the world today, there are 300 million children with chronic malnutrition. We know that that can be prevented with just 40 grams of a high-quality food complement each day, given over a period of 18 months. So this is a problem that is treatable.>> HOWARD DALZELL: And we are convinced that the sort of principles of food signs that are in our ready-to-use foods can be used to make not just therapeutic foods, but supplementary and complementary foods that can go into the marketplace and that parents can buy for their children. It'll keep them growing, it will keep them healthy, and it will prevent malnutrition. >> DR. STEVE COLLINS: I think to date, large companies haven't really targeted the so-called bottom of the pyramid, the poorest of the poor, because I think they felt that these people just haven't got enough money to buy the kind of products they want to sell. But when you get to a really simple, low-cost nutritional supplement, the market is so big (300 million people) that if they each spend 10 dollars a year only on a quality nutritional product, that's a market of three billion dollars a year. Now that's a substantial market. If multinationals start to create properly designed nutritional products, and they price them at an affordable level, you're going to have a whole generation growing up who are capable of using their brains better, and capable of helping themselves more. So, as a foundation for development, the changes that are now happening are profound, and can have real implications in the alleviation of poverty.>> HOWARD DALZELL: It surprises companies when they hear that an NGO and a not-for-profit humanitarian company are actually following business principles. They don't expect us to want to manage costs very clearly, to want to show a surplus that then gets reinvested. They see charity and business as very different, and this whole concept of a not-for-profit company, Valid Nutrition, with a humanitarian mission following best business practices, is just unusual.>> TOM ARNOLD: We are clearly moving into a more difficult economic situation, where people have many legitimate fears about their future, about their future livelihoods. But at least so far, people in this part of the world are not at least fearful of going hungry, and long may that continue. But that is not the reality for a sixth of the world's population. And I think those of us who have escaped that fear of going hungry do need to think about that sixth of the world's population who still have that fear and that daily reality.>> VOICEOVER: The Irish government taskforce report, published in the autumn of 2008, stated clearly that there had been a collective failure at international and national levels to prioritize ending global hunger. Community-based Therapeutic Care demonstrated that when there is a genuine desire for change, solutions can and will be found. And yet, every night, one in six go to bed hungry.>> DR. STEVE COLLINS: This idea that we're doing it because we're compassionate-- that's not-- people have a right to health, a right to good nutrition, they have a right to education, they have a right to security. It's not doing good to ensure those rights are maintained and upheld. It's their rights! So it's a work, you know, you have to do it. I don't want people to do it because they're such nice people; I want people to do it because they can create change and because that's what they should do.>> HOWARD DALZELL: Child death through serious malnutrition is probably the greatest blasphemy in the world today. It simply shouldn't be allowed to happen. It's morally unacceptable. And I think what will actually stop it happening is moral indignation. Slavery was seriously tackled 180 years ago. It wasn't tackled because women in America had dishwashers, and Hoovers, and fridges, and microwaves, so that they didn't need slaves in their kitchen. It was blown out the water because people said this is wrong, our fellow human beings shouldn't be treated like this. It was a moral victory, not a technical victory. We have the technical answers to malnutrition. But to get rid of that blasphemy requires conviction and advocacy, and acceptance of everybody's right to food. It's as simple as that.>> TITLE: Tonight, almost a billion people will go to bed hungry. Most of them are women and children. We have the power to change this. Visit www.concernusa.org http://www.viewchange.org/videos/immunization-means-a-healthy-future-for-philippine-children Every day in the Philippines, poor families search through garbage dumps looking for something worthwhile to resell. This is a dangerous way of life that presents many health risks. The World Health Organization, WHO, is visiting families and providing them with health kits and necessary vaccines to ward off illnesses. Fri, 08 Apr 2011 11:08:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/immunization-means-a-healthy-future-for-philippine-children Philippines, Health, Disease, Manila, United Nations, Payatas, World Health Organization, Landfill, Water & Sanitation, Measles >> VOICEOVER: The Payatas garbage dump in Manila in the Philippines has always been a place for scavengers, a magnet for the poor searching for anything to sell to recyclers. But it is also, remarkably, a place that tens of thousands call home. Families, desperate to make a living, settle here in houses made of tin, cardboard, and anything else found in the mounds of garbage just feet away. Marita Navila lives here with her ten children. >> MARITA NAVILA: We've been here for 12 years scavenging. When we came here the dumpsite was small. Now it's like a mountain.>> VOICEOVER: But with this livelihood comes tremendous risk. It's a place rife with infection and disease and virtually no access to healthcare or vaccinations. Dr. Gabagat knows this all too well; he's the only doctor for the thirty thousand families here. >> DR. GABAGAT: We deal with acute respiratory tract infection, parasitism, and skin diseases.>> VOICEOVER: He also deals with a disease most developed nations consider a rite of passage -- measles. But in the Philippines, it can be deadly. >> DR. SOBEL: This is a preventable disease.>> VOICEOVER: Dr. Sobel is an immunologist with the World Health Organization, WHO. >> DR. SOBEL: Of children who get the measles, about half will get complications from it. They will get pneumonia, they will get diarrhea. They will be malnourished for months. And of them, one in ten will die from this disease. >> VOICEOVER: And Payatas is just one of 42,000 poor areas spread out over the city of Manila alone. Unsanitary conditions and little access to healthcare put millions of children at risk throughout the country. The only way to get to these people is by going to them, directly. And that's exactly what these women are about to do. Teams of health care workers hit the streets, knocking on doors. In tow, fully stocked refrigerated medical kits containing measles vaccines and vitamin supplements. Once done, workers mark the house and record the names of the children they've treated. Experts estimate that by going door-to-door they've reached an additional three million children and prevented tens of thousands from dying. One measure of their success: this local hospital's measles ward used to teem with patients just last year. Today, it's empty. What's more, the program's initial success led WHO to expand its efforts to treat other deadly diseases. >> VOICEOVER: Tuberculosis clinics are now open. Patients, once ostracized and stigmatized, are now able to receive treatment in an open atmosphere. But no matter the efforts, experts agree that until the poor around the globe have a less hazardous way to earn a living, tens of millions will continue to die needlessly from preventable disease. Richard Sydenham 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/water-pressures Average rainfall in the Thar Desert region of Rajasthan, India, can be as little as two inches a year. Having access to water in the area determines the difference between getting an education and living a life that revolves around spending the majority of the day walking to get water. A local NGO has teamed up with villagers to build wells and provide the local population with clean, safe drinking water. This has given many young people the freedom to learn and grow. Wed, 09 Feb 2011 09:33:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/water-pressures India, Rajasthan, Water & Sanitation, Women's rights, Water security, Millennium Development Goals, Drinking water, Environment, Millennium Villages Project, Freshwater >> TITLE: Water Pressures >> TITLE: Deja Bi: 98 years. Water is her story. Saltwater. Since 12 years old, Deja Bi has walked nearly 6 hrs a day to fetch water. Neither Deja Bi, her children, nor grandchildren attended school. Water and work have always been priorities. Water they DO have access to is salty and causes illness. >> TITLE: Manju: 18 years. Manju also fetches water. Sweet - fresh water. Manju's well is 50 feet from her home. It is covered and clean. Water is just the beginning of her story. >> KANUPRIYA HARISH [Executive Director, Jal Bhagirathi Foundation]: Manju is one of our community producers. From about fifteen, twenty girls she was interviewed, she was selected. >> TITLE: The Jal Bhagirathi Foundation provided the wells for Manju's village and school >> TITLE: They also provide media training for Manju and other students interested in telling community stories >> KANUPRIYA HARISH: She was a very, very shy girl. I mean the Manju that you see now is someone who's developed over six months. >> TITLE: Only 20 minutes separate these two women >> TITLE: But 80 years and a world of opportunity stand between them >> TITLE: Saltwater >> DEJA BI: My stomach hurts from the saltwater. I get diarrhea. I can't drink it. I don't have time here. This is the time of dying. So, I shift to the graveyard - to the grave. >> TITLE: Sweetwater >> KANUPRIYA HARISH: She's a different girl. She was a different girl when she had come her, but now she's very different, very confident. >> MANJU: I especially enjoy roaming the villages, talking to villagers. Whatever main issue the villagers speak of, that is what we make our film about. Mostly they speak about water problems. But things ARE improving greatly. >> TITLE: The difference is water. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/nigeria-shit-business-is-serious-business Concerned about the health and environment issues created by the absence of public toilets in most Nigerian cities, social entrepreneur Isaac Durojaiye started a unique mobile toilet initiative to provide decent toilet facilities in strategic locations across the country.&nbsp; This video, shot by Magnum photographer Eli Reed, is part of the Rippling project, an Ashoka-Magnum Foundation partnership.<br /> Wed, 17 Nov 2010 08:50:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/nigeria-shit-business-is-serious-business Sanitation, Nigeria, Isaac Durojaiye, Ashoka, DMT Mobile Toilets, Lagos, Water & Sanitation, Change Makers, Public toilet, Toilet >> TITLE: Everyone a Changemaker>> TITLE: The Inventor-Entrepreneur as Pioneer, System Changer, and Role Model for Future Generations. >> TITLE: Nigeria>> ISAAC DROJAIYE [DMT Mobile Toilets, Ashoka-Lemelson Fellow]: Sanitation is a global issue. There is nobody all over the world that will say they don't want to be sanitation-oriented. Everybody must go to toilet, and, if it's a global phenomenon, then there is a need to have a global approach. Shit business, serious business. Over time, people don't pay attention to the issue of toileting or sanitation. People don't want to be identified with it in the first place. We have glamorized the issue of toilet. >> SIGN: Public Toilet: Pay-as-you-Shit. Lagos State Ministry of Environment and DMT Mobile Toilet private sector participation (PSP). Opening Hours: 5am-9pm. Keep Lagos Clean. Eko o ni Baje. "Shit Business is Serious Business" - Otunba Gadaffi.>> ISAAC DROJAIYE: Our own innovation, our own design has gone a long way in solving some of this problem.>> TITLE: Concerned about the health and environmental issues created by the absence of public toilets, Isaac Drojaiye started the first mobile toilet initiative in Nigeria.>> ISAAC DROJAIYE: When we came up with the concept of adapting portable toilet as a public toilet, it was strange to the people. They've never seen it before. >> TITLE: DMT manufactures mobile toilets locally and uses a franchise model to lease them to at-risk and unemployed youth, as well as to women who are head of households. They are responsible for spotlessly cleaning, maintaining the toilets in perfect condition, and harvesting the waste for profit-generating biogas recycling.>> ISAAC DROJAIYE: The toilets are designed in such a way that it's so easy for them to use, it's so easy for them to maintain. The flush toilet, which is the chemical toilet, has come a long way to becoming a big relief. >> SIGN: DMT Biogas Project ... Converting Shit to Gas & Electricity. Yes we can.>> ISAAC DROJAIYE: One of the things we have decided to do is to set up a biogas plant, to recycle the waste we collect from our toilet, get biogas out of it, to generate electricity. And the slough at the end of the day becomes an organic fertilizer to farmers. What works in Nigeria, might as well work in Ghana, can work in Afghanistan, can work in Peru, can work in Brazil. So, if the solutions are workable you are improving the standard of living, you are improving the public health, you are improving sanitation, and your investment, your money, it's not only coming back but it's improving life.>> TITLE: Rippling created by Ashoka and the Magnum Foundation, with support from The Lemelson and Woodcock Foundations>> TITLE: [end credits] http://www.viewchange.org/videos/waterhealth-international-improving-access-to-safe-drinking-water Installing public water purification systems in India can create unforeseen benefits, such as reducing the amount of money poor families have to spend each month on expensive medications. Wed, 03 Nov 2010 09:45:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/waterhealth-international-improving-access-to-safe-drinking-water Water purification, India, Drinking water, WaterHealth International, Acumen Fund, Andhra Pradesh, Water & Sanitation, Health, Water, Foreign Assistance >> TITLE: People seek dignity, not dependence. Choice, not charity. Which is why we invest in entrepreneurs who are building transformative businesses to serve the poor. >> TITLE: Acumen Fund. Health, Housing, Water, Energy, Agriculture>> TITLE: Nehru Nagar Colony. Andhra Pradesh, India.>> PRABHAVATHI DASARI [Customer, WaterHealth International]: Earlier, my family had regular vomiting and diarrhea, but now it's under control.>> TITLE: 140 million people in India lack access to safe drinking water. >> TITLE: Families, especially women and girls, spend long hours collecting water from local water sources, and end up with water that is not safe for consumption. >> TITLE: WaterHealth International, an Acumen Fund investee, is changing this. >> ALLURU BUJANGARAO [Plant Operator, WaterHealth International]: Earlier, there was no water purification system. The community would drink either pond or well water and would have a lot of difficulty. This water is not clean. It's dirty. It has fish. It has fungus. It has algae and also micro-organisms. This water, after being processed, is happily taken by the community. >> SIGN: WaterHealth India>> PRABHAVATHI DASARI: I have faced a lot of challenges in getting my children to this point. I worked as an agricultural laborer and stitched clothes to provide an education to my children. Now, I stitch clothes. Earlier, I started with pipe water, then we would get it from the pond or well. And then later, we would get water from the Panchayat [local government] tap. The water quality is bad, so we would boil it before drinking. But now, we are getting WHI water and are healthy. Earlier, when we would fall sick, we would spend USD$11 to USD$33 for medicine each month. Now, we're spending a lot less. Everybody should be healthy; that's why we require safe drinking water. >> TITLE: Acumen Fund first invested in WaterHealth International (WHI) in 2004. >> TITLE: By the end of 2009, WHI had built more than 280 community water systems in India, providing more than 300,000 people access to safe drinking water every day. >> TITLE: Tell a friend. acumenfund.org http://www.viewchange.org/videos/a-better-harvest-through-drip-irrigation Modern agricultural techniques tend to focus on helping farmers with large fields (and more money to spend), but an innovative, inexpensive drip irrigation system, developed with investment from the Acumen Fund, is helping smallholder farmers in India dramatically increase their crop yields. Mon, 01 Nov 2010 07:45:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/a-better-harvest-through-drip-irrigation Drip irrigation, India, Agriculture, Irrigation, Acumen Fund, Water & Sanitation, Agriculture & Food, Chili pepper, 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/india-the-scavengers <p>The Sulabh toilet is self-composting and requires no drainage, and already serves some 4 million people daily in India. What's more, this revolution in public sanitation&mdash;with help from the Sulabh movement's leader, Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak&mdash;is empowering some of the country's poorest people.</p> Tue, 05 Oct 2010 16:38:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/india-the-scavengers India, Bindeshwar Pathak, Sulabh International, Sanitation, Improved sanitation, Untouchability, Caste, Public toilet, New Delhi, Alwar >> TITLE: Alwar, Rajasthan, North India >> TITLE: The Scavengers >> VOICEOVER: From 1.1 billion Indians, 750 million are completely deprived of sanitary facilities. It is a set morning ritual: just before sunrise, at 5 AM in the morning, they relieve themselves in the open air. >> DR. BINDESHWAR PATHAK [Founder, Sulabh Foundation]: More than half a million children die every year because of diarrhea, dehydration, hookworms, roundworms, cholera and so forth. And nobody is taking notice of it, this has to change in this country. Half a million children die! A lack of sanitation is the root cause of all these diseases. >> VOICEOVER: There are hardly any sewer systems. The feces are cleared by the so-called "scavengers". These are always outcasts, also known as untouchables, people who are at the utmost bottom of the hierarchic Hindustani caste system. >> SHAKUNTALA [Untouchable]: I have to do this work to feed my children. I can't let them starve. So I am compelled to do this. Although I think it is horrible. >> VOICEOVER: The Hindi word for untouchable is pariah. The Untouchables live -- just as here in Alwar -- on the outskirts of the villages and towns, in separate slums where other Indians don't come. Nowadays the Untouchables call themselves Dalits. For two and a half thousand years they are consistently, and often with impunity, discriminated. They account for almost a fifth of the Indian population. >> PREM [Untouchable]: No one ever comes here to sit and talk with us. So we are sitting home alone, in seclusion of the society. No one will ever come here to spend time with us. >> PREM: Work is like hell. People hate me because of that work. Sometimes they give me some food, but it is thrown to me from above because they won't touch me. Even cows have a better life than I do, because the people pray for the cows, and they take care of them. >> DR. BINDESHWAR PATHAK: In earlier days, the scavengers had to wear bells to create sound, or if not, they had to create signs to clear the road so that people could keep away from them. They don't want to see even the shadow of the scavengers. >> VOICEOVER: When Dr. Pathak was little, he liked to know what the matter was with the Untouchables. That is why he touched a Dalit on purpose one day. His grandmother saw that. >> DR. BINDESHWAR PATHAK: She made a huge cry in the family: "How can he live in the family now because he has touched an Untouchable!" And for that matter she forced me to swallow cow dung, cow urine, sand and Ganges water to purify myself. I was crying. >> VOICEOVER: The matter in question kept haunting Pathak, from the Brahmin caste himself, the highest caste with the Hindus. He decided to dedicate his live to the improvement of the position of the Untouchables. In 1973 he founded the Sulabh movement for that. >> TITLE: New Delhi, Delhi, North India >> VOICEOVER: The movement has her headquarters in a suburb of the capital city New Delhi, and offers employment to 50,000 outcasts in the whole of India by now. She is supported by one simple technical invention. Every Indian knows the Sulabh movement, if only because of the word Sulabh has become a synonym for "public toilet" in the meanwhile. >> DR. BINDESHWAR PATHAK: This is a prototype of a Sulabh toilet. It requires only 1.5 liters to flush per use. You see, from there there's one drain, it has been divided into two, one leading to this tank, and the other to that one. When the first is in use, just close the other one, and after it is full, switch over to the other one. >> MAN: You need a sewerage system for it? >> DR. BINDESHWAR PATHAK: No, it's not required, because it functions independently of the sewer system. The treatment is on the site itself. >> VOICEOVER: It sounds so simple: a WC connected to two covered underground tanks. Water is hardly necessary and no sewerage at all. When the first tank is full -- this takes approximately four years with an average Indian family -- it is closed off and the feces fall into the second tank. After two years the contents of the first tank is fully composted, on site and in a complete natural way, without adding chemicals. >> DR. BINDESHWAR PATHAK: This is the manure fertilizer taken out of the pit, as I told you. >> MAN: This is human excretes? >> DR. BINDESHWAR PATHAK: This is human excreta. Here, no smell, no pathogen, no bacteria, nothing. It can safely be handled and used in the field to raise the productivity of the field on the flowers and the fruits. So this is a technology, which can reach each and every house of 2.6 billion people who have no access to safe and hygienic toilets. >> DR. BINDESHWAR PATHAK: Suppose a person is living in a slum. They can have a toilet only for 10 to 20 dollars. So this is a technology that ends both the problem of open defecation as well as manual cleaning of human excreta and scavenging. It also reduces the diseases. It improves health. And it improves working man days. If he works more, then certainly he can earn more money, and he can be eliminated from poverty. >> VOICEOVER: Pathak is not just anybody. In India he is a celebrity, and recently his WCs were recommended for the second time by the United Nations for 2.6 billion slum inhabitants all over the world. He has been decorated by the Pope and praised by the former UN bosses Boutros Boutros-Ghali and Kofi Annan. He takes us along to the central station in New Delhi, where one of the many public toilet complexes is situated, which his Sulabh movement has set up. >> DR. BINDESHWAR PATHAK: Here we have toilets and a bathroom. People come here to use the toilet. They pay 2 rupees, roughly 4 eurocents, they go to toilet, take shower and they go away. During night hours they can also come here, so they should not have to go outside for defecation. This kind of facility we have throughout the country. We have more than 6,000 complexes, used by roughly 4 million people every day. >> VOICEOVER: The Sulabh complex near the central station in New Delhi is visited by 4,000 people daily. Just as with the other public toilet complexes the personnel consists of Untouchables. The Untouchables, who clear up feces on the street, earn approximately 6 euros a month. The Untouchables who work here earn at least 50 euros a month, eight times as much. Food and shelter are free. The Sulabh movement offers employment to 50,000 Untouchables in the whole of India. >> SANITATION WORKER: My room is over there, sir. This is my bed to sleep in. It's really comfortable. This is my god. He fulfills all my wishes. He helps me. Here are my clothes. All my wishes have been fulfilled. Here is the tap. In the morning we turn it on. Look, water is pouring out! Then I wash my face. Here is my comb and mirror where I comb my hair. And if I want to, I hum with it. At night we leave on the fan, so it becomes nicely fresh. Then we sleep tight. No fussing, no problems. >> VOICEOVER: The jobs are popular among the untouchables, as in India there are hundreds of thousands Dalits who have to live from cleaning the filthiness off the street. >> TEACHER: "M" for monkey, "N" for nest, "O" for owl... >> VOICEOVER: With the money that the Sulabh movement earns from the public toilets and the sale of WCs -- the turnover amounts to almost 20 million euros a year -- Pathak has set up schools and training institutes for Untouchables and their children. The Untouchables, who learn a profession here, are all illiterate and former street cleaners. During their education, they receive five times as much money as they earned when they still collected feces on the street, and therefore the Untouchables are craving to be educated. >> DR. BINDESHWAR PATHAK: Were you often offended, when you still cleared feces with your bare hands? >> WOMAN 1: I walked with the basket on my head. It started raining, and the basket overflowed, and all the poop poured over my body. Everybody was laughing at me. With difficulty I delivered the basket and then ran away. >> WOMAN 2: After work, people came over to my hut. They threatened to drag me along to report me to the police if I didn't start cleaning again. >> WOMAN 3: I walked with my basket in the rain. Everything ran over my body. Everybody was laughing and I had to throw up. If I got any food or money, it was thrown to me. >> DR. BINDESHWAR PATHAK: I took them to a five-star hotel for dinner in Delhi. Everybody was surprised. Here are scavengers, in a five-star hotel, where Clinton had food? So I said they should also go there. Now see, this was a symbolic gesture to show that you are on the par with others. You also have the right to go to these places. Had I asked international aid agency or the government to give me funds to take them to this hotel for dinner, they would have said to me, he is a mad person. >> MAN: So you're not receiving government money or Western money from NGOs? >> DR. BINDESHWAR PATHAK: No, we have not so far received any money. >> MAN: It's completely self-supporting? >> DR. BINDESHWAR PATHAK: Totally self-reliant. >> MAN: You don't want government interference? >> DR. BINDESHWAR PATHAK: Not at all while I am alive, because if you have your own money, you are independent, your decision, then you can do. But if you are tied by the decisions of others, the organizations whose money you take, then you can't do the way you want to implement the things. That is the success of Sulabh. >> SHAKUNTALA: It isn't in my hands. It's in the hands of God. He decides on my next life, on how I return after my death. If he gives me the same work, it is the will of God. That's faith. We have to accept that. >> DR. BINDESHWAR PATHAK: The women have to suffer most, because they have to look after the children. And the men they don't care. So certainly the ladies are depressed about the act of harassment. In our training institute, we also teach their husbands also, not to drink too much, and don't make violence. So this is a candle in the darkness, the beginning of the beginning. It will take time to change, but it is changing. If they leave this job and then do something else and live a proper life, then society will accept them. But while doing this job, the dirty job, they cannot be accepted by society. All you try to find out the solution of the problem. Talking about a problem is one thing. But all your talking only adds to the problem. But 90 percent of people in the world, they talk about a problem, not a solution. Anywhere, about the rivers, the forest, this and that, they talk about the problem and if you ask, "What is the solution?" "Oh, that I don't know. The government should do it." >> WOMAN 1: I have already signed up for the training. I have even turned in a passport photo. I live here in the neighborhood. When do I get the chance? >> WOMAN 2: I haven't heard anything yet. Just have patience. Next time it is your turn too. >> WOMAN 1: I have called in there so many times. >> VOICEOVER: By now, the solutions of Dr. Pathak -- the WCs and public toilet complexes -- are built in 14 African and in several Asian countries, including China and war-stricken Afghanistan. The Indian scientists and technicians, who are working for the Sulabh movement, haven't been sitting around doing nothing. >> DR. BINDESHWAR PATHAK: This is the back portion of a Sulabh public toilet. Human excreta from there comes to the biogas-digester, which is not visible. It is 20 feet deep. Here the human excreta gets converted into biogas, and the biogas is tunneled through a pipeline for different purposes. So here again no electricity is required, nothing from outside. It's automatically. >> VOICEOVER: In the bigger Sulabh toilet complexes, the human excreta are fully recycled on site. The only thing that remains is compost, purified water and biogas. Meanwhile, the gas is also used to generate electricity. In India there are 122 power stations where this happens. A few months ago Dr. Pathak received the Energy Globe Award in the European Parliament for one of the best permanent development projects in the world. >> DR. BINDESHWAR PATHAK: Just listen, one day you will be just as valuable as everybody else. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/healthy-well-clean-water-changing-lives-in-el-salvador <p>New water wells are being built in rural El Salvador that are safe from contamination by floodwater. Maintained by local people, they are impacting everything from public health to the ability of children to attend school&mdash;an example of how something as basic as clean water can be the basis of change for a whole community.</p> Mon, 27 Sep 2010 20:08:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/healthy-well-clean-water-changing-lives-in-el-salvador Drinking water, El Salvador, Oxfam, Water well, Water supply, Central America, Latin America, Water & Sanitation, ViewChange Online Film Contest, LinkTV Picks >> TITLE: Healthy Well: Clean Water Changing Lives in El Salvador >> TITLE: A film by Alan Catello Grazioso, Patricia Alvarado Nunez >> ELVIRA [Student]: Hi, I'm Elvira. The water from the old, hand-dug well had little creatures in it. We couldn't drink that water because we would get stomachaches. With this clean water we do not get stomachaches anymore. >> TITLE: El Salvador, San Salvador >> VOICEOVER: El Salvador is both the smallest and most densely populated country in Central America. >> TITLE: San Salvador, Capital of El Salvador >> VOICEOVER: Many Salvadorans have struggled to overcome historic inequities. The long civil war and natural disasters have made things more challenging; almost half of El Salvador's population now lives in poverty, and more than 90 percent of the country's surface water is contaminated. Increasingly erratic rainfall and floods, caused by climate change, threaten El Salvador's water supply even further. Especially in the Zacatecoluca area about 35 miles outside the capital. >> TITLE: El Salvador, San Salvador, Zacatecoluca >> FLORENTINO DIAZ CRUZ [Community leader]: During the wet season, it rains day and night, day and night. The rivers swell, then the water gets contaminated. >> KARINA COPEN [Oxfam America]: So what generally happens here is that, when it floods, the water gets extremely contaminated: latrines overflow, this an area with a lot of cattle, all of that waste goes into the hand-dug wells that are found in most of the homes here. >> MARIA LUISA PORTILLO [Resident]: I get our drinking water from a hand-dug well. We use this water to, clean the dishes, cook and drink. When it rains, a lot the water comes out muddy, but, because we do not have other options, this is the water we drink. >> VOICEOVER: Oxfam and local partner Pro Vida built five healthy wells. Lined and outfitted with filters, these wells provide a clean source of drinking water. >> KARINA COPEN: The proposal of these healthy wells is to build a sealed well that not only gives them higher quality water all year round, but, in the case of flooding, which is happening more and more as we're seeing changes in the climate, this is going to provide a safe water source during emergencies and throughout the year. >> FLORENTINO DIAZ CRUZ: We all have the right to water but not to the bad water we used to drink. Quality water. Water that helps us stay healthy. >> VOICEOVER: In the town of El Recuerdo in Zacatecoluca, the healthy well is located in the schoolyard, the heart of the community. The well provides many families with clean water. >> BLANCA CALERO DE CATIVO [Teacher]: This healthy well has changed the lives of all the kids here. Before the healthy well, the kids used to get sick, and they were often absent from school. >> CINDY MELISA [Student]: My name is Cindy Melisa. I drew my mom bringing water to the house. The water that comes out of the tank is drinkable and healthy. >> DR. CRISTINA SALAZAR [Doctor, Pro Vida]: The community has responded in a very positive way. Therefore, they are involved in its maintenance, in trying to keep the healthy well in good condition. >> TITLE: Village of Agua Zarca, Zacatecoluca >> ANA FRANCISCA REYES [Local water committee member]: We have learned how to clean the wells inside, how to put chlorine in the water. Pro Vida and Oxfam America have taught us how to do it. >> VOICEOVER: As the climate changes, increased flooding puts thousands in this region at risk. >> DR. CRISTINA SALAZAR: We are talking about approximately 50 communities and only five healthy wells. Our short-term dream is to bring quality water to as many communities as possible. This is the way I would like to see all these communities getting a better quality of life. This is what we would like to see. >> TITLE: oxfamamerica.org/climate Oxfam America http://www.viewchange.org/videos/climate-change-hardest-hit-empowered-women-of-ethiopia Southern Ethiopia is being hit hard by climate change, and the region's women often bear the brunt of hardships caused by unpredictable weather patterns and drought. But these women are reacting by empowering themselves, partnering with a local organization to share information and improve their living conditions. Thu, 23 Sep 2010 08:39:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/climate-change-hardest-hit-empowered-women-of-ethiopia Ethiopia, Oxfam, Rain, Water, Climate change, Africa, Borena zone, Drought, Agriculture & Food, Agriculture >> TITLE: Climate Change Hardest Hit: Empowered Women of Ethiopia >> TITLE: A film by Alan Catello Grazioso>> TITLE: Narrated by Majora Carter.>> TERUFUA BAGAJO [DEWS Data Collector]: The climate is changing. Every year the amount of rain is decreasing. What all people are feeling is fear, fear of what they will face tomorrow.>> LOKO DADACHA [Community leader]: There is an acute shortage of water, especially clean water. Our children are suffering from hunger. >> TITLE: Ethiopia, Addis Ababa>> MAJORA CARTER: Human life began in this region of Africa. While the people of Ethiopia have always had to cope with droughts, climate change is making things even worse, bringing about more unpredictable weather and more frequent and severe droughts.>> TITLE: Ethiopia, Addis Ababa>> TITA MEKONNEN [Aid worker, Ethiopia]: In the last major rainy season, this area received rain only for five days, so the ponds are not storing enough water, not enough pasture is growing, and the crops are failing. If the natural resource is not doing good, the livestock cannot survive, and if the livestock cannot do good, the people cannot survive.>> MAJORA CARTER: The Borena people who live here are herders and depend on their animals for food and income. >> LOKO DADACHA: During the dry season it takes six hours a day to gather water. Over the years, rainfall has decreased.>> MAJORA CARTER: Villagers must rely on water from the same pond where animals drink.>> ADI TADHICHA [Community member]: We need to rehabilitate the pond and keep it clean.>> MAJORA CARTER: One new strategy this community has undertaken is a drought early warning system called DEWS. That helps turn the deep knowledge women have of their communities into action. It's a partnership between villagers and a local group called the Gayo Pastoralist Development Initiative. >> TEREFUA BAGAJO: My name is Terefua Bagajo. I'm a data collector. Every month I come to this area and collect data from five women and report that to Gayo. My questionnaire has 25 questions on sanitation, clean water, food, livestock, and pasture, as well as health. In our community, women are the first to feel the effect of drought. They know best about problems in the home, with children and the cattle. They know about shortage of food and water. They know what it means to have something and then lose it. That's why we collect data from them.>> MAJORA CARTER: That information gets plotted on a graph, and when spikes reveal trouble, that triggers action. The community is key to identifying solutions.>> KALICHA CHACHU [Community elder]: Sitting idle is good for nothing. It does not sustain or change your life. So we rehabilitate ponds. We are also clearing invasive bushes and preparing rangeland.>> MAJORA CARTER: Local solutions include deepening and repairing ponds so they'll hold more water, distributing drought-tolerant goats to help families rebuild their herds, and improving public health by building latrines.>> LOKO DADACHA: We benefitted from these projects and were able to make it through the last drought. If you're asking me what I wish, it's to get enough rain and grass and pasture. I wish to become self-sufficient.>> TITLE: oxfamamerica.org/climate Oxfam America http://www.viewchange.org/videos/making-it-easy <p>In Cambodia, almost 11,000 people die of diarrhea every year. An enormous number of these deaths are due to the lack of latrines in rural regions. International Development Enterprises has begun a program to solve this problem by making latrines both affordable and desirable.</p> Thu, 09 Sep 2010 23:20:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/making-it-easy Cambodia, Water & Sanitation, Svay Rieng, Kandal Province, Sanitation, Infectious disease, Latrine, Asia, IDE, Education >> TITLE: In Cambodia, almost 11,000 people die of diarrhea every year; most of those deaths are children. >> TITLE: Less than 20 percent of rural Cambodians have a latrine. >> TITLE: Despite numerous NGO and government projects, latrine take-up has been minimal. >> TITLE: Until now. >> VOICEOVER: In 2005, IDE began a sanitation program in the Cambodian provinces of Svay Rieng and Kandal. The aim was to design a suite of latrines and an unsubsidized supply chain that would allow local people, however poor, access to toilets. Key to the initial research was talking to villagers to find out why they were unable or unwilling to purchase latrines. >> MAN 1: We’ve always just used the bushes. No one told us about sanitation. >> WOMAN 1: There are so many places to go, I don’t need a latrine >> MAN 2: I don’t have access to a latrine, so I just use the bushes >> VOICEOVER: Once the program had established the most common reasons, the next step was to find ways of changing attitudes and behavior. >> OU SAVOEUN [Provincial Field Supervisor, Svay Rieng, IDE Cambodia]: With the villagers, we start by asking them to drop sand on the map where they shit. This shows them very powerfully where they are all defecating. Then we talk about how bad sanitation encourages the spread of disease through hands, insects, water, and food. >> VOICEOVER: Changing behavior and creating demand is vital but pointless if people can’t afford the latrines. So IDE set out to design a latrine that was effective, inexpensive, and attractive to users and retailers: the Easy Latrine. >> CORDELL JACKS [WATSAN Program Manager, IDE Cambodia]: In the past, if a Cambodian family wanted a latrine, it was a really difficult and complex process. Now, with the sanitation marketing program we have, it’s become a very easy process. In the same day, a household can make the decision, purchase a latrine, they can then contact a latrine producer in their local area, the latrine producer will drop off all of the supplies to their home, and they can install the latrine themselves. One day, one decision. Quick and easy >> VOICEOVER: Ninety-five percent of non-owners said the main reason they didn’t have a latrine was expense. To create an affordable but upgradable system, there needed to be a transformation in the role of the concrete suppliers. >> DUONG SETHA [Concrete Producer, Svay Rieng]: It’s easy to sell because it doesn’t fill up quickly, simple to build, and very cheap. When I used to produce standard latrines, I hardly sold any. Now, it’s different. The Easy Latrine is so much cheaper, and even a widow can build it by herself. >> VOICEOVER: The Chey family recently bought and built their own latrine. >> MEAS SAVY [Chambock Tleng, Svay Rieng]: Before we had a latrine, my family used to get ill all the time. Since we’ve had one, they’re much healthier. >> YUOS CHEY [Chambock Tleng, Svay Rieng]: We couldn’t afford a toilet, so we just used to go in the fields. >> MEAS SAVY: We were so happy when we got a latrine. It means good sanitation and a healthier family. >> YUOS CHEY: Our relatives are happier when they visit us because we have good sanitation. Owning a latrine is like having our own doctor. >> VOICEOVER: Since the program began, the two Svay Rieng districts that have featured have seen an unprecedented 5 percent increase in latrine coverage. IDE are currently looking to take the project nationwide, creating an opportunity for the whole of Cambodia to benefit from the Easy Latrine. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/carina-water-wells-project <p>When a new water well and rainwater harvesting tank are built at Kwihala village and Isukamahela School in Tanzania, the villagers are taught how to manage and look after them, a key component for empowering them towards self-sufficiency.</p> Sat, 04 Sep 2010 02:15:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/carina-water-wells-project Tanzania, Water well, Millennium Development Goals, Drinking water, Tabora, Subsistence farming, Rainwater harvesting, Water supply, Agriculture, Fundraising >> TITLE: Carina Water Wells Project. Tabora, Tanzania. >> JACQUELINE SIMONE AMBROSE [Project Coordinator]: I grew up in Tanzania from 1949 to 1970. In December 2003, I returned to visit Tabora in central Tanzania for the first time in 38 years. I was married there in 1963 and my daughter Carina was born in 1964. The population has tripled since then, and the majority of villages still haven't got a clean source of water. The area's economy is dependent on agriculture, subsistence farming using a hand hoe. The Tabora Anglican Diocese has been implementing water sanitation projects since 1997, but funding sources had dried up. They asked me to assist by finding more money for additional projects. Although I now live on the other side of the world, in Maui, Hawaii, I rose to the challenge. Funds were donated by a business associate and the first Carina Water Well was installed at Inonelwa village in February 2005. Inonelwa village has since become a part of the Millennium Development Goals. >> JACQUELINE SIMONE AMBROSE: Tabora district is fortunate because the underground water is close enough to the surface in places to allow for hand-dug wells. The well at Kwihala village is 18 feet deep; the one at Inonelwa village is only 13 feet deep. Women and children are the most affected by water issues, because they're responsible for finding it. They often have to walk up to 5 kilometers daily to find water which is dirty and contaminated. It took four more years to raise money for the second Carina Water Wells project. It's located at Kwihala village close to Dr. David Livingstone's museum. The well and a rainwater harvesting tank at the village school were funded by the Rotary Club of Maui in 2009. >> JACQUELINE SIMONE AMBROSE: Christopher Nyamwanji, has over 15 years of experience working on water sanitation projects in Tabora District. The program is very well planned and implemented, involving the villagers at every phase of development. The wells are hand dug. Molds for the concrete rings are brought to the site and the concrete is mixed right there. The rings are then placed in the well cavity manually, and with the use of ropes. It takes about six weeks to complete construction of a well, including the water sanitation education phase. Approximately 250 to 350 people use the wells. >> JACQUELINE SIMONE AMBROSE: The village water committee is responsible for fundraising within the community to establish a water fund to maintain the well structure, and for resolving any inadequate water supply problems. Thus, the villagers both own and sustain the wells and rainwater catchment tanks. >> JACQUELINE SIMONE AMBROSE: The Carina Water Wells project provides enough funds to include water sanitation promotion and hygiene education to the villagers. Raising the level of awareness within the communities, to understand good hygiene and sanitation practices for their improved health, is crucial to the success of the projects. An additional rainwater harvesting tank was built at Isukamahela School, in Tabora district. The American Society of Dowsers sponsored the project. A staple diet of maize meal is cooked at the school for the children. Having access to a water supply close by makes their lives much easier. School attendance during the peak of the dry season is about 70 percent, but jumps to 98 percent attendance in the rainy season. >> JACQUELINE SIMONE AMBROSE: I plan continuing my efforts to raise funds for more Carina Water Wells Projects. Without water there is no life. >> TITLE: "If real development is to take place, the people have to be involved." Julius Kambarage Nyerere, from his book Uhuru na Maendeleo (Freedom and Development), 1973 >> TITLE: www.carinawaterwells.org http://www.viewchange.org/videos/in-nature-s-way-protecting-and-irrigating-koraro-s-land <p>Simple, innovative structures in Koraro, Ethiopia divert floods that had previously devastated farmers. Now the water is channeled to irrigate farmland. These structures were built with support from the Ethiopian government's safety net program, which supplied villagers with grain in exchange for their labor.</p> Fri, 27 Aug 2010 13:06:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/in-nature-s-way-protecting-and-irrigating-koraro-s-land Irrigation, Ethiopia, Millennium Villages Project, Agriculture, Millennium Promise, Water & Sanitation, Water, Agriculture & Food, Africa, ViewChange Online Film Contest >> TITLE: Millennium Promise: Extreme poverty ends here >> TITLE: In Nature's Way: Protecting and irrigating Koraro's land. Ethiopia, March 2010 >> VOICEOVER: Farmer Arrea Atzbiha feeds his family from a quarter of a hectare of land in the remote Millennium Village of Koraro in Ethiopia. >> ARREA ATZBIHA [Farmer]: I mostly grow tef [grain] here. My parents gave me this land. It does not belong to me. >> VOICEOVER: But every year nature unleashes its power on Arrea. During the heavy rains, water gushes down the nearby Gera'alta Mountains, wreaking havoc. >> GIGAR KEBEDE [Infrastructure Coordinator, Koraro Millennium Village Project]: It carries all the eroded soil materials and deposits in farmland. By doing this it was devastating and damaging the farmers and leaving them without any crop yield. >> VOICEOVER: But over the last year, gabion structures made of stones and wire mesh have been built all around the village, diverting destructive floodwaters and channeling them to irrigate farmland. >> GIGAR KEBEDE: We assemble the stones using gabion boxes so that they can act strongly and resist the impact of high floods. >> VOICEOVER: By teaching the local community how to manage the heavy rains using simple engineering techniques, staff of the Millennium Village Project are helping to make sure that the farmers' fields get all the water they need. >> GIGAR KEBEDE: If we are able to control and manage it, and use it through the dry season, we can have sufficient crop production and it will be sufficient to feed the people. >> VOICEOVER: Built by local villagers with support from the Ethiopian government safety net program, which gives grain in return for labor, the gabions are reclaiming land such as this gully bed while sending the water to the farmers’ fields. >> GIGAR KEBEDE: The run-off that is diverted into the trench infiltrates into the ground, so ultimately that develops the groundwater level, and by constructing hand-dug wells, it can be used for irrigation. >> VOICEOVER: By channeling the precious water, wells can be dug and fields irrigated, putting food on the table for farmers like Arrea who are filled with hope fur the future. >> ARREA ATZBIHA: If the water continues to flow, we know that production will increase. >> GIGAR KEBEDE: Farmers have already started irrigating small plots. By doing this we are improving the nutritional security of the local people. >> VOICEOVER: Local people who this year are hopeful of a plentiful harvest. >> TITLE: Widespread reliance on rain-fed agriculture has led to deep food insecurity that threatens much of Africa. >> TITLE: The Millennium Villages project has empowered entire communities by teaching modern irrigation techniques. >> TITLE: These successfully control water flows for plentiful harvests, ensuring increased crop yields, better nutrition, and improved livelihoods. >> TITLE: Help us ensure that entire communities can introduce these simple and affordable engineering techniques -- and so can begin to lift themselves out of extreme poverty. >> TITLE: Millennium Promise: Extreme poverty ends here. Join us today at www.millenniumpromise.org http://www.viewchange.org/videos/mdg-7-ensure-environmental-sustainability <p>Climate change is already having a serious impact on low-lying islands such as Kiribati, which is why the Australian government is helping the tiny Pacific nation to preserve its shrinking fresh water resources and adapt to face an uncertain future.</p> Wed, 25 Aug 2010 19:42:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/mdg-7-ensure-environmental-sustainability Kiribati, Millennium Development Goals, Climate change, Current sea level rise, Extreme weather, Global warming, Anote Tong, Greenhouse gas, Pacific Islands, President of Kiribati >> TITLE: Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) >> TITLE: 7. Ensure Environmental Sustainability. The world is attempting to reduce the emissions of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming. However, climate change is already increasing pressure on the environment and making sustainable development more challenging. Unaddressed, climate change is likely to exacerbate food shortages ... and erode recent gains in poverty reduction. >> TITLE: Target. Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs. Halve the number of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. >> TITLE: Kiribati. >> VOICEOVER: Climate change is already affecting many countries, particularly in the Pacific. It's exacerbating current environmental and development challenges and, if left unaddressed, holds the potential to stall and reverse progress towards the MDGs. Kiribati, which already suffers many environmental challenges, is one of the most vulnerable countries in the region. >> ARTA ARBAIANG [Kiribati Elder]: I feel that the sun is getting hotter and at the same time I feel there has been an increase in the level of seawater. >> VOICEOVER: The president of Kiribati, Anote Tong, believes his island could become uninhabitable in as few as 20 years, in part due to the effects of climate change on the fragile natural environment. >> ANOTE TONG [Kiribati President]: Previously I thought 2060, would be a safe ... maybe getting too close to the edge. But now it seems that it might be a lot earlier; I think 2030 might be more realistic. But I think the response has to be much earlier than that. >> VOICEOVER: Extreme weather events, like cyclones, contribute to coastal erosion, putting settlements at risk. The main source of reliable fresh water in the capital comes from an underground lens. The combined effects of population pressures and saline intrusion are putting water supplies at risk. >> MARELLA REBGETZ [Water Engineer, Kiribati Adaptation Project]: There's no above-ground water in Kiribati. It's all in the water lens, which makes it very fragile. >> VOICEOVER: Australia is helping Kiribati to address the sustainability of their water supplies by working with locals to better manage water resources, monitor groundwater quality, and improve sanitation to reduce groundwater pollution. While uncertainty remains over the future of Kiribati, President Tong is focused on ensuring his people are equipped to migrate if this becomes necessary. Australia is assisting by supporting training programs aimed at providing skills in demand in other countries, such as a Maritime Training College for sailors and the Kiribati Australia Nurses Initiative being run through Griffith University in Queensland. >> TITLE: What is Australia doing? Providing AUD$150 million, through the International Climate Change Adaptation Initiative, to help vulnerable countries in our region increase resilience to the unavoidable impacts of climate change. Working to improve understanding of current and projected climate change impacts to help Pacific Island countries make informed adaptation decisions. Funding monitoring stations to ensure Pacific Island countries have access to accurate data on sea level rise. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/kiribati-and-climate-change <p>As the world's easternmost nation, Kiribati (pronounced "kiri-bas") gained attention in 2000 as the first land to welcome in the new millennium. Now, according to dire predictions, the tiny Pacific country could be about to claim another record: the first to become uninhabitable due to climate change, possibly as soon as 20 years from now.</p> Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:02:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/kiribati-and-climate-change Climate change, Kiribati, Water supply, Pacific Islands, Anote Tong, South Tarawa, Current sea level rise, Groundwater, President of Kiribati, AusAID >> VOICEOVER: Located on the Equator, adjoining the international dateline, Kiribati is a nation made up of 33 coral atolls. Around 100,000 people live here, with half of them crowded into one island, South Tarawa -- an island 16 square kilometers in area and only 450 meters at its widest point, supporting a population density similar to Hong Kong. A lot of people, a small space, and an isolated region, making sustainability a real issue. But the most interesting dimension of all is the average height above sea level: less than two meters. The nation's president, Anote Tong, is warning the world Kiribati could become the first country to fall victim to climate change. >> ANOTE TONG [President of Kiribati]: Previously I thought 2060 would be safe, maybe getting too close to the edge. But now it seems that it might be a lot earlier; I think 2030 might be more realistic. But I think the response has to be much earlier than that. >> INTERVIEWER: When you say 2030, are you saying as soon as 20 years, perhaps? >> ANOTE TONG: I think virtually, yes, the next 20 years. >> VOICEOVER: Global warming is being blamed for changing weather patterns, rising sea levels, and an increase in storm surge activity, tearing away at the coastline; coconut and breadfruit trees dying as salination claims previously fertile land; climate change exacerbating issues the country has faced for centuries due to drought and limited fresh water. Add in overpopulation and it's a recipe for disaster. >> ARTA [Abaiang Island Elder]: I can feel that the sun is getting hotter and at the same time I feel there has been an increase in the level of the seawater >> VOICEOVER: Arta's lived on Abaiang for more than 50 years, watching parts of his island completely disappear during storms, projected to become more intense as the climate changes. >> EMIL SCHULZ [Former Public Works Minister]: It's very fragile, 200 meters is actually nothing, you know? That can go in a matter of hours of strong winds and high tides here. >> REPORTER: If what appears to be the effect of climate change continues to take its course here in Kiribati, it won't be rising sea levels inundating the land that drives these people from the islands. Lack of a water supply will be the major issue, as the combined effects of erosion, storm surges, and drought continue to take their toll on an already fragile system. >> MARELLA REBGETZ [Climate Change Adaptation Worker]: The country will be uninhabitable long before it's underwater. >> VOICEOVER: Marella Rebgetz is engaged in an Australian-supported program aimed at adapting the country to climate change, working with the Kiribati government to increase understanding of the impacts and developing appropriate responses. >> MARELLA REBGETZ: There is no above-ground water in Kiribati. It's all in the water lens. >> VOICEOVER: Fresh water is drawn from wells sunk into the lens -- a zone of clean water below the surface of the island. >> MARELLA REBGETZ: Most places are only a meter, meter-and-a-half deep, and so if anybody has toilets nearby, if they have pigs nearby, if they've buried grandma nearby, all the waste can easily penetrate the water lens, so it's very fragile >> VOICEOVER: A fragility further threatened by storms and resulting erosion. As islands shrink, so too does the water supply. >> EMIL SCHULZ: People have actually had to move further inland so they can get access to better ground water. >> VOICEOVER: One of the President's responses is training programs enabling young people to develop skills and become more attractive migrants. Examples include a Maritime Training College for sailors and the new Australian government-funded Kiribati Australia Nurses' Initiative being run through Griffith University in Queensland. >> NURSING STUDENT: So what's the point of going back when Kiribati is sinking or getting vanished or submerged? >> ANOTE TONG: If we are losing our homeland, potentially our culture, surely we can at least try to maintain our dignity in moving to the new adopted countries. And so the way to do it is to train our people. >> VOICEOVER: But it's not that straightforward for everyone and it's an issue being debated across the Pacific: the people of Kiribati are not alone in facing an uncertain future. >> SISTER CLAIRE ANTEREA [Our Lady of Sacred Heart Church]: Old people, they don't want to change. They still always want to be where they are, but young people now, they want to move, to move on. >> VOICEOVER: In this deeply Christian country, climate change is a regular topic of Sunday homilies. Those subscribing to the Old Testament have their own theories on rising sea levels. >> KAIARAKE TABURUEA [Kiribati Adaptation Project worker]: According to the bible, God promised Noah that there would be no second flood. >> VOICEOVER: In the meantime, life goes on. The people of Kiribati are not giving up: their land, their culture, and pride are far too important. But when the world gathers at the climate change conference in Copenhagen later this year, expect to hear more of President Anote Tong. 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/good-fortune-jackson <p>Massive investment, modern agricultural techniques, regulated irrigation ... the American-owned Dominion Farms development in Kenya sounds like a model example of collaboration between Africa and the West. But local farmers disagree, and are campaigning hard to have their dissenting voices heard.</p> Fri, 09 Jul 2010 00:56:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/good-fortune-jackson Kenya, Agriculture, Dominion Farms, Water stagnation, Drought, Calvin Burgess, Paddy field, Human rights, Economic development, Good Fortune >> TITLE: Scenes from the feature documentary: Good Fortune >> CALVIN BURGESS [Dominion Farms CEO]: What you're seeing here is some of our newer rice fields. About ... this one right behind us is probably about six weeks old because it's now had its first full flood put on it. So, what we're trying to do here is we're trying to bring in as modern a concept of agriculture as there is anywhere in the world and implement them in the middle of Africa. And I believe, if you come back in about three years you're going to stand here and see rice as far as you can see. >> TITLE: Dominion Farms has invested USD$26 million into a state-of-the-art rice farm in western Kenya >> CALVIN BURGESS: This was the worst community in Kenya. When we came here five, six years ago, there was a lot of starvation, a lot of hunger and there's people who have college degrees who have never worked down here because there's no jobs. I believe that Africa needs the same as we need in most of the Western world, they need economic development, they need people to come in that will invest their funds, people who will put their dollars to work and expect a reasonable return out of it and then that business builds new business and more business and more business, and that's a sample of what we're trying to do here. So, we'll make a huge difference in the impact of the lives of these people. >> JACKSON OMONDI [farmer and schoolteacher]: We are not against the Dominion's activities, but what he's doing is what makes us to become afraid. I saw burning. He had a sprayer and he was spraying the diesel and burning because they want to submerge the whole of this area with water. Dominion is busy working. Dominion is busy clearing the farm. Dominion has blocked the river without even contacting us, talking to us. Now we are just seeing things going without our consent. I came here from school and found the workers painting that beacon. If the level of the water reaches the beacon that indicates that all our land will be submerged with water. >> GRAHAM VETCH [Dominion Farms Country Director]: This is all water that's come out of the Yala River, which has been dammed. So we've backed it up, but at the moment we're allowing enough to go through so it doesn't go above this level at the moment until we have totally sorted out our various problems with the communities around us. And once we have this dyke in place we'll then be able to control the waters. Even in a severe, severe drought we'll always be able to control our destiny for quite some months, both for the local people for water, for fish, and for our irrigation requirements. To have an asset like this with 1,100 acres of water is a major thing in this part of the world. The benefits in our opinion well outweigh the ... any detrimental effects that the locals may have, or the perceptions of detrimental effects they may have. So, you know, they have to grow with us, and try and convince them to hang in there guys, it's all going to be okay. >> JACKSON OMONDI [in meeting, writing a letter]: What about denying us clean water? >> MAN: Denying us clean water. >> MAN: Access, access to clean water. >> JACKSON OMONDI: Access ... clean water. >> MAN: And substitute it with health risk stagnant water. >> JACKSON OMONDI: And it creates a breeding place for mosquitos. >> MAN: Of course. Increase in malaria infection. >> MAN: We'll attach a page with our names and give one to the human rights people and one to the government. >> MAN: The ecosystem we have here is a very delicate one and the things he is intending to do will destroy it completely. >> MAN: So, somebody who does not care for the others, how can you care for him? >> TITLE: www.goodfortunefilm.com http://www.viewchange.org/videos/clean-water <p>Throughout the world, access to safe drinking water is the most critical element of sustained good health. Clean Water focuses on the highly successful efforts of one humanitarian organization, East Meets West, to bring safe drinking water to rural communities in Vietnam -- led by staff member Richard Brogdon, a Vietnam war veteran who has special reason to help the local Vietnamese community.</p> Thu, 08 Jul 2010 00:21:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/clean-water Drinking water, East Meets West Foundation, Vietnam, Foreign Assistance, Waterborne disease, Developing country, Water security, Rural area, Development aid, Poverty >> TITLE: Danang, Vietnam 5:30 a.m. >> VOICEOVER: Thirty years after the end of armed conflict, to most Americans the word "Vietnam" is still synonymous with the word "war." Meanwhile the Vietnamese, having survived centuries of war and foreign domination, are looking to the future and striving to build a modern nation. Finally at peace, Vietnam today is one of the world's fastest growing economies, but remains one of the poorest countries in the world. Perhaps the greatest challenge to a developing country is improving the health of its people. Sick adults can't work and sick children can't study. Throughout the world, access to safe drinking water is the most critical element that sustains good health. Yet safe drinking water is still lacking for almost half the world's population. >> TITLE: Clean Water >> VOICEOVER: In Vietnam, surface water is plentiful but usually polluted by chemicals from agricultural run-off, bacteria, and water-borne diseases. The health ministry estimates that almost 80 percent of serious childhood illnesses in Vietnam today are water related. Water-borne diseases, especially those that cause dysentery and diarrhea, are a major killer of children. Tackling basic problems of this scale requires collaboration of governments, international agencies, and humanitarian organizations working together to improve the quality of people's lives. >> VOICEOVER: The East Meets West Foundation is one of several humanitarian organizations addressing the critical need for safe drinking water in Vietnam. Country director Mark Conroy directs the East Meets West efforts. >> MARK CONROY [Overseas Director, East Meets West]: We're here to help the Vietnamese develop sustainable projects and programs. Water schemes, some loan programs. Mainly the programs are all developed around children and around education and health, and that encompasses most of what we do. >> VOICEOVER: Based in Da Nang city, East Meets West builds hospitals, libraries, orphanages, schools, bridges, damns, and housing. In all, over 150 building projects each year. The most well known projects, however, are self-sustaining safe drinking water systems for poor, rural communities. >> MARK CONROY: Over the years, of course, we've done a lot of water which you folks I know are interested in. Most of the programs and projects that were developed in the last 10 years were developed with the Vietnamese. They weren't developed outside, let's say for example in America, and brought here and implemented; they were actually developed in conjunction with working with the Vietnamese with their needs and with their input. >> VOICEOVER: In the rural areas outside of Da Nang, even with over 99 inches of rainfall per year, safe drinking water is difficult to find. Many people in Vietnam need to travel great distances, often every day, to find a well with safe drinking water, spending time which could otherwise be used to produce more income for their families. For Vietnamese girls, the exhausting daily job of collecting drinking water leaves the girls less time for studying and homework. >> DINH THI HOA: My name is Hoa. I am 15 years old. I live with my mother and four younger sisters and brothers. I am the oldest girl in the family, so I am the family water collector. My mom is very busy with her work and my younger sister is also too busy, so it's my responsibility every day to collect drinking water for the family. From my house to the well is about half a mile. Carrying the water is very heavy for me and the weight really hurts my legs. This is a problem but I have to do it anyway because, if I don't do this, my family won't have water to drink. >> VOICEOVER: Richard Brogdon is a veteran of the Vietnam War, and a former Peace Corps volunteer who has returned to Vietnam to do humanitarian work. Brogdon is one of thousands of former US soldiers now working to help the people of Vietnam. >> RICHARD BROGDON [Project Coordinator, East Meets West]: I came to Vietnam a little over three years ago. I had been out here during the war. In the Sixties, I was here for 20 months. After that tour, I swore that I would never return to Vietnam. It's hard for me to really describe why so many Vietnam veterans return. I've talked with a number of people and, by and large, they tell me that, you know, they feel an attachment. Many people mention the beauty of the country; it's a very beautiful country. And they talk about that, but mainly they just feel that there's something here, that they left something here and so they come for that. I come here to work and I come here because there are a lot of poor people. I come here to help them get clean water. >> RICHARD BROGDON: Good afternoon. Thank you for coming. We normally have these meetings because sometimes the cost involved or the work that has to be done for a water project is greater than some people want to spend or to be involved in. Our mission is really to help the people of Vietnam to become self-sufficient and to develop a better way of life. East Meets West will dig a well, will build a tank with a filter system, but you will be responsible to dig the trench from the tank, through the community, and run pipe to each of the house. >> VOICEOVER: In some areas, safe drinking water lies only 10 to 50 feet below the surface. But it can still take drilling many test wells before clean water is found. In the coastal, more sandy areas, the groundwater is often salty. >> RICHARD BROGDON: This is a small well that we're building here. The cost of drilling a well like this is less than a hundred dollars, so primarily it's the pipe and a couple of workers working for a day or two at the most: it depends on how deep they must go to get the water, good clean water. And we test the water when it comes out to see whether there's sufficient supply, see whether or not the minerals are clear so they can use it. >> VOICEOVER: Most drinking water comes out of the ground containing sediment and bad-tasting minerals like sulfur. Before it can be used for drinking, cooking, and bathing, the water needs to be aerated and filtered. This water tower, funded by the Rotary Clubs in New Mexico, provides safe, filtered drinking water to over 300 households in the nearby village. Nguyen Quy is the site supervisor for the safe water projects in Quang Nam province. Working with the local people, his message is simple and clear: Clean, filtered water is essential to good health. >> NGUYEN QUY [site supervisor, East Meets West]: We need to make sure the pipe trench is at least 50cm deep to guarantee the quality of the water pipeline. >> VOICEOVER: East Meets West provides the pumps, towers, and pipe, while the local community provides the manpower to bury the pipes down the main streets and to each of the 300 households. East Meets West is the only humanitarian organization in Vietnam that delivers water not just to the local well but all the way to peoples homes. It's a collaborative effort, with each family required to buy a water meter and to install their own plumbing before they're hooked up to the main water lines. This is a financially sustainable model with each community electing a water manager who collects a modest water-use fee, usually about 20 cents per week. This small but steady income maintains the water system and pays for the electricity. >> NGUYEN QUY: The reason we install the water meter is because we need to know how much water the local people consume and to make sure they pay for what they use. The money is used to maintain the water tank system, to pay for electricity, and to pay the workers who maintain the water tower and water system. >> RICHARD BROGDON: After we had established that first water tower, the people across in the island back behind you had no water and they were taking skiffs and rowing across and loading with water and going back. We've learned that the island has 85 families and there's never been any clean drinking water in that area. >> NGUYEN THI THONG: My name is Nguyen Thi Thong. I was born in 1927. I am 77 years old. I have been collecting water all my life, either from the mainland or taking it from the well on the island. But the island water here is terrible, full of sediment. It needs to be filtered before we can drink it. So even though it is hard, we have to travel across the bay to the mainland to collect our water. It takes about three hours to go to the mainland and back. Usually I'll go with three other people, carrying about 40 buckets of water per trip. >> RICHARD BROGDON: So we built the pipe, we extended a pipe from here across to about 800 meters across that inlet, and then brought water around to the 85 families. I've been to the island two or three times, once while they were developing it, and a couple of times since then, but I'd like to go back to see it and to ensure that they have good, clean water still, and the residents are happy with what they have. >> NGUYEN THI THONG: I remember during the war, the Americans bombed the island and then came here to search, house by house, for any Vietcong or revolutionary who was living on this island. The Americans arrived and walked through the village carrying machine guns. They arrested my husband and they took him away by helicopter to Tam Ky. Since that time, I've never met any American soldier who came back here. >> RICHARD BROGDON: Hello madam! >> NGUYEN THI THONG: So he's a war veteran? >> HOANG NGOC TUNG [Project Coordinator, East Meets West]: She say, you are a US veteran? >> RICHARD BROGDON: Yes, yes. I was with the South Vietnamese army. >> NGUYEN THI THONG: So did he actually fight against Vietnamese or was he an advisor? >> HOANG NGOC TUNG [translating]: What did you do? >> RICHARD BROGDON: I advised the South Vietnamese army. But I would like to see your house and the water tap that you have. >> HOANG NGOC TUNG: She say during the war many boat arrive here and the bombs come down. And the bomb come down and destroy ... >> RICHARD BROGDON: Destroy the boats, yes. >> NGUYEN THI THONG: And here is a bomb crater, right in the middle of our village. >> RICHARD BROGDON: Made a bigger hole. And now it's a pond >> HOANG NGOC TUNG: Now it's a lake. >> RICHARD BROGDON: This is your house. Do you keep water ... ? >> HOANG NGOC TUNG: Yeah, she keep the water in there. >> RICHARD BROGDON: In here and here. Yes. >> HOANG NGOC TUNG: And to keep it clean. >> NGUYEN THI THONG: Now we have clean water, so I keep the dirt out >> HOANG NGOC TUNG: You bring the clean water system here and the family had to make the clean water ... >> RICHARD BROGDON: Keep the clean water, yes. >> HOANG NGOC TUNG: And now she has the clean water [inaudible] and she has more time free to spend more time at home. It's worth bringing the clean water back to the village, and she's very grateful to East Meets West and the local government, to help her village. >> RICHARD BROGDON: Course I was sad to hear about the bombs falling in what is now a lake, that's saddening: the number of people killed, the destruction of the boats that wiped out their ability to earn a living during the war. Yeah, I was sad about that. But overall I was very pleased that East Meets West could do what it did in providing water and getting water to a place that has never had water. >> DINH THI HOA: Since we have clean, running water at home I don't have any more problems with stomach aches, and I have a lot more time for studying and for helping my mother. >> NGUYEN THI THONG: Since I have running water in my house, I'm a lot healthier, and I can spend more time on little jobs that make an income for my family. >> VOICEOVER: Through the work of this one humanitarian organization, over 60,000 Vietnamese families now have safe drinking water piped directly to their homes. It is estimated that every dollar spent on safe water saves at least 10 dollars of healthcare costs, treating water-borne illnesses. Safe drinking water helps keep children in school, and society moving forward. Yet there's much more to do. Worldwide, a billion people still have no access to clean drinking water. The impact of this on global health and education is enormous. As great journeys always begin with a single step, East Meets West has proven that it only takes USD$50 to provide a Vietnamese family of five with a lifetime supply of safe drinking water. >> MAN: A few months ago I was excited because someone told me that there was an American organization which would build a water system and a water tower, and then I would have clean drinking water piped right into my house. I haven't heard anything about it since. >> WOMAN: On behalf of all the people of our hamlet, we sincerely thank you for your support. >> RICHARD BROGDON: Thank you! [clapping] >> DINH THI HOA: Thank you, bye. Bye bye. >> TITLE: Produced by Link TV >> TITLE: [end credit] 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/mexico-coping-with-soaring-food-prices <p>Soaring food prices are making life hard for people everywhere. In Mexico, many families are taking the fight against the global food crisis into their own hands.&nbsp;</p> Tue, 06 Jul 2010 23:55:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/mexico-coping-with-soaring-food-prices Mexico, Food security, Food price rises 2007-2008, Subsistence farming, Drought, Agriculture, Staple food, Irrigation, Food and Agriculture Organization, Economic development >> DALJIT DHALIWAL: Soaring food prices are making life hard for people everywhere. Now in Mexico many families are taking the fight against the global food crisis into their own hands. Here's our story. >> VOICEOVER: Chaos in Haiti. Protests in Senegal. Turmoil in Somalia. Everywhere, people have been hit by spiraling oil and food prices -- and those most affected are the poor. With high prices and severe drought, a major crisis is brewing in Mexico. Fears are that it will lead to a famine. There are approximately six million people who can barely afford to eat regular meals. Here in the Mixteca region of Mexico, people earn about USD$3 a day. The price of corn, their staple food for thousands of years, has more than doubled, making it now beyond most people's reach. >> ANGELA LOPEZ: It used to be USD$6 for 50 kilos six years ago. Then it went up by one dollar each year. For the past two years, it has been at USD$18. >> VOICEOVER: Angela Lopez and her husband Miguel, live in Tulapa. Their daughter, her husband, and their two children live here too. Since Miguel no longer works, Angela is the only breadwinner. She works part time as a midwife in a nearby hospital and barely makes enough money to buy food for the family. Now the Lopezes are planting a small garden to help feed their family. That too is proving to be a struggle. Water has always been difficult to come by around here. But now the ongoing drought has left the land barren making it more difficult to farm. >> ANGELA LOPEZ: It doesn't rain a lot. Some years, there is nothing to harvest, nothing to produce. Last year, we reaped 50 kilos of corn for the entire harvest. >> VOICEOVER: Fifty kilos will only feed Angela's family for eight days. When it gets tough, she must sell one of her precious goats to buy more corn. The water crisis has prompted the government to step in. With help from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO, cisterns have been installed to help farmers secure enough water to grow the food that they need. Assisting with the project is Jonathan Martinez. >> JONATHAN MARTINEZ: The government has a crucial role to play, and that is to work with the poor in order to eliminate poverty. >> VOICEOVER: Called rain harvesting, it's an efficient way to store water for later use. Another traditional method is being revived. Luis is dowsing. As his ancestors did, he takes a branch and then meticulously checks for ground water. >> LUIS: Water! Bring the machine right here. >> VOICEOVER: He and his group managed to dig deep beneath the earth's surface to tap the water table. The water is channeled to a well by electric pumps. Now, they have enough water to harvest corn all year round. Despite a better harvest, farmers are still hampered by rising prices, forcing many to migrate. Half a million people from this region have left for the United States looking for work. >> JAVIER FLORES: I was so poor; I had nothing in my country. I had no house, no land, nothing. >> VOICEOVER: Javier Flores left when he was 13 years old. >> JAVIER FLORES: There were days we didn't eat nothing. >> VOICEOVER: Now he is back, he has formed a cooperative with his brother and 20 other men to farm the land. But it isn't easy. >> JAVIER FLORES: The fuel is so expensive and everything goes up. Prices are almost unreachable, in a way. It affects us a lot. Most blame rising costs on oil prices and the use of corn for bio-fuels. >> JONATHAN MARTINEZ: Food is for consumption and not for fuel production. The world produces enough provisions for everybody. Let's give people access to the food. >> VOICEOVER: The worldwide dilemma between producing biofuels to save the environment or the production of food to feed people continues. Meanwhile, back at Angela's home, the children entertain the grown-ups. Despite their troubles, she and her family are coping with rising food prices as best they can. Mexicans, like many other people around the world, are faced with serious challenges. Food security is essential for global stability and economic development. >> DALJIT DHALIWAL: Recently, the Mexican government decided to freeze food prices and subsidize the cost of petrol for several months. It blames the rising cost of food on fuel prices and the use of corn for biofuels. That is it for this edition of 21st Century. I'm Daljit Dhaliwal. 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/farming-the-waters-java-s-blue-revolution <p>Hydroelectric projects are popular in developing countries. They are clean, renewable sources of energy. But building dams also means flooding valleys and destroying the homes and livelihoods of local people. In Indonesia, a pioneering program is turning this notion on its head, transforming new lakes into lucrative sources of income, and allowing displaced former farmers to become successful fishermen.</p> Sat, 12 Jun 2010 01:17:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/farming-the-waters-java-s-blue-revolution Fish farming, Aquaculture, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, West Java, Agriculture, Energy development, Developing country, Hydropower, Tilapia >> MRS. LILY [fish farmer]: Before the reservoir, we led the normal lives of rice farmers in this area. Now, since the creation of the Turada Reservoir, our lives are much improved. >> MAN: It's a better life now. Before the reservoir we were just simple land farmers. Now, we have a whole new environment. >> TITLE: Farming the Waters: Java's Blue Revolution >> VOICEOVER: The Citarum River is the lifeblood of millions of Sudanese people in West Java, Indonesia. The river begins in the mountains, near Bandung, the third-largest city in Indonesia, and flows through one of the most densely populated areas of the world ending in the sea near Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. Along the way, the river feeds a complex network of traditional agriculture systems, which integrate rice paddies, waterfowl, and fishponds. Over the last 30 years, three dams have been built on the Citarum River. These dams provide about 1,500 megawatts of new electricity to the island of Java in Indonesia, home of the world's fourth-largest population. The new hydropower dams have brought cheap electricity to millions of urban residents and a secure source of drinking and irrigation water to countless rural people. And yet the costs of the dams have not been equally shared by urban and rural people. Increased dam construction has created enormous social and environmental problems. Large numbers of people have lost their homes, their lands, and their livelihoods. In the case of the Saguling and Cirata dams in West Java, the lives of over 100,000 people were disrupted. Population densities in villages around the new reservoirs, already among the highest in the world before the dams, increased two- to three-fold. Yet today in the economically developing countries, much like the industrialized countries decades earlier, the pace of dam construction speeds ahead due to increased demands for electricity and water. Hydropower is viewed by many as a clean energy source, a more appropriate alternative to nuclear power. But it raises many questions, especially about the people displaced by the dams. In the past and throughout the world, reservoirs created by the dams have seldom been used for restoring the income of the displaced people. In many cases the reservoirs became choked with weeds and refuse, breeding new diseases. Invariably the displaced people viewed the new lake as an unwanted newcomer. But something extraordinary happened in the Saguling and Cirata reservoirs in West Java. A new idea was proposed for the use of the reservoirs and for the resettlement of the local people. >> SCOTT GUGGENHEIM, PhD [anthropologist, The World Bank]: In the crowded countries of Asia -- Bangladesh, Indonesia, China, and India -- there isn't an enormous amount of land that you could just transfer to the resettlers. You need to find new ways to provide productive assets to the resettlers. And in this case we have what's clearly a unique approach by taking the main resource, which is water, and making it into something that produces even more than the land that was taken away to build the dam. That's special. >> VOICEOVER: In these reservoirs, a type of aquatic farming system know as floating cage aquaculture was developed. In this system, fish are grown in nets supported by bamboo and floated at the water's surface by recycled oil drums. This video documents how cage aquaculture and a planned approach to reservoir fisheries development helped the displaced people in Indonesia to dramatically increase their standard of living. Mrs. Lily is an owner and operator of fish cages in the Cirata reservoir. Her entire family was displaced by the reservoir and received compensation, as well as training in cage aquaculture. >> MRS. LILY: Before the reservoir we had only a small shop and we were rice farmers with a production of only five tons per harvest. Now with these floating fish cages we can harvest 10 tons of fish per month, and in one month I sell 300 to 350 tons of fish feed. Since we began working in cage aquaculture, we've been able to send our children to school, to go to Mecca, and to buy goods I could never afford before, like a car. And I've opened a store to sell fish feed. All of this is from the money we've made from fish sales. We've bought a home and have used the money we've earned to develop more fish cages and to invest in this business. The resettled people I know from the same village have all moved here and they're prospering in their lives. Their lives are much better and all the children are going to school. People have built much better homes than their previous ones in the former village. >> SCOTT GUGGENHEIM: We're creating larges bodies of water. This water can support fish. Fish are worth a lot of money, they're part of people's diets, they need them in the cities, they're a tremendous resource, they have a high price. We're creating the asset in front of our eyes, and it's not being used. That's what makes this case so interesting. When we look at Cirata, when we look at Saguling, we see something we see virtually nowhere else in Southeast Asia in terms of resettlement. We see a unique and wonderful solution for resettlement: fish. >> PEPEN EFFENDI [Fisheries Manager, West Java Provincial Fisheries Service]: From the research results from Padjadjaran University, total crop production from farmers in the flooded areas before the Saguling reservoir was about 2 billion rupiah [IDR] each year. After switching to fisheries occupations, the total former gross income for 1993 reached 16.5 billion rupiah. So there was an eight-fold increase from before the project. >> BARRY COSTA-PIERCE, PhD [Professor, Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, Minnesota State University]: At the end of 1993, in that year, Saguling produced 8,300 tons of freshwater fish from floating net cage aquaculture. If we translate this to the surface area of Saguling, this makes Saguling the world's most productive aquatic environment. >> VOICEOVER: The aquaculture developments in Indonesia were funded by the World Bank and the government of Indonesia as part of a loan package for dam construction at Cirata. They were the first attempt ever to resettle large numbers of displaced people in aquaculture occupations using the water surface of newly created reservoirs. >> SCOTT GUGGENHEIM: I can't emphasize strongly enough how much the [World] Bank supports this approach to resettlement. Cases like Cirata and Saguling are so valuable because they provide a way to reconcile the costs and the benefits. From a developing country perspective, they're also extremely useful examples because the [World] Bank can support virtually 100 percent of all the costs it takes to finance aquaculture. >> VOICEOVER: In the mid-1980s, resettlement experts at the World Bank began to ask if cage aquaculture could be used not only to help solve the problem of involuntary resettlement but also to help restore the incomes of the displaced farmers. Farmers in West Java have traditionally combined land and water farming systems in complex ways. They have practiced aquaculture in backyard ponds and integrated fishponds with gardens and animals. >> BARRY COSTA-PIERCE: One of reasons for the extraordinary success of the floating fish cages in Saguling and Cirata has been than the fact that West Java is a fisheries culture. The people know as much about growing fish as they know about growing any other land-based farm animal. They mix agriculture and aquaculture together in traditional systems in order to meet the pressing demands of their high population densities, and they've done this since ancient time. >> T. ASIKIN [Director, West Java Provincial Fisheries Service]: This success is not only due to the fisheries culture of the farmers and fishermen, it's also because they're extremely innovative, clever, and very responsive to new technologies. >> VOICEOVER: Rice fields are used simultaneously as fish nurseries. Small fish -- fish fingerlings -- are harvested from rice fields and sold to farmers to stock their cages in the reservoirs. >> PEPEN EFFENDI: Rice-fish culture gives a number of benefits to traditional rice farmers. The high profits enable them to better manage the costs of rice farming. The fish actually pay for the costs of rice farming. The fish produced from rice-fish culture can increase the production of rice from 5 to 15 percent beyond the rice yield without the fish. >> VOICEOVER: The growth in rice-fish culture in West Java has not only benefited farmers but also the environment. >> BARRY COSTA-PIERCE: Since you cannot put pesticides in rice fields where there's fish, or you'll kill the fish, we've seen a dramatic decrease in the use of pesticides in these fields. Plus, an additional benefit is that these fish act as little pigs, stirring up the soil. They go and they burrow into the bottom of the soil and they move up all the nutrients that's been locked in the soil in these rice paddies. So you actually, when you put fish in rice, you use less fertilizer and less pesticides. >> VOICEOVER: Growing fish in bamboo cages was first practiced in rivers in West Java in the 18th century. Cage aquaculture in rivers may have evolved from the practice of keeping fish in woven bamboo baskets in canals at fish markets so that they would remain alive and command premium prices. While Indonesian farmers have traditionally used cages to raise fish in irrigation canals and rivers, the use the floating cages and lakes and reservoirs was a new idea. In the early 1980s scientists at Padjadjaran University in Bandung, Indonesia proposed that this concept -- developing floating fish cages in the reservoirs -- could create numerous new jobs. >> SUTANDAR ZAINAL [Professor of Aquaculture, Padjadjaran University]: Reservoir fisheries of this type were relatively new to Indonesia. We didn't know at the beginning what type of fish to develop, or what technology was needed here. We then studied what kinds of systems have been developed in other countries, especially the southern nations of Asia like the Philippines and Thailand, where reservoir fisheries are fairly well-developed, and other countries like Nepal which have developed cage aquaculture in reservoirs. We then adopted and modified these systems to conditions found in Indonesia. >> VOICEOVER: An international partnership was formed between Padjadjaran University, the Indonesian Directorate General of Fisheries, and ICLARM, International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management in the Philippines. Together these institutions did applied research in floating cage aquaculture and developed village-based participatory programs to train farmers. >> BARRY COSTA-PIERCE: There was a substantial amount of national and international cooperation in this project. Within Indonesia, a government fisheries department, a state electric company, and a university work together for the first time. These joined together with ICLARM, an international fisheries organization in the Philippines. And ICLARM provided the resources so that members of the Indonesian team could travel to other Asian countries in kind of a south-south technology transfer to look at existing technologies. These were then brought back from Nepal, Philippines, and Thailand, and adapted to the Indonesian situation. This level of national and international cooperation is an example to others who want to develop such reservoir cage aquaculture operations in the future. >> VOICEOVER: The role of the Indonesian state electric company, PLN [Perusahaan Listrik Negara], was critical. PLN granted the displaced people exclusive rights over the use of the water surfaces of the reservoirs. The Indonesian Fisheries Directorate also played a key role. It established a special technical unit to oversee the development of cage aquaculture in both reservoirs. >> T. ASIKIN: The government developed the Cirata and Saguling reservoirs with the idea that people would benefit from them. The development of the fisheries in these reservoirs is for the people in the area. It's not permitted for outsiders to be involved. >> VOICEOVER: The West Java provincial government passed legislation establishing a permitting process to control the number of cages. Each family was limited to four cages to ensure that the carrying capacities of the reservoir environments were not exceeded. >> PEPEN EFFENDI: The development of fisheries in the Saguling and Cirata reservoirs began with Saguling in 1986. It began with farmer training sessions as part of our plan to prepare the farmers to begin the professional fisheries. For common carp, the price of seed has increased steadily. The feed for common carp is currently twice as much as the feed for Nile tilapia and the demand for common carp may be decreasing, while the demand for Nile tilapia is growing. So many farmers are beginning to choose Nile tilapia over common carp. >> VOICEOVER: Village schools were developed to teach reservoir aquaculture methods to displaced farmers and their families. These schools served as centers of farming innovation, where farmers could interact informally with their peers and with experts in developing aquaculture technologies. >> PEPEN EFFENDI: The success of the fisheries in both the Saguling and Cirata reservoirs occurred mainly because we followed a plan from the beginning. Although people lost their livelihoods and had to move when the water levels rose, there was a technology ready for them that was appropriate for their situation. >> VOICEOVER: Low-cost models for floating cage aquaculture were developed using nets and bamboo, wire, nails, and rope, and with or without recycled oil drums for flotation. A typical cage produced up to two tons of fish in just three to four months, and cost less than US$300 to construct. Even less expensive models were also developed and demonstrated. Illustrated guidebooks in the local language were produced to educate farmers about various aquaculture options. Mr. S and his family were displaced by the Saguling reservoir and received training in aquaculture. >> MR. S: My feelings are that fish farming is great. We get quick results. When I grew cassava I had to wait one year to get money. Now that I grow fish, I can sell them in a few months. It's also much harder as a land farmer than as a fish farmer, much harder. When I grew cassava as a land farmer, I worked from early morning to noon before I took my first break. It's a better life as a water farmer. >> VOICEOVER: Fish cage aquaculture is very profitable and the markets for freshwater fish in West Java are enormous. The province has a population of 35 million people and fish comprise about 70 percent of their total animal protein consumption. Mrs. Noorhani and Mrs. Nangsi own a restaurant in Bongas village near a bay of the Saguling reservoir with hundreds of fish cages. They come to the cages every week to buy fish. >> WOMEN: Can we have 10 kg of live fish in a plastic bag with oxygen? It's a better situation for us now. Fish are cheaper. Before it was difficult to catch or buy fish. Now they're available whenever you want: at night or in the afternoon. >> VOICE: Today we're at the Cisaat Sukabumi Fish Market, which is about an hour outside of the reservoirs in Saguling and Cirata. There's about 20 tons of freshwater fish coming through this market every single day. About 50 percent of this fish is coming from these reservoirs. So this market is a very important way of getting fish in and out to the small communities throughout West Java. >> VOICEOVER: The most preferred fish in West Java is ikan mas, or common carp. Aquaculture of this fish requires that the nursery phase of its lifecycle take place on land in ponds. As a result, the entire enterprise of growing common carp could not be made fully floating within the reservoir and still required precious land. A fish known as tilapia was introduced to the farmers. Tilapia are inexpensive to feed, grow quickly, and can be reproduced directly in floating cages. Introduction of tilapia initiated a whole new suite of successful small-scale businesses that did not require land-based hatcheries or rice field nurseries. As a bonus, the tilapia were found to eat noxious blue-green algae that sometimes fouled the reservoir. The cages have had a multiplier effect on the village and local economies. It has been estimated that for every direct job in the cages, there are three jobs created in various aquaculture support services. >> PEPEN EFFENDI: There is a great deal of business activity connected with the floating fish cages in these lakes. The cages require fingerlings and feeds which require feed mills or feed industries. Also, there must be good transportation for both the feed and the fish. The farmers in Saguling have trucks to transport fish from Saguling to Jakarta and to bring feed from Jakarta to Saguling. And all of these activities have developed because of the new fisheries. >> SCOTT GUGGENHEIM: I found, visiting these communities and talking to the farmers ... I can't just say I found it interesting, I found it thrilling. I've looked at resettlement in Latin America, in South Asia, in Africa, and in East Asia, and most of the time the best you can hope for is that people were not badly treated. But that's not what you see here. You see economic development. You see a thriving ... in fact more than a thriving, you see an exploding economy. You see innovation. You see progress. That's what we should be supporting. >> VOICEOVER: One important question is still unanswered in these developments: how people can be resettled in the fisheries occupations in such reservoirs. >> T. ASIKIN: The Provincial Fisheries Department of West Java had the responsibility for the resettlement fisheries, with the plan to resettle 1,500 families in Saguling and 1,500 in Cirata. Saguling now has 2,400 families involved in fisheries, and Cirata has 2,200 families. So we've exceeded the target. >> PEPEN EFFENDI: At present we have just reached about 9,000 total cages. Therefore, 50 percent of the eligible area of the reservoirs still remains to be developed. So, by developing fisheries, we can resettle far more than 1,500 families at each reservoir. >> SCOTT GUGGENHEIM: Is the aquaculture that we see at Cirata and Saguling a magic bullet that will solve the problem of dams everywhere in Asia? Obviously it isn't. There's some unique characteristics here. It doesn't solve the resettlement difficulty for everybody affected by these projects. There's no question, this is not the magic solution. On the other hand, it's a successful solution for a large number of people and the principle that made it successful in Cirata and Saguling probably can be applied to many other Asian countries as well. >> VOICEOVER: The Indonesian example could be of great value to many countries, especially those with cultural backgrounds in fisheries, with high levels of traditional farming knowledge, and with large market demands for fish. It could also be a model in situations where the political process can establish clear legal tenure over the new aquatic resources for the sole benefit of the displaced people >> SCOTT GUGGENHEIM: One of the things that impressed me a lot after visiting the people that were displaced by this dam is the change in how they think about the reservoir that caused their displacement. So often you see a large body of water with the people far away, who basically see it as the agency of their destruction. Here we see that they've taken this large body of water, and it's worth even more than the land that they lost. You see thriving communities virtually in the middle of the lake, and people making two and three times more per hectare out of fish than they ever made out of rice. This is an amazing phenomenon to see in resettlement. It's pretty rare to see in development as a whole, and it is extremely heartening to see development in action caused by this dam. >> SUTANDAR ZAINAL: This is an interesting case that can be used by a number of countries that have problems similar to ours. There have been many requests to the electric company, PLN, to study the development and operation of the floating fish cages in these reservoirs. This model for resettlement may be very useful to nations with water resources like ours, especially in Asia and Latin America. >> SCOTT GUGGENHEIM: When I went to those villages, the enthusiasm people show for the fisheries is quite striking. It shows that when people are involved in planning and designing the resettlement option, they make it work. It's not just participating in a passive sense. They are the actors. I think this is the only way we can go in the future. >> VOICEOVER: These developments in Java demonstrate how the aquaculture resettlement option can used to restore the productive livelihoods of displaced people, and to improve their environment. Where the reservoirs are treated as a dynamic resource, new water farming systems have been developed to create productive economies. People have been able to change from farming the land to farming the waters of the new lakes. This blue revolution in Java holds the promise of better lives for millions of people. >> TITLE: [end credits] http://www.viewchange.org/videos/mongolia-helping-communities-help-themselves Families in rural western Mongolia live on the edge, susceptible to famine as soon as the climate shifts or a dry spell hits. UNICEF's Family Empowerment Strategy program gives people the voice and the ability to demand the social services they need to improve their living conditions. Wed, 09 Jun 2010 20:47:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/mongolia-helping-communities-help-themselves Mongolia, Education, Empowerment, UNICEF, Rural area, Zavkhan Province, Change Makers, Livestock, Water & Sanitation >> VOICEOVER: Huddled against the harsh terrain, a family in western Mongolia must fend for itself to survive. Life in this household revolves around livestock. With 500 heads of camels, yaks and other cattle to care for, children take up the tasks of rearing animals from an early age. They are ethnically Kazakh, as are the vast majority of those who live in Mongolia’s westernmost province, a mountainous wedge between Russia, China and Kazakhstan. As long as their water continues to flow, and their animals have enough grass to feed, Ukesh and his family can support themselves. But they remain at the mercy of an unpredictable climate, where a dry spell could mean disaster. >> UKESH [Herder]: We must conserve as much hay and fodder as we can so we can to get through the winter. But some years when there is a drought we have to buy hay from the market. Another problem is that our children cannot find jobs in the provincial capital, so they must stay here and work as herders. >> VOICEOVER: The disparity between urban and rural areas in Mongolia has widened dramatically as the country has moved from a socialist system to a market economy. In many rural areas, access to education and safe water and sanitation is limited. The cost of providing social services to a population dispersed over a vast territory is extremely high. But in small gatherings across the country, there are signs of change. Parents and local leaders are coming together to identify what their communities need, and discuss what they should do to get it. In this house near the town of Zavkhan, social worker Erdenechimeg explains to local herders how they can improve their living conditions, and boost the health of their children. This UNICEF-supported Family Empowerment Strategy aims to create new demand for basic social services and help local and national governments coordinate efforts to raise the quality of these services. >> ERDENECHIMEG [Social Worker]: Families realize that they are not just passive recipients of those essential services. They understand that they can participate in the provision of these services and they can demand these services. And this is helping to bring families together to solve problems in a joint manner. >> VOICEOVER: It's a role that community leaders are eager to play. >> NYAMAA [Community Leader]: We’ve learned that if we put into practice all that we’ve learned, then our children will grow up healthy and educated. And we tell our children that when they get older they should pass this same knowledge on to their children. >> VOICEOVER: Giving families the power to speak up about their own needs and have a voice in designing their future. In Ulgii, Mongolia, this is Steve Nettleton reporting for UNICEF Television. Unite for children. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/india-s-sanitation-solutions <p>Lack of toilets is a serious problem in India. Human excrement pollutes fields and rivers, causing disease and even death. But the Sulabh Sanitation Movement is helping to change that, with cheap, eco-friendly solutions that already benefit more than 10 million people every day.&nbsp;</p> Tue, 30 Mar 2010 23:53:35 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/india-s-sanitation-solutions Sulabh International, Bindeshwar Pathak, India, Sanitation, Hygiene, Improved sanitation, Stockholm International Water Institute, Human waste, Flush toilet, Water pollution >> VOICEOVER: World Water Week brought over 2,000 water experts to Stockholm, Sweden in August 2009. The annual event, hosted by the Stockholm International Water Institute, addresses pressing global water challenges. A featured theme this year was the world's lack of toilets and it's devastating effect on the world's poor. More than two and a half billion people in the world don't have access to a toilet. Half of all hospital beds in developing countries are filled with people who are ill because they lack clean water and sanitation. And 5,000 children die each day as a result. Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak is changing all that. For 30 years he led India's Sulabh Sanitation Movement, bringing new sanitation technology to millions and breaking down social barriers in the process. He received the 2009 World Water Prize from Prince Carl Philip of Sweden. The USD$150,000 award is the world's most prestigious prize for outstanding achievement in water-related activities. >> DR. BINDESHWAR PATHAK [Founder, Sulabh International]: Sulabh Sanitation Movement was started to fulfill some of the dreams of Mahatma Gandhi: good sanitation, and removal of Untouchability and social discrimination from Indian society. >> VOICEOVER: Lack of toilets is a big problem in India. Every day, 100,000 tons of human excrement pollute India's fields and rivers. Seventy-five percent of the water is contaminated by human and agricultural waste. This leads to illness and loss of productivity, which clips 7 percent off India's gross domestic product [GDP] annually. >> DR. BINDESHWAR PATHAK: Seven hundred million people still go outside for defecation. In India, ladies have to suffer the most and sometimes they have to face criminal assaults, snake bites sometimes. Girls don't go to schools because of lack of toilets. >> VOICEOVER: Dr. Pathak's Sulabh Sanitation Movement developed a twin-pit pour-flush toilet system that uses less than a half gallon of water, or 10 times less than a normal flush toilet. Today, over a million Sulabh toilets are used in Indian homes and in 7,500 public facilities serving more than 10 million people daily. >> DR. BINDESHWAR PATHAK: If you adopt these technologies then you are saving water, you are saving global warming, you are getting fertilizer, and it's eco-friendly. >> VOICEOVER: In keeping with Gandhi's vision, Dr. Pathak is changing lives for the better for the more than 700,000 people who work as manual scavengers, cleaning human waste from pit latrines. Called "Untouchables," they are shunned by Indian society. But, thanks to Dr. Pathak, more than 60,000 scavengers have new jobs, jobs that have more dignity, and are more lucrative. And a new generation of Untouchable children will have a brighter future as a result of the education and training they receive in Sulabh-supported schools. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/living-service <p>It's easy to talk about Gandhian principles such as helping others and unity, but Jayesh Patel lives them every day. The founder of Indian NGO Manav Sadhna takes us on a tour through the vast slums of Ahmedabad, and explains that we already have enough good ideas; what we need is a commitment to put them into practice.&nbsp;</p> Fri, 26 Mar 2010 18:49:12 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/living-service India, Jayesh Patel, Manav Sadnha, Slum, Poverty, Water & Sanitation, Child, Social change, Sanitation, Recycling >> TITLE: Global Oneness Project >> TITLE: Living Service >> SIGN: Happiness depends on what you can give and not what you can get >> SIGN: Sabarmati Ashram: Ghandi Memorial Museum >> VOICEOVER: At the Gandhi Ashram, in the city of Ahmedabad, the work of the Mahatma continues through the efforts of Manav Sadhna, an NGO founded by Jayesh Patel, committed to working for the betterment of the poor and needy children living in the slums just outside the Ashram, where 120,000 people make their homes. At the heart of Manav Sadhna is Jayeshbhai, as he is affectionately known, a man whose dedication to the Gandhian principles of truth, non-violence, uplifting the poor and oppressed, promoting health and sanitation, and educating the poor masses of India has inspired thousands of volunteers around the world. >> SIGN: Be the change you wish to see in the world - Gandhi >> VOICEOVER: When we met him, he emphasized that it is not enough to talk about the values of oneness and unity, without living that understanding through our actions. >> SIGN: Love all, Serve all >> VOICEOVER: By providing nutritious meals, hygiene programs, and skills-based educational opportunities, Manav Sadhna works to eliminate child labor, get kids into school, and empower women to be economically independent. >> VOICEOVER: Normally, Jayeshbhai refuses to let reporters or filmmakers interview him, but he let us wire him with a mike and follow him throughout the day, as long as the camera was focused on the people he met. As he led us through the slums, we gained a new understanding of what it means to walk. >> JAYESH PATEL: We all are one, and through service we connect the people, through the various, various types of service. First focus is the needy, the poor. If you can serve the poor, then your compassion comes out. And if your compassion comes out, that compassion goes everywhere: rich, poor, everywhere. So slowly, slowly that experiment becomes an example for others. And others can get involved in that experiment. So, the main thing is to connect the people to people, connect the heart to heart. That is very important. That's Manav Sadhna philosophy. This is the project, all we are doing, that is the project, but underlying is a process. We try to create a process in every human being. This work is just like a drop of the ocean. But a teardrop of compassion changes everything. Not ambition, mission is very important. Mission: I want to do it. That is my responsibility. I'm a human being and I want to do this. Love, work, according to your strength. Don't stretch, never stretch. Simplicity means adjust everywhere. And don't think too much. I am right now here, this is the best place for me, this is the best time for me, and this is the best people for me. That's living in the present. >> JAYESH PATEL: How are you? Make sure you take a good shower. Hey you, doll, did you take a shower? See, they are making a movie out of you. Make sure you take a good shower, OK? How are you ma'am? See the house, come inside. See the house, how they put their vessels, they made themselves. Simple. Very poor people, every day earning and every day eating. They don't know tomorrow's meal. If they work today, they earn and then they eat. Of this type, there are lots of people. Everywhere in the world. Did you take a shower? >> JAYESH PATEL: Up until we die, we are always learning, learning, learning. Life is a learning process. I learn from the children. They are very pure. If they are reading and I say, "please, come here," immediately he comes. If someone, an older person hears that, they think first, "why is he calling me?" So, very pure. Children are very pure. They don't know what is true, what is untrue. They always speak the truth. >> JAYESH PATEL: What's the name of this doll? Lets show these folks. I asked -- her name is cleanliness -- who is clean? So he said, "Yes, I am," then he said, "No I am not." And everybody pointed out this. Let me see your hand. See? Whoever is clean, they get to wear the doll. Let me see your nails, let me see, let me see. Wow, everyone's nails are clean. That's great! Give me a high-five. Very good. If you use your hands to clean your hair, clean you ears, pick your nose, then where will all that dirt go? [mimes eating] And then you'll complain, "Oh, my stomach hurts." >> JAYESH PATEL: See the cross. Children don't know religion. She is a Hindu, but wearing a cross. That's real spirituality. Not religiousness. Let's go. If we can walk just like this, we'll require two days. It's a long, big slum. Religiousness is increasing, spirituality is decreasing. Spirituality means see the truth, love, compassion, goodness, kindness. That's spirituality, not Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad. Buddha means "aware." So, that is the way of life. Here, let me tie this doll to you since I have it with me. You want me to tie this? Someone asked Gandhi: What is the biggest problem after independence, the biggest dangerous thing after independence? Gandhi said: "Heartless intellectuals." So, people think with their minds, not connecting head, heart, and hand in harmony. Harmony between head, heart, and hand is very important. If you work, then you understand. You put your heart, devotion, dedication. And then you put your heart, you think properly. >> JAYESH PATEL: Come, you want to see the house of this old lady? Here, show them your house. This is the royal bathroom of this family. [laughs] See, big bathroom. Come, come inside, see the house. Clothes, utensils, bed, blankets, and kitchen. She made this house herself. >> ELDERLY WOMAN: Yeah, I made this myself. >> JAYESH PATEL: Do you like living here? >> ELDERLY WOMAN: What can I do? Where else can I go? >> JAYESH PATEL: But it's a nice place you've got here. >> ELDERLY WOMAN: Oh yeah, of course, it's great. I live here. >> JAYESH PATEL: What is this? >> ELDERLY WOMAN: This is where this kid sleeps. The old man is sick. >> JAYESH PATEL: What happened? >> ELDERLY WOMAN: He's had a head injury and is in the hospital. >> JAYESH PATEL: Which hospital? >> ELDERLY WOMAN: The nearby one, right here. >> JAYESH PATEL: Well, then, if there are any problems, let me know. My friend Sunil can come and help you. >> JAYESH PATEL: See, the lemon shop. They earn from this. In the evening, they go to this road, the main road, put up the stand, and then open this window, two sides, and sell the lemon juice. If you are thinking, then desire comes and desire brings misery. Problem, problem, problem. But go and work. Work on the problem, see the opportunity, try to involve and doors open. >> JAYESH PATEL: I always walk. When you walk, "W" means "witness the nature." You see and witness small, small things when you walk. When you go by car, you can't see the small, small things. From near, you can't observe. So, when you walk, you observe small, small things. So witness the nature. "A" means then "accept circumstances." Someone is coming and they stop you and talk with you, accept that. Accept circumstances. When you witness nature and accept circumstances, then you love your life. "L" means "love your life." And when you love your life, then "K" means "know thyself." You know what you are, why you are here. So, walk means that. >> JAYESH PATEL: If you can use your heart, then you understand, because if you get involved with some people, don't see the problems, try to see the opportunities. If you see the problem, then your mind works. If you can see the opportunity, then your heart works. So see the opportunity, and try, and then love multiplies. And see the goodness in the people, go into their hearts, and relieve the weakness, try to relieve the weakness. >> JAYESH PATEL: It's a huge slum. 120,000 to 150,000. Be like a ladder, not like a leader. If you become like a ladder, then everyone develops themselves. And try to love all, serve all. Human beings sometimes fall down; they should not feel guilty. Because, after, people's expectation is increasing. Oh, Jayeshbhai is doing good work, but sometimes Jayeshbhai is making mistakes and they see my mistakes so big. So live like the common people. Don't raise your life up: then people see small, small things, your mistakes, your anything, big. And then they value you very small. But if you live like the common people, then they understand. >> JAYESH PATEL: So they are making containers. From waste, they make a nice container for drain and then they sell it. So that is their employment, their special skill. So, we convert that into the garbage cans and we put into the house to drop their garbage. And we give employment: indirect employment, and employment created within, then it's sustained. Then it becomes a concept. And then we put into every house for the garbage. So, they get money, the waste goes for some nice use and people drop the garbage. >> JAYESH PATEL: So, this is the drinking water. See, they put that container ... this is in the line. So we try to give basic amenities: water, toilet, drainage. But it is very difficult to provide that. Slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly. Try to convince government. We have a toilet donation program, latrine donation program, just like a blood donation program. We want to develop this area slowly, slowly. But first, we educate the people. >> JAYESH PATEL: Come, come here. See the children. All the children are garbage collectors. Garbage is bread for them. This girl is sustaining her whole family. Her father and mother, both. Her mother has a severe back problem, and her father can't speak because of an infection, and can't walk properly, and paralysis, so these girls, Bharti and Jessy, sustain the whole family. They collect the garbage and then they segregate it, and here there are 21 garbage collection centers. Collection centers, huge clusters. So they sell them, and every day they earn. She earns ... How much do you make every day? You collect worth how much? Fifty rupees. We never give. This hand and this hand is not important, these two hands. This hand is very important. This is the ego, ambition. Dependency, misery. This is self-righteousness and equality. >> JAYESH PATEL: Think globally but act locally. Think globally means you can be aware of the problems of the world. Think globally but act locally: how can I help? Problem and opportunity, both. If action and work is common, then action is a common language to bring people together. Slowly, slowly. If you talk, talk, talk, people won't come together. For two days, three days. Ideas there are lots of here. If all the ideas come together, tomorrow, all the problems are solved. Lots of ideas, good ideas. If all those ideas are implemented, tomorrow everybody lives a happy life. All the ideas are there, but no one is implementing those ideas. So, act locally means implement from where you are. Start to implement without other things. Start. That's: "think globally, but act locally." >> TITLE: www.globalonenessproject.org