In a remote village, a little boy finds a bird. He’s about to kill it, when the bird appeals to him, saying he’ll help him at the snap of a finger. A pact is made and the bird follows through, teaching the villagers about nutrition, community cooperation, fair treatment of women, and most importantly, hope.
‘Carbon capture’ is the new holy grail of scientists working on climate change strategies. How do we soak up the carbon we’ve been releasing into the atmosphere, fuelling global warming? High tech innovation is one approach - but low cost, low tech approaches might be just as, if not more, valuable. Across Mali and Burkina Faso poor farmers have been turning the desert back to productive farmland by planting trees and improving soils. Earth Report explores the key role they’re playing in the battle against climate change. Mathieu Ouedraogo is a development worker in Burkina Faso, advising farmers on simple techniques to help conserve water and replenish the soil. Mathieu argues that planting trees is the way to transform the Sahel’s harsh, degraded land. Today the forest around Ranawa village has been transformed by tree planting into a green idyll following a series of droughts in the 1970s and 80s. Earth Report tours the region with Mathieu and field worker Sophie Soron to discover how Sahelian farmers are re-greening the land and bringing the carbon we’ve put into the atmosphere back down to earth.
Many East Africans depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. Earth Report travels to the equatorial region of East Africa, and shows how adopting new drought tolerant crops and returning to traditional multi-crop farming methods promise the best chance of withstanding the changing climate.
North Kivu, in the eastern corner of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has been described as one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman. Since 1998, as the Congolese army has battled against a number of rebel militias, 5.5 million civilians have been killed and more than half a million women raped in the country. It is estimated that the conflict is now bloodier than any since World War II. In ‘Grace Under Fire’ we follow Dr Grace Kodindo, a leading advocate of reproductive health care and rights, as she explores what help is available for the people affected by the fighting. Do the women in North Kivu have access to the emergency services, health care and specialist drugs they need? Grace talks to doctors, nurses and ordinary people to find answers.
In intimate accounts, five HIV positive healthcare workers describe how they are living positively, confronting stigma, working to establish support programs and continuing to support their own families. Each touching account reveals pride and confidence in their disclosure and in the steps they take everyday to break the silence about HIV/AIDS.
Fatuma is a young girl from Southern Tanzania. Despite her mother’s appeal, her father refuses to provide her with basic school needs even though he is capable. Consequently she falls prey to roving young men.
