All language subtitles for Rick Steves Europe Collection 1 Special 11of12 Hunger and Hope Lessons from Ethiopia and Guatemala 1080p

Hi.
I'm Rick Steves in Africa.

two developing countries --
Ethiopia and Guatemala --

using each country
not as a tourist destination,

but as a classroom.

We'll learn about what's working

as people around the world
are climbing out of poverty

and how ending hunger in
our lifetime

is within our grasp.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

This is my home.

It's an unusual place for me
to start a show,

but this is an unusual show.

For decades, I've been
preaching the benefits

of travel to Europe.

I love my home,
and I love Europe.

But I especially love
how travel connects me

with the rest of our world.

I'm privileged in so many ways.

I live in a rich
and highly developed country.

If I'm hungry, I simply go
to the supermarket.

If I need water,
I turn on the faucet.

When I'm sick, I can just
go to the doctor.

And my children enjoyed
a fine education.

But I've long been aware
that almost a billion people

are so poor
they get none of that.

It's like we live
on two different planets,

and it's so easy
for privileged people --

people like me --
to ignore this reality.

Today, of the over 7 billion
people on our planet,

about half are struggling
to live on under $5 a day,

and roughly 700 million
live in what experts call

extreme poverty --

trying to make it
on under $2 a day.

Imagine: this cup of coffee
cost me a day's wages

in the countries
where the beans were grown.

But there are big changes
going on in the developing world

where, in my travels,
I found hunger,

and I found hope.

Join me now on a journey
to Ethiopia and Guatemala.

We'll learn about
new and inspiring ways

today's smart development work,

often made possible
by foreign aid,

is a practical investment.

Mixing new thinking,
new technology,

and the hard work of locals,

it makes our world both
less hungry and more stable.

[ Women speaking
native language ]

In the last generation,

the world has made dramatic
progress against hunger.

Since 1990, the number of people
living in extreme poverty

has dropped by more than half:

from 2 billion
to less than 1 billion.

We're on a trajectory to end
extreme poverty in our lifetime.

♪♪

♪♪

We'll visit Guatemala,

an economic leader
in Central America,

with dramatic volcanos,

evocative
pre-Columbian temples,

bustling towns,

and colorful markets.

It's the most indigenous country
in the region,

with an enduring Mayan culture.

The capital, Guatemala City,
is thriving and intense,

with a grand cathedral

and a vibrant commercial energy.

It's a fertile country
with plenty of wealth

but a poor distribution
of that wealth.

In Africa, Ethiopia is proud
to be a country

that was never
a European colony.

Along with busy cities,

it also has a rich
and ancient heritage.

It's a country
of many ethnic groups

and vivid contrasts...

...some of the oldest
Christian churches anywhere,

a world-renowned
coffee tradition,

and dramatic natural beauty.

While Ethiopia has long
struggled

with poverty and famine,

it's making great strides.

And today, countries like
Ethiopia are inspiring hope

in the developing world
with steady gains.

Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa,

is a city of
over 3 million people.

It has a lot of energy --
high rises...

[ Train whistle blows ]

...efficient mass transit,

and the headquarters
of the African Union.

And Addis Ababa also has
its chaotic market scenes

and teeming slums.

Big cities like Addis
are a seductive draw

to young people
from the countryside.

For a poor rural person,
such a high-energy city --

with an enticing consumer
society and office towers

that seem to promise
job opportunities --

has a strong appeal.

It's a global trend:
The allure of the big city

depopulates the countryside
and fills the barrios.

Neighborhoods like this
are crowded with people

who came to the big city
dreaming of solid employment,

only to find themselves
mired in urban poverty.

Ravines,
considered uninhabitable

by the local government,

become shanty towns crowded
with these new arrivals.

Extreme poverty
is difficult to witness.

Living on less than $2 a day

looks about the same
around the world:

People live on a dirt floor --

no electricity,

no running water.

If they're fortunate enough
to own animals,

they live together.

With an open fire on the floor
and no chimney,

their homes are dark
and filled with smoke.

♪♪

Work is done by hand.

[ Rooster crows ]

They eat one or two plates
of a starchy staple a day,

not enough for their children
to grow healthy.

There's likely little education,
job skills,

or understanding
of good hygiene.

The people in this family
will probably never

be seen by a doctor.

One unanticipated crisis --

a storm, an accident,
a sick parent --

and these children go hungry.

Hundreds of millions of people
like these struggle daily,

out of sight and out of mind

of those of us
who are more privileged.

The gap between rich and poor
in our world is huge.

It's huge between rich countries
and poor countries.

It's huge within rich countries,
including the United States,

and it's huge
within poor countries.

Like any big city, Guatemala
City has its poor districts

and its wealthy districts,

and the gap between
rich and poor in Guatemala

is particularly wide.

The planned community
of Ciudad Cayalá

is a protective haven

for people with wealth,
with stylish boutiques,

name brands, movie theaters,

and the kind of relaxed ease
that comes with a sense

of physical and financial
security.

The Realtor here knows
how to sell a condo.

You have everything you need?

Yeah, you have
everything you need.

You have the movie theater.
You have the supermarket.

You have a church.
You have restaurants.

You have cafés.
You have academies.

You have well, you name it.

So you never need to leave this
place if you don't want to.

Actually, that's the concept.

That you have everything
in walking distance.

While the wealthy
in such a development

have carefully scrubbed cans
for garbage,

at the other end of the economy,

people earn their living
digging through garbage.

In the same city,
thousands eke out an existence

scavenging from the city dump.

Like in many big cities
in the developing world,

an entire class of people
are professional recyclers.

Trucks, with scavengers
hitching a ride,

rumble in and out of the dump
all day.

Guatemalans actually compete for
the opportunity to work here.

Fito Sandoval, a former
gang member in the city

who spent many years
scavenging in this dump,

describes the experience.

[ Speaking Spanish ]

Everyone is working
on recycling

different kinds of materials.

People who are stronger
and faster

get a little bit of everything.

Some have to focus
on just one thing.

Maybe they are not
strong enough,

or they get there
after the others,

so they just get what is left.

[ Man whooping ]

Every day you're in a struggle,

risking your life
for basically nothing.

It's difficult
because you arrive with hope

to be able to earn something.

And you're in a constant
struggle to survive.

There is no security.

You might earn $6 today,

or you might cut your foot

and you have to go
to the hospital.

What is the stigma of a person
who works in the dump?

Maybe it's a big stigma.

But it's actually scary
to learn a new job,

to learn something else,

because they aren't used to
other jobs

because you think
you can't do it.

The adjacent community,
one of the poorest in the city,

is built literally on the dump.

Buildings are made
of salvaged tin.

Electricity is tapped
illegally from passing wires.

In this community, while there's
a frail, informal economy,

many family incomes are based
on bags of trash

scavenged to be recycled.

Homes are built with
a mish-mash of material

as parents work hard to provide
the most basic of necessities.

Discouraging as this may look,
there is reason for hope.

[ Children crying ]

This program is about how those
in extreme poverty --

the poorest of the poor --

are improving their lives
by addressing very basic needs.

Progress is incremental,

and it happens with a combined
and coordinated effort --

smart non-governmental
organizations, or NGOs,

the support
of local governments,

development aid and fair-trade
policies from wealthy countries,

and, most of all,
hard-working local people.

In Ethiopia, Abadi and
his family are a good example.

While still poor,
they have a more modern home

and are actually
making progress.

Abadi explained how he's running
a productive small farm,

growing enough
for his family needs

with a surplus to sell.

He showed me how a tank he fills
with manure produces fertilizer.

At the same time, it generates
methane (or "biogas").

Abadi can now fire up his stove
and boil water

without using firewood.

He has light even after
the sun goes down.

His home is spacious
with windows for ventilation

and a sturdy tin roof.

The old kerosene lamp
grows dusty,

as this light is now powered
by a solar panel.

And the same panel
provides enough juice

to charge their cellphones.

The family has worked hard
and has enough food stored

to get them, hopefully,
through the hunger season.

And a few sheep
share the courtyard

until they're sold at the market
to boost the family income.

Here in the highlands
of Guatemala,

an indigenous Mayan couple,
Diego and Catarina,

while still poor,

are also gaining modest
and dignified lives.

They told me how,
unlike their parents,

they were able to buy their land

and have diversified
their sources of income,

growing more crops
than just corn

and raising goats.

An NGO from the United States
helped them become landowners,

providing a loan and a lawyer
to get firm title.

When asked how this house
was better than their last,

Diego showed us
their concrete floor,

electricity,

a bedroom for the children,

and running water.

And their kitchen has
an elevated stove

equipped with a chimney.

Around the world, great strides
in fighting poverty

are being made with simple
technical upgrades,

for example, smarter stoves.

Less-fortunate neighbors still
have an open fire on the floor,

wasting firewood and filling
their family's lungs with smoke.

Elevated stoves with chimneys

allow women to stand
rather than squat,

are more fuel-efficient,
saving lots of trees,

and make living quarters
less smoky,

avoiding lots of
respiratory disease.

Families like those we visited
have worked hard.

They've been provided
not with charity

but with a path to development,

and they seem to be flourishing.

Charity is important
for emergencies,

but development aid
is for the future.

Today's development aid
is smart.

Rather than dependence,
it creates independence.

It breaks the cycle of poverty,

connects people to markets,

and opens the door
to the benefits of capitalism.

Rising out of extreme poverty
through development

requires certain basics.

Water is fundamental to health,
hygiene, and nutrition.

But for much of the world,

access to water
is a daily struggle.

Hundreds of millions of people
live in villages

with no running water or well.

They have to walk
for their water.

It's typically a job
for women and children.

♪♪

Here in Guatemala, laundry day
without running water

means these women have to
leave their family,

interrupt their farm work,

and trek three hours
to this dirty pond.

Water is so heavy that the women
wait for their clothes

to partially dry before
making the long slog home.

♪♪

Development is incremental.

These villagers have
the relative convenience

of public spigots
in each neighborhood.

They gather on certain days
at certain times

when water is released.

For many, having a tap
down the street

running just a few hours a week
is a blessing.

A vital step in development is
building water infrastructure.

This Ethiopian village got
a well last year

thanks to an American NGO

whose mission is
to do exactly that.

Wells like these cost
about $4,000.

Today, with a neighborhood well,

these people no longer need
to walk hours a day

to get their water.

Modern aid projects are not
simply given to a community.

Experience has taught
development workers

that locals who own
these projects

take better care of them.

They work with the NGOs
to build the projects.

This pump is community-owned.

A locally elected committee
manages it,

and each family pays about
a dollar a month to maintain it.

With ownership
comes responsibility

and good stewardship.

Water infrastructure
divides the poor

from the extremely poor.

Having to depend on river water

means farmers and families
are dependent on rain.

River water may carry
water-borne diseases.

With safe water reliably
available right in the village,

there's better hygiene,

families are sick less often,

children have more time
and energy for school and work,

and moms have more time
and energy

to nurture their children.

♪♪

Ironically, most of the hungry
people in the world are farmers.

Helping farmers grow more food
more profitably

is essential in overcoming
extreme poverty.

More food means more money,
which fuels development.

Exciting advances in agriculture
have resulted

in a green revolution
throughout the developing world.

Ethiopia is becoming
a model of development

thanks to
governmental leadership.

The country is divided
into 18,000 districts,

each with
a farmers' training center.

The government employs
60,000 teachers and coaches

to make sure
smart agricultural policies

are implemented
throughout the country.

Here we train farmers
on different disciplines --

on livestock production,
feed management,

irrigation,
and water management.

Here at Abadi's
training center,

local farmers learn why
it's important to plant seeds

in a line
rather than scattering.

They learn to rotate crops
with plants like alfalfa,

which reinvigorates
the depleted soil.

And the government has studied
the soil across Ethiopia

and recommends just the right
mix of fertilizer

for each district.

Smart farming includes
selective breeding

so animals can survive
local conditions

as well as increase
their production.

This cow is a Holstein
crossed with an African breed,

hardy in the heat and giving
more than double the milk.

These hybrid chickens
lay triple the eggs

compared to the local ones.

The value of these new
farming techniques

is evident back on Abadi's farm.

While his parents subsisted
on corn only,

he's diversified his crops.

Better seeds allow
three harvests a year

rather than two.

In the far reaches of Guatemala,

this family is also working hard
with coaching from an NGO.

And their yield is also
better than ever.

A simple change, like just
the right spacing of seeds

and smart use of fertilizer,
can make a big difference.

Nearby, another
nongovernmental organization,

mindful that dairy is
a great source of protein

and Mayan children
are better able to digest

goat's milk than cow's milk,

has helped a community build
a goat-breeding center.

This gives local families
a chance

to produce a carefully selected
breed of goat

and raise them at home
to produce more milk.

Villagers bring their
female goat to the love shack.

After a few minutes
in the adjacent pen,

she goes home pregnant.

Soon the family will have
plenty of extra milk,

better-nourished children,

and surplus dairy products
to sell in the market.

An effective way to fight hunger

is to focus on
health and nutrition.

After all, if you're sick,
you're more likely to be poor,

and if you're healthy,
you're better able

to climb out of poverty.

In many developing countries,
the government

(often with the help of
the United Nations'

World Food Programme)

maintains health posts
like this one in Ethiopia.

Extremely poor people
have no money for health care,

but this health post
provides the basics

in the village for free.

Pauline Akabwai,
a local U.N. worker,

explained how they educate
young mothers

who gather here twice a month

to help them raise
healthier babies.

A health post is the smallest
unit of health in Ethiopia,

and this is
one of the health posts.

The reason why we have
a health post

is because of the close
proximity to the community.

And the mothers and
the beneficiaries do not need

to pay any money
to receive services.

The main objective is
to prevent malnutrition.

We have a program called

targeted supplemental
feeding programme,

and the program targets children
under five years

with moderate acute malnutrition

and also pregnant
and lactating women

with moderate
acute malnutrition.

One of the activities that we do
is to screen for malnutrition,

moderate acute malnutrition --

they measure the arms
of the children,

and if the pointer shows yellow,

it means the child is
moderately acute malnourished.

We also weigh children.

When you're screening
for malnutrition,

you weigh children.

are more likely to contract
a host of dangerous diseases.

Inoculations are an example
of a global success

of a United Nations-led
initiative.

Measles, typhoid,
and pneumonia --

until recently commonplace
in the poor world --

are easily avoided with cheap
and simple vaccinations.

Thanks to a U.N. program,
nearly all the world's children

are now inoculated against
these most deadly diseases,

and child mortality
has dropped dramatically.

Laura Melo, who runs
the U.N.'s World Food Programme

in Guatemala,
dedicates her work

to nutrition education
in vulnerable communities.

Guatemala has
a very serious problem

when it comes to poverty
and chronic malnutrition,

what we normally
call "stunting."

Stunting is a global problem.

It's a problem that affects
many countries.

Unfortunately, Guatemala is
one of the top four countries

in terms of prevalence
of stunting.

It's a very serious
but invisible problem.

It basically consists
of children

who do not have the quality
of food that they should

during the first thousand days
of their existence.

And that compromises
their development

throughout their entire life,

both physically
as well as cognitively.

So it's not as if children
don't get enough to eat --

they do, but that's not
good enough food --

it's not smart calories.

A lot of people think that
people in Guatemala are short

and that it's genetics.

That's not true.

They are short
because they are stunted.

They are short because
they didn't have the quality,

the smart nutrients,
that allow them to develop.

If we have a country
like Guatemala

where almost half
of the children are stunted,

that means that about half of
the children of this country

cannot fulfill their potential.

So I think it's a more than
necessary investment

to make sure that
this problem disappears,

that these children fulfill
their potential.

In both countries,
thanks in part to U.S. funding,

I saw mothers learning
important skills,

such as to breast feed
for at least six months,

how to cook with
nutritional supplements

to be sure children receive
not just calories

but healthy calories,

and to teach children
to wash their hands with soap

so they stay healthier.

If we don't wash our hands,
if we don't have basic hygiene,

then even if a child
is eating good food,

then they get very easily sick.

And by getting sick,
then they have diarrhea,

then they lose the good
nutrients that they're getting.

A healthy child is more likely
to become a productive adult.

Rather than a life
sentence of poverty,

well-nourished young people
will be capable of learning,

and therefore helping to lift

their families and community
out of poverty.

Throughout the world,
it's the women and girls

who have fewer opportunities
and endure the brunt of poverty.

They eat last.

They have babies early.

And boys get priority
for education.

Ultimately, it's the women
who take care of the children

and are most responsible
with the family income.

When women have an education,
legal rights,

and employment,
they are empowered.

Experience has shown
the importance

of relying on women to spearhead
development projects.

One of the reasons we know

that it's worth
investing on women

is that women always put
the care of their families

and their children
ahead of themselves.

So, for us, it's very important
to ensure that we educate women,

that we give women a voice,

and that that translates in
empowerment of women, money,

and therefore development of
their family and their children.

If we want to be successful
in terms of addressing poverty,

hunger, malnutrition, we know
we have to work with women

because that will translate
in development

of the full community.

In Addis Ababa, a local NGO
called Women in Self-Employment

is helping Ethiopian women
develop small businesses.

These women are taught
basic work-force skills,

and are given
vocational training.

In a place where any solid job
is a good job,

these women learn to sew,

they gain skills to join
the hospitality industry,

and they learn to be
computer literate.

Organizations like this
are in the business

of producing success stories.

And, judging by the smiles here

and the quickness with which
these students embrace

an impromptu opportunity
to dance,

this one's doing just that.

[ Singing in native language ]

♪♪

♪♪

Education is critical.

Governments, private enterprise,
and parents

are realizing that
an educated workforce

is a prerequisite
for development

in today's global economy.

In terms of pure economy,

workers are considered
human capital,

and they produce more
when healthy and educated.

Like many developing nations,

Ethiopia aspires
for all children

to have about
eight years of schooling.

In both countries,
we saw committed teachers

and eager students.

Development workers have learned

the value of education
for girls.

Girls with an education gain
more control of their lives.

Educated women
have fewer children,

and when they do start a family,

their children are
generally healthier.

Even with meager resources,

it seems that as long
as students are healthy

and adequately nourished,
they're eager to learn.

They know that a better future

depends on being able
to read and write.

For these students, a few months
of vocational training

prepares them to get a job:

Computer labs,

welding skills,

plumbing,

and a field with lots
of future employment,

being a solar panel technician.

Technology has become a boon
to developing countries,

bringing new approaches --
like solar panels --

to overcoming extreme poverty.

Low-cost, high-tech innovations
are offering solutions

to age-old challenges.

Remote, off-the-grid communities

are employing
wireless technology,

leapfrogging past older energy

and communication
infrastructure.

For example, solar panels
are powering villages

that were literally in the dark
without electricity.

This solar panel powers
a water pump

that fills this reservoir

so the village can make it
through dry periods.

And cheap cellphones
are revolutionizing

the world
of small-business people.

Farmers can find the best price
for their produce.

Herders learn when and where
to bring their stock to market.

This entrepreneur
can make a direct sale

and avoid a needless middleman.

And entrepreneurs can make
and receive mobile payments

and do their banking
without making a trip into town.

The very poor want
the opportunity to work

in order to
break out of poverty.

But without access to banking,

they're excluded
from the economy.

Capitalism requires capital.

And without capital,
there's no development.

New opportunities in banking

are bringing capital
to people,

and it's making
a difference.

Here in a crowded neighborhood
of Addis Ababa,

Lisa has organized her neighbors

to create their own
community bank --

a cash box with two keys.

Each woman banks a deposit
each week and earns interest.

They take turns borrowing
from their common fund

for business purposes.

Thanks to this rudimentary
banking service,

this woman runs
the neighborhood coffee shop.

NGOs are employing
a clever system

for microlending.

This phenomenon
of making tiny loans

and then recycling the capital

is kick-starting
small businesses

and speeding up development
throughout the poor world.

Back in Guatemala,
I meet Señora Ana,

who was able to start
a beading business,

and now employs
dozens of workers.

Marta, who works
with an organization

that makes microloans
to women,

explains how microfinance
is working here.

Microlending, it's a type
of financing,

but also with a social focus.

That's what we do.

We provide small loans
to impoverished people

'cause people have no access
to normal banks,

and they need some funds

to sustain
their small businesses --

small like somebody
who sells fruit in the street,

or, say, shoes in the corner,

so that's the financing
we give them.

For us, it's important to have
not only financing part,

but also the education part --

so train them
about business skills,

budget, marketing, life skills.

We grow with them.

We start from
the beginning point.

We want them to be successful.

We have 98 percent payback --
so it's working.

People are very responsible --

It's a hand up to these people,

to make them empowered,
and to be independent.

First, we start with the women,

provide the small seed
to the women.

This family work together.

The mother started first.

She learned
this beaded technique,

and she taught her girls
to do the same,

and they after hired
other people,

as you can see, around --

they work together.

And the kids are around;

they can take care
of the kids here,

and, also, they employ
several people --

like this family --

they employ 50 more people
in the community,

so they provide jobs
and food on the table

to other families here.

So you're empowering one person,

but this person makes
a huge impact in her community

by providing jobs.

They can stay here --

they can have jobs here,

have dignity,
and raise a family.

With microlending, the same
capital is used again and again.

This Ethiopian woman got a loan
to start a little store.

When that cash was paid back,
it was loaned again

to help this man start
his metal-working shop.

This Guatemalan family got
a loan for cows,

which, when paid back,
was loaned again

so this family could start
their rabbit business.

Experience has shown
that these microloans

are nearly always paid back,

and they've helped millions
of poor people

work their way out of poverty.

In case after case, I saw the
potential of empowering people

whose desire is to work
and produce.

These are the success stories

of smart and modern
development aid.

While there's been
tremendous progress globally

in the fight against hunger,

unfortunately,
over the last few years,

hunger has ticked up
rather than declined.

To a great extent,
it's because of a combination

of three things --

conflict, bad governance
and corruption,

and climate change.

Conflict is a major hurdle.

Wars, drug trade,

gangs, sectarian violence --

with so much weaponry ending up
in the poor world,

it all pushes people
deeper into poverty.

Statistics show that
when there's violent conflict,

it's the poorest
who suffer the most.

More civilians
than combatants die,

institutions that hold societies
together fall apart,

and economies grind to a halt.

A global surge
in armed conflict,

especially in Africa,

is a major reason
for the recent setback

in progress
against world hunger.

Experts believe that,
in the future,

most hunger will be in countries
wracked by conflict.

♪♪

Conflict and exploitation
have a long history.

In Guatemala, the ruins
of magnificent temples

are reminders
of a grand civilization

that thrived here
centuries before Columbus.

But Spanish conquistadores
subjugated

Guatemala's indigenous people.

Today, the descendants of the
people who built those temples

are the poorest people
in the country.

The city of Antigua was founded

by those European conquerors
in 1543

as their capital
of Central America.

It was the hub of
a colonial system

designed by Europeans
for exploitation.

The main square reflects the
structure of that repression --

the palace and military
headquarters,

Catholic church,

local government,

and the trade center.

It was all designed to control
the people who lived there

and export
their natural resources.

And, while pleasant today,
this square was notorious

as a place
where indigenous people

who caused trouble
were executed.

Central America's eventual
independence from Spain

led to an unholy alliance
of international corporations

and corrupt local governments --

the era of the so-called
"banana republics."

Entire nations became
essentially company farms

designed to export their basic
crop, raw, to developed nations.

When landless peasants
organized for land rights,

there were inevitable
civil wars.

The people buried in this
remote Guatemalan cemetery

all died in one such war,

which raged for 36 years
until 1996.

It was portrayed
in the United States

as a war against communism.

But people here saw it as about
economic justice

and land rights
for the country's poor.

Though over-grown,
the memories are still raw.

This man,
at the tomb of his father,

described how he was
one of 200,000

who died in a war
about rights to own land.

This economic dynamic
played out in so many countries,

and its legacy continues.

Colonial systems evolved
into systems

of economic dominance
by local elites.

To this day here in Guatemala,
a handful of wealthy families

own most of the good land
and dominate the economy.

Along with a heritage
of economic injustice,

Central America
is now struggling

with a huge problem
of gang violence.

To learn more, we rejoin Fito.

Drawing on his experience
as a former gang member,

he now counsels boys
to give them better lives.

Fito's own experience
illustrates

why boys are attracted to gangs.

[ Speaking Spanish ]

Because I come from
a broken family

and my father was an alcoholic.

My mother worked hard
in the garbage dump.

I could bring money home,

even though it was
a result of violence

or the result of theft.

So I could help my mom.

And apart from that, I had
my friends -- good friends.

That's probably
the strongest motive

that drew me to the gang --
a deep friendship.

Another family!
Yeah.

People looked at us
with respect.

Sometimes with fear,
but with respect.

I think that's really the only
thing human beings have:

Dignity.

I work with young people,
and it hurts to watch

when they apply for jobs.

[ Continues speaking Spanish ]

When they are in an interview,

they don't even treat them
with dignity.

It's easier to obtain a weapon
than a job.

If you could these people
three things to help them

not to be in a gang,
what would you give them?

One is to offer
job opportunities.

[ Continues speaking Spanish ]

Second, to see people
with dignity.

I am an example

because I had opportunities...

...because someone walked
together with me for years...

...giving me dignity.

Number three?
Amor.

Love.
Amor.

Because love is the only thing

that allows you
to imagine a future.

Africa has had its own
difficult history,

from slavery
to brutal colonialism...

...to rampant corruption
under modern-day tyrants.

Today Addis Ababa hosts
the African Union,

an organization
of all 54 African nations.

It's dedicated to helping
the continent heal and develop.

The stated mission here is
to overcome the conflict,

bad governance, and corruption

that's long wracked
this continent.

Another major hurdle to ending
hunger is a changing climate.

In wealthy countries,
we turn up the air-con --

generating more CO2 --

and debate the existence
of climate change.

But climate change is here,

and it's hitting
the poorest people

in the poorest countries
hardest.

In the last few years,
the impact of climate change

has dealt a major setback to the
fight against extreme poverty.

Weather is more severe
and less predictable.

While arid regions may get
the same amount of rain,

it now comes in torrents,
washing away the topsoil.

And as struggling people
cut down trees for fuel,

land becomes even more
vulnerable to erosion.

In Africa, with each decade,

more arable land becomes desert.

The result: more hunger,
more conflict, more refugees.

When climate change destabilizes
the poor world,

it drives migration.

That threatens the security
of the wealthy countries.

And what we're seeing today
could be just the beginning.

[ Indistinct shouting ]

♪♪

Poverty has long been widespread
in the highlands of Guatemala.

And when listening to a farmer

whose family has worked the land
here for generations,

it's clear that climate change

is making the fight
against poverty even harder.

Is there any question
that climate change

is real for the farmer?

[ Speaking Spanish ]

[ Speaking Spanish ]

Don Simeón was telling us

that there's always been
a hunger season.

What is happening now,
with climate change,

is that it's longer, and
the harvest starts later,

so, meaning that they have
a longer season during the year

when they don't have enough food
to feed their family.

For example, before,
the hunger season

could start in April.

Now it's in February.

In Ethiopia,
so notorious for droughts,

the government has organized
local communities

to reforest and terrace
eroded hillsides.

People here understand
that planting trees

increases rainfall.

And terracing allows rainwater
to soak into the earth.

Abadi is able to irrigate
his crops

thanks to a replenished
water table.

And water-management
infrastructure is also critical

in dealing with
the impact of climate change.

Reservoirs enable farmers to
dole out their precious water

as needed and more efficiently.

Thanks to this,
reforestation projects

and improvements
in agriculture --

a new approach called
climate-smart agriculture --

Ethiopian farmers
are becoming more resilient.

For instance, they believe that

while there will always
be droughts,

famines are now preventable.

In fact, in recent years,

Ethiopia has had
several serious droughts

but no famines.

When it comes to ending
extreme poverty,

globalization is both
an opportunity and a challenge.

Globalization
is a powerful force,

and it's here to stay.

Locals say
it's like a big train --

get on it or get run over.

Everything I'm wearing
right now --

and probably everything
you're wearing as well --

is the result
of a globalized economy.

Globalization
is all about the free market,

and the free market is about
buying and selling.

For countries
like Guatemala and Ethiopia

to benefit
from the global economy,

they need to sell things.

And for less-developed
countries,

because of rich
world-trade policies,

that's usually
their natural resources,

raw and unprocessed.

Back home, I love
my morning cup of coffee.

And I enjoy it thanks
to an efficient chain of links

that connects me with the farmer
who grew the beans.

For economic development, each
of these links is important --

good soil, educated workforce,
firm title to the land,

fair trade policies,
roads, ports, container ships.

This is called the
"value chain."

Guatemala's huge sugar industry

is a good example of being
connected to the global economy

through this value chain.

Sugar is its leading
export product,

and the top producers
have created an association

for a stronger voice
in the global market.

While cutting cane is low-paid
and grueling,

workers from across Guatemala

still migrate
to the sugar plantations

to find jobs at harvest time.

The raw cane is trucked in,
ground up,

and then moves through
a complicated process.

Along with
its high-tech efficiencies,

this plant is embracing
the worker

and environmental standards

now expected to successfully
compete in a global market.

Huge truckloads
of unprocessed brown sugar

are unloaded three at time.

Then, with a steady cascade,

mountains of sugar
fill vast warehouses.

To add value to
their raw product,

as much sugar as possible
is refined.

Quality control is strict as
the processed sugar is bagged.

Much care is put into building
the brand of Guatemalan sugar.

Here in this warehouse,

with a mix of mechanization
and hard labor,

sweet sacks
are stacked like mountains,

awaiting shipment
to other countries.

The best road in Guatemala
connects the cane plantations

with the country's one big port.

And thanks to this complete
and efficient value chain,

Guatemala exports its sugar
profitably all over the world.

♪♪

The coffee industry is another
example of the value chain

at work in Guatemala
to stoke development.

Melanie Herrera
of Bella Vista Coffee

explains how the value chain
works for coffee.

So let's picture this.

We have this consumer
in the States

that wants to drink coffee,

but wants to know
who the producer is.

And let's say we have this
producer here on this volcano,

up in the slopes
in the middle of nowhere.

How do you connect these two?

So you need the producer,

you need the facility
to process the product,

you need the knowledge
and all the technical skills,

you need to have an exporter,

you need to have an importer,

and all of this we know
as "value chain,"

which is "cadena de valor"
en español.

What we do is, we add value
in every step.

The value chain for coffee
is maybe best exemplified

by the coffee tastings
Bella Vista has on site.

Representatives from around
the developed world come here

to taste the beans from not only
the company's own plantation

but from dozens of small farmers
who work with them.

And it's because of
this value chain

linking producers to consumers

that globalization works for
the Guatemalan coffee industry.

Globalization is here.

In reality, these are
good opportunities

for countries like ours.

It opens markets, and we're able
to produce many tropical things

that you guys can't there,

like sugar, coffee,
ornamental plants.

And we can be competitive
in that.

This is a family business.

They have grown coffee
for over a hundred years.

They offer jobs and farms
for over a hundred people;

At the mill,
we have another 30 people.

They have a job here.
They have their things here.

They have a history, a family,
everything they need here.

They stay here.

if we can make people
have jobs here,

they will want to stay here.

While big agriculture,
like sugar and coffee,

is well connected
with the global economy,

a formidable challenge
in the fight against poverty

is for landless family farmers
to also get into the game.

High in the hills of Guatemala,

an NGO has helped
Pedro and Ana buy land

and councils them to maximize
their yield and profit.

Pedro used to leave his family

for work
in the coffee plantations.

He still works hard,
but now he's independent.

The loan's paid off,
and he owns the land.

Through the NGO worker,
Pedro shares his story.

The NGO helps them
to find the land

and to have the lawyers
for all the local papers

so they own the piece of land.

So no sugar plantation
can come here --

he's got this land
for his family?

He's...he has his land
for his family, yes.

And his son will have the land
when he is finished.

They will stay here instead
of going to other places,

so they will be with the family
all year-round.

So the landless farmer
is a migrant farmer.

He leaves his family
to cut sugar cane,

or work in
the coffee plantations.

Yeah.
Ana and Pedro's main crop?

At least right now,
it's not corn or beans

like you might guess,
but snow peas.

[ Speaking Spanish ] Pedro,
¿ustedes comen este, estás arvejas aquí,

en el área? ¿En la
casa?; ¿No? Entonces, ¿por qué la siembra?

Solo para venderlo.

Okay.
No, they don't eat it here,

but they grow it for selling.

That's the main business.

It's not what the locals eat,

but what international demand
and prices make most profitable.

And right now, that's peas.

Throughout the valley,
farmers like Pedro

are bringing their bags of peas

to the weigh station to sell
to a middleman or exporter.

♪♪

These peas are export-quality,
carefully picked,

and put into crates
with all the children helping.

And within a short time,
they're off to the market.

Much of this shipment
will end up sold in England.

It's a long way
from Pedro's pea patch

to the supermarket in London.

While Ethiopia may not export
a lot of natural resources,

with a 100 million people,
it has lots of potential labor,

and that in itself
can be a valuable resource.

With lots of young people
looking for jobs,

Ethiopia has made training
a skilled workforce a priority.

Learning industrial sewing
is good prep for a solid job.

And these grads got that job
just down the street

at the Hawassa Industrial Park.

This is one of many sprawling
complexes of industrial sheds

designed to generate
export income for Ethiopia.

Each shed is run

by an international
manufacturing company.

This is made possible, in part,

because of supportive
U.S. trade policy,

the low cost of Ethiopian labor,

and the government's aggressive
initiative to attract business.

Thank you for having us here.
What is this park?

Ethiopian workers are about
where China's workers were

a generation ago.

As China has developed,

it's no longer the world's
primary source of cheap labor.

Ethiopia aspires to spur
its development

by helping to fill that role
in the global economy.

The impact of big issues
like these --

globalization, conflict,
climate change --

it seems beyond
any one individual's control.

But when we act collectively,
we do make a difference.

Walking with people like Ana,

Abadi, Lisa,

Diego, Marta --

the hard-working people

who make the developing world
develop --

shows the human value
of tackling hunger.

And the uptick in
extreme poverty in recent years

has made fighting it
more urgent than ever.

Traveling through Ethiopia
and Guatemala,

witnessing both the lives
of people in extreme poverty

and the economic realities
of our world,

makes me consider
my relationship to it all.

Why should I care?

What should I do?

How can I, as an individual,
make a difference?

Like many people,
I want to do something

to reduce the obscene gap
between rich and poor.

But we can also go beyond our
own modest individual efforts

and support
a much broader solution.

That's exciting --
and it's an opportunity.

American spends
$700 billion a year

on our military
to make us safer.

That's hard power,
and hard power is necessary.

But it needs to be complemented
by soft power.

Soft power is
investing in development,

diplomacy, stability.

And that also makes us safer.

Soft power is real power.

It's good for
our national security.

For example, for the annual cost

of one extra soldier
deployed overseas,

we could dig a hundred wells
in thirsty villages.

It's a societal choice we make.

The accepted goal
among wealthy nations

is to invest around
1% of their GDP

for development aid,
and lots do.

While many Americans think
we're giving far more than that,

in reality, the United States

gives less than a quarter
that amount.

For every $100 of our GDP,

we give less than 25 cents
in development aid.

So what are the options?

As we've seen, generous giving
to hard-working NGOs

is important.

But when it comes to
fighting poverty

and fostering development,

smart U.S. government
aid programs

and fair-trade policies
have a far greater impact

than all philanthropic efforts
combined.

How our government responds
to these challenges

does make a difference.

And when we act together
as a nation,

there's certainly
reason to hope.

Considering all the wealth
in our world,

700 million people living
in extreme poverty

is just not right.

We can end hunger
in our lifetime.

We can do it because we care,

or we can do it because
it'll make our world more stable

and our country safer.

Or we can do it
for both reasons.

Thanks for joining us.

I'm Rick Steves
wishing you thoughtful travels.

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