Spectrum if you would like any information on the prong of virus or any other science topic you should really check out our podcast so you can get it wherever you get your podcast you can also find us at. Science. And covered 19 has made life difficult for families and it has hit those with Handicapped Children especially heart many of them like kids with down syndrome have a weakened immune system and are forced into isolation during the pandemic. But being isolated can have dramatic consequences for kids with special needs they need social contact to not feel outcast its crucial for their development. This is your covert 900 special im chris cuomo in berlin it is good to have you with us home schooling online classes in learning its all becoming a new normal for kids and their family but the transition from classroom to living room has often been rough particularly for youngsters who need special care in india the problem seems to be particularly pressing with a recent survey suggesting that because of the pandemic many of the countrys children with disabilities could be dropping out of the Education System entirely. Kartik you like to look closely at the colors of the Story Building blocks before he starts playing with them. He can only see to some extent large objects and colors. He was born with only logical disorder visual impairment and have troubles with fine motor skills. The 9 year old studies in the 2nd grade of a Government School along with children without disabilities. That the school does not provide him with a special educator all the crucial resources he needs to study. As a result he is almost entirely dependent on his mother for his education. That is challenging enough right now the shutting down of schools during the call that lockdown has put him at risk of missing out on formal education and. Mucking about talking about impaired to other children disabled children are lagging behind and studies now even more than before they are facing many problems he cannot see properly what can he understand from a small i phone screen and sometimes there are Network Issues too because of which he cannot attend the classes there the lack of inclusion in the Education System for children with disabilities has never been more pronounced than now. According to some recent surveys majority of students with disabilities are finding it difficult to cope with Online Education at the same time many nongovernmental organizations which address the needs of these children and provide them with academic support are also reeling under the impact of college 1000. 00 and the Lockdown National association for the blind in delhi is one such organization. That helps children with visual impairment and multiple disabilities to build a foundation in learning so that they can lead to join mainstream schools one of them dormant were not receiving many donations now. So were not able to pay our staff or provide the facilities for the differently abled children. Weve also not been receiving the funds we normally get from the government from everyone many audio experts feel that during this pandemic the special needs of students with disabilities have been completely left out from education policy which anyway kept them on the sidelines. Has shifted to online wards and systematically we are not ready to cater to them you would visit particularly those who was in accessibility and engender information Communication Technologies at all and learn those with disabilities not ready developed a magazine band or also issues all nonna readability or internet. Despite all the hardships he faces the case unlikely and happy child like other children he has one day to be a doctor another be a single. The Education System all that to him to be more inclusive. For more lets bring in christine comment shes with the United NationsChildrens Fund unicef welcome to g. W. Christine give us an idea of the global scope of the pandemics impact on the lives of children that already physically and mentally challenged. And there you have it 19 children everywhere are at risk surgery and physical disabilities are at a high risk without mitigating actions of course the end that affects them disproportionately on the one hand they media high risk of complications from comit Underlying Health reasons and yet at the same time the information on how to protect themselves from introduction may not be in a format they can understand. A support service including on how education have been suspended just when the 2 to meet and noticed and parents who are themselves struggling under the pandemic may not be able to step in or they may turn south full of. Children with preexisting market teams are also the least likely to benefit from Distance Learning solutions when schools are closed so they me and they are at risk. And all these factors can lead to increased stress fear and isolation especially i mean difficult for them to understand the changes and how life pretty mental and physical impairment of children are a challenge for them and their families even under non pen damage circumstances now that the whole world is concerned with not contracting the virus to the concerns of these kids with special needs go on dressed. And the fact of permits are affecting total disproportionately as i said the poor and the most marginalized children and there you are at it is that and our banner will situations are affected most like children living in poor communities and countries and girls in particular children operated and living in countries actings or children with philip disabilities and it was not an impact like long as the consequences of the pandemic risk plunging them further into hardship or marriage and labor many children for example may never return to school as they have to support their families and when schools are closed they may also become my marriage because many have dependents who meet us as their only or a similar situation on the move to live in cancer id accept them and the situation is particularly difficult this nearly impossible for them to protect themselves from the pirates and have the same time most likely to be excluded from support and Education Services or learning. So this looks at exactly what needs to be done then to improve the current situation. This is an unprecedented crisis which requires unprecedented solidarity and all of Us Government and the public the private sector must Work Together to keep surgeon help save and planning and the jugular focus must be on the most honorable and just surgeon so you essentially must ensure that surgeon communities not only recover from the crisis but also become more brazilian. And this requires urgent and in education and Child Protection and help in your question. And whats also very important is that we listen to children and young people and were along to design a Better Future and overcome this crisis and prevent this from becoming a sustained type rights crisis crossing common of unicef thank you for your insights thank you. And now its over to our science correspondent Derrick Williams who is hard at work and seeing your questions about the coronavirus. How efficient are saliva tests. Pretty much all of the experts agree that that fast simple accurate testing is a cornerstone of fighting the spread of coke at 19 but the conventional Testing Process has some some major disadvantages weve all seen it a medical professional takes a swab that that looks like its like gauge long and they stick it way down your throat often via your nose i havent been tested myself but people i know who have been say its really no fun at all which is why the news that saliva tests are now being authorized for use is is pretty important stuff not only because saliva samples are easier to acquire and new methods make them cheaper to process but also because at some point at least you could potentially take the sample yourself and just send it in and removing the sample takers from the equation doesnt just get rid of a bottom bag it also means fewer people being potentially exposed. But how accurate are spit tests can they can they can pair 2 conventional swab p. C. R. Tests that they did it right around 95 percent of the time well if you trust its developers the most recent saliva test again emergency use authorization in the u. S. Is highly accurate the Research Team behind that said that their tests agree with benchmarks swab tests over 90 percent of the time now that data hasnt been Peer Reviewed so it still has to hold up to scrutiny but but if its correct it could be a. Milestone and work aimed at slowing the spread of the disease through really wide scale regular testing fast accurate step tests would for example ease our common conscience when it comes to sending kids back to school because it would help us detect and control outbreaks much faster. And finally for every villain there are heroes to fight them in the ongoing going pandemic that will be all the Health Care Workers battling the coronavirus and helping those affected by it and how can we show our appreciation for the work well 2 siblings in california had an idea. But the dedication of Health Care Workers across the country siblings probably in an montage but decided to give back to San Francisco area teens launched cards for covert heroes working with schools and local scout troops they quickly collected over 260. 00 cards and sent them to people working on the front lines can you see from their face is that a small amount of a charge met with a small 10. 00 gift card can go a long way to encourage them and to help them get through that year old age they have ahead of them while the tech savvy teens have also created an ecard option they personally deliver most of the cards to hospitals themselves on their website they share their heroes reaction to each little surprise. During these times of darkness and uncertainty we just want to charge shine some light on that we do have true heroes working on the front lines who are trying their hardest to save peoples lives and thats all we write. The great idea that social im chris colfer thanks for watching. Africa in ghana. Business savvy women are fighting off a plague. The nations rivers have been invaded by water hyacinth and its threatening the countrys ecological balance. Now the plants are being harvested to produce sustainable products. That. Africa. The way will. Have you flown lately. A busy wintry supplier in the last 2 years the coronavirus pandemic has climbed to the airplanes worldwide. The entire industry has to reinvent itself. Its now careening between forced optimism and despondency made in germany. 60 minutes 2 w. Beethoven is for me. Beethoven is for you. Beethoven as for hell. Beethoven is for her. Beethoven is for the. Beethoven is for us. Veto over his forthcoming. Beethoven 2021250th anniversary here on deal there. We humans live with nature and we depend on nature but we often into fair in its processes sometimes in a destructive way and sometimes in a way that makes things better for the end bob today well show you a range of interesting examples welcome to you africa and now its i mean Lagos Nigeria among todays stories. Invasive what i sense and how they are being put to good use encounter. And we shed a light on a new trend around immobility in africa and you wrote. In egypt the bed means i returning to a more sustainable light gauge of the pandemic stage you know. We start the show focusing on the future of mobility lots and lots of people good whites on motorbike taxes in many countries across africa like nigeria they are the number one means of transport especially in places like lagos but they are dirty and thats why in the ugandan capital kampala the plan is to switch electric motors and not just for the motor bikes but all kinds of vehicles especially since more d and more people finally realize that Transportation Needs to become more eco friendly and sustainable. Francis is one of the few people in uganda driving an electric motor bike. He sees a lot of advantages to it. Number one it is silent number 2 doesnt clean fuel at all. Number 3. Claims very well. Ok as for deliveries being eagerly awaited play a pregnant customer says he serves them few well he can charge less than his competitors. Hes actually very cheap to pay them in the end. I think they go there people are doubling their praise so literally it has been convenient for me in kampala alone there are about a 130000 motorcycles open borders the masses of motorized fake cause generate a huge amount of air pollution that is why the United NationsEnvironment Program provides advice and Financial Support for electric mobility in Eastern Africa we need the media response we need in the media interventions and electric mobility is one of those because it is easier to not acquire them into infrastructure needs they dont need so you can have your computer. And go on. Development past valid path requires pioneers blake been located korean and. The graduates of arc in university in germany how to promote acadia take you already existing fuel motorbikes in kampala and transform them into electric bikes. So all we remove is what you call the petrol powered train petrol driven. Board and electric culture and so as you can see its the same bike fuel tank is empty of course. And what were put inside is mainly a controller in the Electrical Solar electric motor. About tree as a source of power replacing the fuel tank. Some digital controls of throttle the fi m i n but shes become an old laptops are assembled into Rechargeable Battery units for the e. Bike and the recycling loop continues even when the batteries become too weak to use in the e bay so what we do is get a new about trees use it for a mobility after that when they lose a bit of power we either put it put it in Storage Systems like power or power resolves one loses again bit of power we go through torches and other small obligations before it goes through to be disposed. Delivery man francis all clear is one of the 20 drivers testing the transformed bikes. On average he has to return to board a walk twice a day to recharge. He rents the parties for the evening to fill a stand 3 euros a day. All in all the says card hes operating costs by half. Of this right guys germany genea. He had worked for Solar Energy Company for several years before he decided to try to make company as motorbikes cleena. With his startup zimbo he now imports cutting edge electric motor bikes from china. Each one sails for about a 1000 euros thats quite a bit of money that they drive us can pick over a period of 2 years. And the bikes are tailored to their specific needs here our driving is different than chinese person commuting to work here we really look and productive he was and hundreds of kilometers every day for a small fee of just over half a euro is imber driver can exchange and into botching for a fully charged one. This important like so full of grain since the electricity comes from the solar energy on top of the companys beauty. These Green Technology behind for us the silkiest deliveries is a sign of hope in 2 ways providing for peoples needs in the local dollar and for clean the country once the pandemic is over. Great idea but the question arises what will mobility look like in the future this is an increasingly important question for large metropolitan areas in europe and mission free Electrical Solutions are becoming more popular and this also includes a new generation of the socalled tiny because they are small colorful and as easy to charge as a smartphone the vehicles which compete with bicycles and scooters may 1 day become a sustainable means of transport in cities. These tiny funny looking lightweight vehicles are the future of the ability costing as little as 6000 here. And there as he charges the smaller fires just connecting to your homes how it suffered for 3 hours and if you break into. It to shorten it this is really exciting. We did it in the east as well not to the idea is that we need electric vehicles that work for the masses so if. You really want to be eco friendly you need to think from a point of hey how much car do i really need what type of vehicle do i really need do i really need it for. There is and then a mental conscience emerging not only the Regulatory Environment beyond generation the people who live around us but it doesnt mean that mobility should be restricted to french comics its when is the 1st manufacturer to mass produce an electric t. C. C. The economy weighs in at any 550. 00 does and is limited to a top speed of 45 kilometers an hour that means and some European Countries even 14 year olds could get behind that with. The new engine present and think its going to be. Or. That generation. I mean is a statement and brings you back this freedom of individual mobility she compact with very much in the 1950 s. In germany the tough postwar years make the tiny b. M. W. And messerschmidt. Hits with finance. After germanys economic recovery many people switched back to bigger cars. In the quest to develop more Energy Efficient vehicles microcosms have undergone a renaissance. The electric micro you know developed by 2 swiss brothers is clearly inspired by b. M. W. So 950 s. Were amazed by those concepts because they were they were so interesting and so i mean actual and thats kind of like for us when we said like ok you need to be small and simple like that because from 15. 2030 the german engineering assembled a team of tech experts to build a 3 seater and they succeeded at less than 550. 00 kilos this electric compact car really is something. Kind of guy who likes finding solutions to big challenges that fulfills me the future will be all about cooperation im sure. If we want to launch a bubbly Energy Efficient cars. Weve already got enough large aggressive super fast cars on our streets. Then even lets customize the look of their electric compact car its really simple. And little its a c ms can easily be made to face a fair bit of cargo. And it doubles as a taxi to the plan is to mass produce these vehicles in asia thats where the pound i bought initially drew inspiration for his compact car i did. This in the. Study of course we drove around and took talks as well so it was incredibly fun and we were driving around in these minimalist vehicles without windows milling the wind and experiencing everything much more vividly. That changed my view on getting around cities. And small vehicles can be even more fun than really big ones when youre driving around city centers. With compact cars catch around once they hit the market and help make electric vehicles mainstream only time will tell. Its interesting to see how we respond as human beings to the circumstances of our lives in order to change things now from immobility we go to fashion a young designer amazon big decided to stop using chemical dice and to make our own organic ones own plans harvested by women locally the result friendly and socially responsible fashion also looks great thats it. This top is made of recycled copper lan is a strong woman in mozambique mozambique and Fashion Designer can see and she has created 150 pieces using sustainable methods. After the oil industry the textile industry is considered one of the worlds biggest environmental pollutants. That we can see is that for ricky brand has taken a much more eco friendly approach they can see this as the prices for artists on all clothing off air in order to properly pay all the work is in the production chain the kuroda pandemic has meant Internet Sales have grown but clients can still visit herat and. By appointment in. Africa through between africa can make an important contribution through its rich biodiversity then we have out is the best we have several species of roots and plants which provide us with natural dyes some of sound but all food can all this can offer a great solution for the future. We can practice natural dying as a way of reducing the environmental impacts of the textiles industry so processing the power of the song. The country or believes that by Offering Sustainable Solutions africa can revolutionize the fashion industry. And how about you if youre also doing your bit tell us about it visit our website or send us a tweet. Hash tag doing your bit. We share your stories. Our next report is about making nature rejuvenate without human intervention or not so much of it in the netherlands people recently created 5 new islands in the water see the archipelago not far from amsterdam which can only be reached by boat is now a paradise for tourists. 60 kilometers from amsterdam on a tourist boat the destination is one that only recently appeared on the map 5 islands in an enclosed sea or lake created out of nothing in 4 years called marco water and. In 1706 the construction of a dam sealed off this portion of the north scene which became like a vast pond with no water in that so outlet muddy and stagnant america rather was very because of getting rid of the suffocating blanket the slick. We make so iow and we fill them with the soil thats causing the problem one of the islands is now open to the public it has a functioning harbor to several private visiting vessels a Visitors Center a beach and 5 houses that can be rented out for a week. Later for use to go there wasnt anything right here it was just water so all the reeds