Until a few years ago, the textile industry in africa was pretty stable. Or at least until the liberalization of the market opened the door for cheaper competition from asia. Hundreds of thousands of jobs were lost, mostly in south africa, nigeria, kenya and in ghana. There, nine out of 10 textile workers lost their jobs, leaving only 3,000 today. Product piracy is adding to the woes of ghanas fabric producers. They are proud of their unique designs and traditional techniques. But just as for the big fashion brands like adidas or chanel, while consumers like their style, they increasingly shy away from the cost. Reporter makola market in the ghanaian capital accra is a paradise if you love color. There are gaudy fabrics with new patterns, but traditional wax prints with ageold designs are the most popular. Here cloth is bought the way readymade clothes are in europe. Customer when i am going for a special occasion or some occasions that i need to wear something with a name, i come to buy the ones with names. And then something that is stylish. Normally when i am buying the clothes, i look at the quality. Reporter for authentic domestic fabrics, traditionconscious ghanaian women have to pay about 15 euros for just under three metres. Thats enough for a dress. Then theres the cost of a seamstress unaffordable for many people. For several years theres been a cheap but illegal alternative pirated copies from china at 1 3 of the price. This vendor says no one at the market has any cheap fabrics right now, because they were all seized in a raid. The shops that sell the original fabrics have been making losses for years. The owner tells us that the moment she has a new design, someone comes and buys a few meters and in three weeks, there are copies on the market. Were outside the capital in the small town of akosombo. Here, the a. T. L. Company produces traditional african textiles. John amoah is employed to protect the brand. With a coworker, hes examining the latest forgeries from china. A special squad made up of police, trade ministry officials, and textile companies have been trying for months to take action against the network of product pirates from ghana and china. John amoah tells us about the raid on the market. The cheap goods made in china not only copy the original patterns from ghana, but also the company logos. But how do you recognize the Genuine Article . John amoah, Akosombo Textiles if you take this one, this is the design. If you look at this side and this side, the bubbles are not the same. You cannot determine where it falls. If you look at this one, this, this, this, this are the same. This, this, this are the same. Reporter a. T. L. Manufactures everything from the traditional cotton cloth to the finished wax prints. Everything is made in ghana. The huge drums are the heart of the complex art of producing the textiles. The dyed fabrics, which have been coated with wax or resin, are spun around to break up the resin layer. This produces a distinctive, unique pattern. Steve dutton has been head of marketing at a. T. L. For 15 years. Hes increasingly concerned about the situation facing the textile industry. Steve dutton, head of marketing, a. T. L. 99 of the goods coming from the far east are not entering legally into ghana and into the countries in west africa. Most of them are smuggled. We are unfortunate enough to be next door to togo, and lome, which is a free port. Those goods can be bought or brought to ghana, smuggled across the land border, which is very huge. Reporter the layers of dye are carefully applied one after the other in several steps an expensive procedure. The knockoff fabrics dont come close in quality. Back to makola market. For many years, ghana has been flooded with castoffs from europe. Ghana is one of the african countries with the highest percentages of secondhand clothing, although theres a richly colorful domestic alternative. It puts even more pressure on the textile industry. Customer secondhand clothes are cheaper. Buying fabric and having dresses made is really expensive and can take forever. So we buy second hand. Reporter but the real problem for ghana is the cheap competition from china, usually smuggled into the country by middlemen. A. T. L. s Spinning Mill works only three days a week. 500 workers have already been laid off. Now just 1000 people work here, some of them only parttime. At a waste dump on accras city limits. This pile of cloth consists of counterfeit smuggled fabric. The special unit wants to make an example of it. Tirelessly, john amoah answers journalists questions. John amoah try to get your own designs. Try to get your own brand. And then you compete. You pay your taxes at the border. You bring your product onto the market. Then we all have a fair competition ground to compete. Reporter protecting the made in ghana trademark could put an end to the piracy. The government is proud of the genuine traditional products. The deputy trade minister is a major proponent. Murtala mohammed, deputy minister of trade women look beautiful in the african print, and i dont buy my wife anything except african prints. I believe ones way would be to patronize the goods that are produced in ghana. They expand, there would be new economies of scale. I believe that they can also reduce price because cost of production would have reduced, quality would improve, and that is the focus of the ministry. Reporter a while ago, the government proclaimed a Weekly National friday wear day. Everyone is called on to wear traditional garb on friday office workers, school kids, and ordinary citizens so that the traditional ghanaian textile industry can keep its head above water. For now, at least. Anchor tackling corruption is usually a long struggle. And its rarely as spectacular as the case of fifa, where football executives were led away by police in front of news cameras. Nobody wants bureaucracy. But without reliable and transparent administration, governments are lost. Taxpayers tend to hang on to their money when they fear it will end up in someone elses pocket. We meet a group of african tax experts who are studying on a scholarship here in germany. They are determined to become agents of change by building better administrations back home. Reporter for these two, berlin is a big adventure. Frank kalinzinje is a tax official back home in malawi. Londiwe khoza works in the South African finance ministry. Today theyre tourists. But actually, theyre here in the german capital to study, chosen by a panel of judges. Frank kalinzinje, tax official from malawi its a dream come true. And for my specialty, for me, its the first time to get out of our country. And of all places, coming to berlin in germany. It was one of the best things that has ever happened to me in my life. Reporter theyre in berlin for a year and a half on a postgraduate course in tax law. Its been something of a culture shock. Londiwe khoza, financial analyst from south africa i think, today, is a bit of, like, a coldness. Maybe i just dont have the right word for it. cause, like in africa, were just jolly. Were loud, were warm, you know. And here its keeping to yourself. And sometimes its not that easy, i think, especially with the older generation. Reporter the next morning at the Berlin School of economics and law, 27 africans from 13 countries are in the program. Its subsidized by the german government. Back home, the students work for tax and fiscal authorities. Their professor says this masters degree course should prepare them to deal with International Tax law. Beate jochimsen, economist for instance, taxation of crossborder transactions. Many of them have never had anything to do with International Taxation. Theyre hearing about it for the first time. And some who deal with corporate taxation dont know about income tax. So its important for them to work in groups or case studies to find out how it is in other african countries. Reporter how do you tax an employee who lives in one country and works in another . Many of the students think taxes need to lose their bad reputation. Londiwe khoza says that in many countries, theyre often equated with corruption. Londiwe khoza corruption is a big issue everywhere, not just in south africa. I think that we need to make people understand whats happening with their tax money. I think from a government perspective, we need to start educating people in terms of how were spending the money and where the money actually goes to, just to ensure that people who actually receive the money are actually spending it for the right cause. Frank kalinzinje most of the people back home have a negative perception of taxation, and therefore in the end we have a lot of complaints. They simply think taxes are just a form of government stealing from people. They do not appreciate the fact that taxes are for them. Reporter when theyre not studying, their thoughts are often with their families and friends at home. Keeping in touch is sometimes difficult because the internet doesnt always work. Londiwe khoza no, its not coming up. Its very frustrating because we just want to talk and share experiences with everyone at home, find out how everyone is doing at home, so its sometimes a bit tough. Reporter on the one hand, theres homesickness. On the other, the ambition to successfully finish their studies in germany. Frank kalinzinje says his family is proud hes able to take this course. Although he adds that their expectations are now quite high. Frank kalinzinje it would not make sense for me if after this course id stay behind. To me, my conscience really pulls me back. So i would love as much as possible to go back home and to contribute something. Reporter theyve already finished some of their exams. Now they plan to enjoy their summer in berlin. Anchor indonesia has some 17,000 islands and around 250,000,000 people. More than half of them are under 30. Many live in poverty. Because she was concerned about the kids who were turning to drugs, Veronica Colondam set up an organization to help them. 16 years later, ycab has become one of the largest n. G. O. s in the world, running projects in several other countries including pakistan, afghanistan, and uganda. We caught up with her in indonesia. Reporter a train comes by every few minutes. These people are living illegally in petamburan, not far from the center of the indonesian capital jakarta. Working with their hands, this family has to produce 1000 pieces a day to make ends meet. They earn about 7 euros. More than half of all indonesians live below the poverty line, earning less than 2 euros a day. Veronica colondam is trying to change that by helping women to earn a livelihood. With her organization, the ycab foundation, she provides micro loans. Today shes meeting with women in petamburan who have founded micro companies with the loans. Many cook and sell homemade food at mobile stalls. Ibu sulami tells how she was able to buy a rice cooker with her 150 loan. Now, at 54, shes even earning enough to invite friends over from time to time. Veronica colondam theyre all micro entrepreneurs. But theyre not micro entrepreneurs by choice. They have to do it to sustain their livelihood, right . So we give them a little bit of capital so that they can scale their business and make or double theirncome. It is important to have is extra income. Reporter more than 100,000 micro loans have already been given to women. In the long term, theyre a way to escape poverty to more prosperity. But only if their children get a better education. The social entrepreneur is convinced of that. Thats why ycab also runs schools and learning centers. The fees are extremely low less than a euro a month. Though for some, thats already a lot. Hervina i have to work to help my grandmother whos ill and pay my school fees. I also really wanted a cellphone. I worked hard, and ive finally got one. Reporter at 15, shes now the proud owner of a mobile phone and is determined to keep going to school. For the older pupils, learning combines practice and theory. That was important to veronica from the very start. These young men will be able to work in the i. T. Sector. 78 of the pupils later find jobs. Ycabs funding is complex. In indonesia, social enterprises are treated like profitoriented ones. Veronica colondam and her team have to find donors and supporters to share the funding for the learning centers. Organizing the growing foundation is now veronicas main task. But the mother of three enjoys being with the trainees. Veronica colondam its important to stay in touch. I mean, it does more for me, actually, for myself, because connecting to the people gives you energy. Reporter the pupils come from poor families. They have dreams. Like dani, who dropped out of school but is now studying hard. Dani pramana my dream is singing. [singing] reporter but first, hes studying to be a car mechanic. Hes passed his first exams with distinction. The indonesian economy needs educated young people like these. The government invests too little despite economic growth. Veronica colondam the growth is good, right . Thats the macro. But what happens to the people at the bottom of the pyramid . The gini coefficient that shows the gap between the rich and the poor actually has declined over time. We are not Getting Better in that sense. Thats why we need to move up. Move the people from the bottom of the pyramid, give them hope and opportunity through education. Thats what we believe. Reporter Veronica Colondams work is giving people new opportunities, even in petamburan. And its giving them hope of escaping to something better. Anchor you would think that one thing the descendants of the mayas in mexico dont need is lessons on how to use the rainforest sustainably. But after the environment around them was increasingly destroyed, the residents of villages like Huechen Balam in yucatan were desperate to make a living. In the end, they had to make tough choices. And now, theyve chosen to accept help in managing what is left in a sustainable way. Gabriel ek cohuo when im here in the forest, i feel very contented. I feel happy because im breathing the fresh air and can listen to the birds singing. Its a magical place. I know it has a good spirit that protects it. I know it created for us, so that we can nurture it and live from it. Reporter for gabriel ek and the other residents of his village, the forest is both their home and their livelihood. Melionine bees, native to yucatan, live here. The honey the stingless bees produce is especially sweet. In maya Village Communities, beekeeping has a long tradition. Gabriel ek learned the craft from his father. T this honey is sold all over mexico and even exported to europe. Gabriel ek cohuo we can earn a lot in a season when the yield is good, even though we have to invest and buy all the equipment. But its worth it because its better than what wed earn farming the fields. Reporter the village of Huechen Balam lies in the middle of the Tropical Forest on mexicos yucatan peninsula. Its 150 or so residents live simply. There arent many opportunities to earn money. Finding a way to live off the land without harming the forest has proven a challenge. For six months, the International Union for conservation of nature has been working with the villagers. Together, they want to find ways they can earn money without destroying more of the forest. Luciana ludlow paz, iucn theres already less biodiversity than before. We have fewer species, both of flora and fauna. The decrease is widespread and significant. The villagers use some species for food or for building their houses. Reporter the environmentalists ask the men and women in the village how they use the forest and what they plant in their fields. Its hoped the data will help to promote additional ways of earning a living that protect the forest. Every year, thousands of hectares of forest in yucatan go up in flames to create space for agriculture. Often, the farmers dont even use the fields themselves. Instead they lease them to wealthy investors from all over the country who are on the lookout for new and larger areas to intensively farm such crops as melons intensively. Its a good deal because the yield is plentiful thanks to the climate. Local Environmental Protection organizations are worried that intensive farming will spread further. Gerardo Garcia Contreras in mexicos current situation, there arent many other sources of income so they rely on profits of this kind. Viewed ecologically, this kind of cultivation isnt viable because monocultures deplete the soil and pesticides pollute the water. But its a source of employment. Reporter what can be done to counteract that . One possibility is to make farming more diversified again. When farmers cultivate the fields themselves, they plant crops like pumpkins, beans, maize, and cucumbers. Froilan tamayo alcocer, farmer if a buyer from elsewhere comes to me, its better if i have a large selection of produce on offer. So its important for me to plant a wide variety of vegetables. Reporter we return to the villagers of Huechen Balam. Producing charcoal is another important source of income for them. Only a few Village Communities have official permits for that. They got theirs three years ago. Gabriel ek cohuo we look for crooked and broken trees to make charcoal. We use only the ones we cant use for anything else, which keep the other healthy trees from growing tall and straight. Reporter in that way, charcoalmaking can be sustainable for the forest as well. The women in Huechen Balam have discovered a very different source of income. Theyve founded a handicrafts collective. Villager if one of us sells a blouse for 300 pesos, thats really something in the past, we had nothing and were dependent on our husbands. Reporter every woman pays part of her proceeds into a communal fund. And they can pay for new material. It seems new prospects are opening up for the people in the villages of yucatan. Anchor for plenty more information on the yucatan peninsula, go to our website. You can also watch any of our reports. And join our global debate. Well be back a week from now. Do join us if you can. Until then, thanks for watching and bye bye. 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