VOA慢速英语2020 孟加拉社会组织帮助新冠肺炎患者（在线收听）

Bangladesh Group Helps COVID-19 Patients

When her father became infected with the coronavirus, Sumona Khanom struggled to find a bed for him at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. The hospital was already crowded with too many patients.

This was not her only struggle. Her family did not have enough money to buy food. And she was extremely tired. But then, some comfort came.

Volunteers working for the Bidyanondo Foundation brought her family a gift basket. It was filled with fruit -- mangoes, lychees, oranges, apples, and lemons -- as well as other food. There was also a get-well card for her father. It read, "We are here to stand by you."

The Bidyanondo Foundation, established in 2013, is known for its food assistance programs for street children and the poor. Now it is also known for building awareness of COVID-19 in the community. Its name, Bidyanondo, means "learn for fun."

The foundation began supporting COVID victims after hearing news reports of abuse of victims, or hostility toward them.

One family abandoned an old woman in a forest near their home. They feared she was infected with the coronavirus. In another incident, a father came home from work with a high temperature. His family did not take him to a hospital. Instead, they locked him in his room, where he died. Other families have refused to take bodies for burial.

Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed her regret about incidents like these in a speech in Parliament.

The Bidyanondo Foundation's Salman Khan Yeasin said "those news reports are very shocking." He said that usually when someone becomes sick, relatives gather at the hospital. But this time, he added, is different.

Foundation officials said families should understand how important it is to support those fighting COVID-19. This is the time when they need their family the most.

On its website, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States says stigma surrounding sickness is not uncommon. CDC experts explain that fear about a disease can lead to social stigma. They add that a person who has recovered from COVID-19 or has been released from quarantine can also be stigmatized.

Yeasin said that "in this time of corona(virus), humanity" is slowly disappearing. To fight the stigma surrounding COVID-19, the foundation said it wants to demonstrate ways to treat those infected with more kindness and humanity.

The foundation depends mostly on crowdfunding. It has built a partnership with the military, military agencies and about 80 other groups across Bangladesh.

Since June 1, the group has given out about 1,400 gift baskets. In March, the Dhaka Tribune reported that the foundation was giving out protective supplies such as face masks and hand cleaner.

Yeasin said that the first responsibility of the foundation is to support patients and build awareness. However, it does not want doctors and other health workers to be forgotten.

"Many health workers are staying outside home, away from their families to provide health care," he said. "We wanted to thank them. They also need mental support."

So, the foundation has sent health care workers thank you cards. One reads: "We become brave to do more (for people) seeing your efforts, we know you will continue [to] fight to save our lives if we become ill tomorrow."

Many support Bidyanondo's efforts. Sumona Khanom said she is thankful that the foundation has come forward to help her father.

"I hope," she said, "they would come forward to help all other fathers."

I'm Anna Matteo.

孟加拉社会组织帮助新冠肺炎患者

在父亲感染冠状病毒后，苏姆娜·卡南（Sumona Khanom）费力地在达卡医学院医院为他找了一张床位。医院里早已人满为患。

这只是她遇到的困难之一。她家已经没有足够的钱购买食物，而且她已经身心俱疲。好在她收到了来自外界的一些关怀。

比迪亚隆多基金会的志愿者为她一家送来了一个礼品篮，里面装满了各种水果——芒果、荔枝、桔子、苹果和柠檬——还有其他食物。篮子里还有一张送给她父亲的祝福卡，写着“您还有我们。”

比迪亚隆多基金会成立于2013年，因为流浪儿童和穷人提供食物援助的项目而闻名。现在又因在社区中提高人们对新冠肺炎的认识而闻名。“Bidyanondo”意思是“寓学于乐”。

在看到感染者遭受虐待或歧视的新闻报道后，基金会开始支援那些新冠肺炎的感染者。

有户人家把老太太遗弃在家附近的森林里。他们害怕她感染了冠状病毒。在另一起报道中，一位父亲下班回家后体温过高。家人没有送去医院反而将他锁在屋内，他最后死在了屋内。还有一些家庭甚至拒绝让尸体下葬。

孟加拉国总理谢赫·哈西娜（Sheikh Hasina）在议会的一次演讲中对类似事件表示遗憾。

比迪亚隆多基金会的萨尔曼·汗·耶辛（Salman Khan Yeasin）表示：“那些报道令人震惊。”他说，通常当有人生病时，亲属会相约到医院探望。他补充说，但这一次的情况不一样了。

基金会官方表示，家庭成员应该理解支持那些与新冠肺炎抗争的患者有多么重要。这是他们最需要家人的时刻。

美国疾病控制和预防中心在其网站上指出，认为疾病是耻辱的现象并不少见。疾控中心的专家解释称，对疾病的恐惧感最终会形成社会污名。他们还补充道，新冠肺炎康复患者或解除隔离的人也会遭受非议。

耶辛说，“在这个新冠(病毒)横行的时代，人性”正在逐渐消失。为了消除新冠肺炎形成的社会污名，基金会表示，希望亲身示范用更多善意和人性的方式对待被感染者。

该基金会主要依靠众筹。它与孟加拉国军方、军事机构和大约80个其他团体建立了伙伴关系。

自6月1日以来，该组织已发放了约1400个礼品篮。今年3月，《达卡论坛报》报道称，该基金会发放了口罩和洗手液等防护用品。

耶辛表示，基金会的首要职责是援助患者并建立社会意识。同时，它也希望人们不要遗忘医生和其他卫生工作者。

他说：“许多卫生工作者需要外出工作，离开家人并提供医疗服务。我们希望对他们表示感谢。他们也需要精神支持。”

因此基金会向医护人员发送了感谢信。其中一句话写道：“你们的坚持不懈，我们才更勇敢地去为民众服务，我们相信假如明天生病的是我们，你们也会继续为拯救我们的生命而战斗。”

许多人支持比迪亚隆多基金会的工作。苏姆娜·卡南表示，她感谢基金会挺身而出帮助自己的父亲。

她说，“我希望他们会站出来帮助所有其他需要帮助的父亲们。”

安娜·马特奥为您播报。

Words in This Story

comfort –n. a state or feeling of being less worried, upset, frightened, etc., during a time of trouble or emotional pain : –v. to cause (someone) to feel less worried, upset, frightened, etc.

get-well card –n. a greeting card sent to a person who is unwell, expressing a wish for a speedy recovery

abandon - v. to leave and never return

stigma – n. a set of negative and often unfair beliefs that a society or group of people have about something

humanitarian – adj. a person who works to make other people's lives better : humane : humanity

quarantine –n. the period of time during which a person who has a disease being kept away from others

crowdfunding – n. the practice of obtaining needed funding (as for a new business) by soliciting contributions from a large number of people especially from the online community