阿富汗难民赢得联合国教学奖

AS IT IS 2015-09-17 Afghan Refugee¹ Wins UN Award for Teaching²

Aqeela Asifi, who fled to Pakistan as a young woman, has spent her life teaching other Afghan refugees³.

For her efforts, Ms. Asifi, who is 49, has won the 2015 UNHCR Nansen Refugee award. She also gets $100,000 to help pay for her education projects.

Asifi faced many problems in Afghanistan before she fled to Pakistan. Resources were limited and education for women was discouraged.

However, in Pakistan, the 49 year old was able to bring change to her conservative⁴ Afghan community. She persuaded parents to send their daughters to school in a tent at the Kot Chandana refugee village. The village was in the Punjab province of Pakistan.

Since then, Ms. Asifi has guided more than a thousand refugee girls through their primary education.

“When I began my mission⁵ to educate Afghan girls, I could not have imagined that one day it will win me this award. I cannot express my happiness,” she told VOA.

There are almost 1.5 million recorded Afghan refugees in Pakistan, the United Nation High Commissioner⁶ for Refugees says. Nearly half are school-aged children. But almost 80 percent of them don’t attend school.

Ms. Asifi was a teacher in Kabul when she fled with her family in 1992.

“In Afghanistan I was teaching both boys and girls,” she told VOA. “When I left Afghanistan and ended up in this refugee village with my family, I was [saddened] to find out there were no facilities here, particularly for women and girls.”

They made their home in the distant refugee community in Kot Chandana. There she began teaching a small number of students in her tent. She made teaching materials by hand.

Her tent school has led to the opening of several permanent schools in the village. These schools teach more than one thousand children. Support from the UNHCR, local government, and non-governmental organizations helped make these new schools possible.

UNHCR’s Nansen Refugee Award honors⁷ extraordinary service to people who have been forced from their homes. Eleanor Roosevelt, Graca Machel and Luciano Pavarotti are some of the other winners of the award. The 2015 award ceremony will be held on October 5 in Geneva.

Ms. Asifi is a mother of six children. She has worked hard to pay for their education. She spends almost all her income to pay her son’s tuition⁸ to study engineering⁹ at Kabul University.

But seeking higher education for her four daughters is difficult. There is not enough money or secondary¹⁰ schools for girls in the village.

The Afghan teacher hopes more and more children will receive an education in Afghanistan. She hopes her home country becomes better known for higher levels of education, instead of war.

“I want my [goal] to be introduced in parts of Afghanistan where conservative traditions and customs still prevent parents from sending their daughters to outdoor schools,” she said.

Words in This Story

tent – n. a portable¹¹ shelter that is used outdoors, is made of cloth and is held up with poles and ropes

province – n. any one of the large parts that some countries are divided into

primary education – n. the first level of education that provides students with a simple understanding of many different subjects as well as the skills they will use throughout their lives

facility – n. something that makes an action, operation, or activity easier

tuition – n. money that is paid to a school for the right to study there

introduce – v. to cause someone to learn about or try something for the first time

outdoor – adj. done, used, or located outside a building

1 refugee   

n.难民，流亡者

参考例句：

• The refugee was condemned to a life of wandering.这个难民注定要过流浪的生活。
• The refugee is suffering for want of food and medical supplies.难民苦于缺少食物和医药用品。

2 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。

3 refugees   

n.避难者，难民( refugee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The UN has begun making airdrops of food to refugees. 联合国已开始向难民空投食物。
• They claimed they were political refugees and not economic migrants. 他们宣称自己是政治难民，不是经济移民。

4 conservative   

adj.保守的，守旧的；n.保守的人，保守派

参考例句：

• He is a conservative member of the church.他是一个守旧教会教友。
• The young man is very conservative.这个年轻人很守旧。

5 mission   

n.使命，任务，天职；代表团，使团

参考例句：

• He was charged with an important mission.他受委托承担一项重要使命。
• I'll leave you to undertake an important mission.我要让你承担一项重要使命。

6 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

7 honors   

n.礼仪；荣典；礼节； 大学荣誉学位；大学优等成绩；尊敬( honor的名词复数 )；敬意；荣誉；光荣

参考例句：

• He aims at honors. 他力求名誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We did the last honors to his remains. 我们向他的遗体告别。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 tuition   

n.（某一学科的）教学，讲授，指导，学费

参考例句：

• Students can apply for individual tuition.学生可以申请个别指导。
• Is this money enough for the tuition fee?这些钱交学费够吗？

9 engineering   

n.工程，工程学，管理，操纵

参考例句：

• The science of engineering began as soon as man learned to use tools. 人类一学会使用工具,工程科学就开始了。
• It was the first great engineering works in the world. 这是世界上第一家大型的工程工厂。

10 secondary   

adj.中级的，中等的，次要的；n.次要位置，副手

参考例句：

• It's a question of secondary importance.这是个次要的问题。
• Secondary school means junior school and high school.中学是指初中和高中。

11 portable   

adj.轻便的，手提式的；n.便携的东西

参考例句：

• I have a portable typewriter.我有一个便携式打字机。
• There is a pretty portable pair of steps in one corner of the room.屋角放着一架小巧玲珑的折梯。