PBS高端访谈:马拉维的抗疫故事

JUDY WOODRUFF: There are many things we take for granted in the U.S. Tonight's Brief But Spectacular features Gertrude Kabwazi, the country director for a nonprofit that is working to help people deal with COVID-19 and break the cycle of poverty in Malawi.

GERTRUDE KABWAZI, Yamba Malawi: I am in Malawi, which is situated¹ in the southern part of Africa. The poverty levels in this country are very high. Almost 52 percent of the population is living under a dollar a day. These people are suffering more with COVID-19 because they are communities that were already struggling. I work for an organization called Yamba Malawi. Our mission is to uplift the lives of vulnerable children by empowering communities to break the cycle of poverty. Having grown in the village myself, I understand the challenges that people in the rural communities face every single day. Malawi was very late to recognize COVID cases, simply because we didn't have the facilities to test, but also because many people in Malawi do not have access to information. It was very difficult for those people who are in remote areas to understand what COVID is, but even what to do when they're infected. Nine out of 10 households do not have soap. And most of the community members do not have access to running water, clean water. They live in a one-room house. And there may be six to 10 members in that house. So, isolation² will be practically impossible. We are fearing that even the small gains that have been made through programs like Yamba Malawi, they are going to be eroded³ by the impact of the COVID-19. Their savings⁴ are only minimal⁵, and those savings can not last them that long. The community members themselves, they're geared up to contribute something to deal with COVID-19 in whatever way they would love to. The households that have something, they want to share with the other households that do not have something. So, it gives me hope that we are all more united than ever. My name is Gertrude Kabwazi. This is my Brief But Spectacular take on empowering the people of Malawi during COVID-19.

朱迪·伍德拉夫：在美国有很多事情我们都认为是理所当然的。今晚的“简短和精彩”节目的主人公是格特鲁德·卡瓦齐，是一个非营利组织主任，该组织帮助人们应对COVID-19，打破马拉维的贫困循环。

格特鲁德·卡瓦齐，亚姆巴马拉维：我在马拉维，它位于非洲南部。这个国家的贫困程度很高。几乎52%的人口每天生活在一美元以下。这些人遭遇了更多新冠疫情的影响，因为他们的社区已经在挣扎。我在一个叫亚姆巴马拉维的组织工作。我们的使命是通过赋予社区权力，打破贫困循环，改善弱势儿童的生活。我自己在村里长大，我理解农村社区的人们每天都面临的挑战。马拉维很晚才发现COVID病例，只是因为我们没有检测设备，但也因为马拉维的许多人无法获得信息。对于那些在偏远地区的人来说很难理解COVID是什么，但即使他们被感染了该怎么办，十分之九的家庭没有肥皂。而且大多数社区成员得不到自来水、干净的水。他们住在一个只有一个房间的房子里。可能会有六到十个成员在那座房子里。所以，隔绝实际上是不可能的。我们担心的是，即使是通过该组织所获得的微小受益，它们将被COVID-19的冲击所侵蚀。他们的储蓄很小，而且这些储蓄不能维持那么长时间。社区成员自己，他们已经做好准备，以任何他们愿意的方式，为应对COVID-19做出贡献。有东西的家庭，他们想和其他没有东西的家庭分享。所以，这给了我希望，我们比以往任何时候都更加团结。我叫格特鲁德·卡瓦齐。这是我在COVID-19期间对马拉维人民赋权的“简短而精彩”的看法。

1 situated   

adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的

参考例句：

• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
• She is awkwardly situated.她的处境困难。

2 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

3 eroded   

adj. 被侵蚀的，有蚀痕的 动词erode的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The cliff face has been steadily eroded by the sea. 峭壁表面逐渐被海水侵蚀。
• The stream eroded a channel in the solid rock. 小溪在硬石中侵蚀成一条水道。

4 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

5 minimal   

adj.尽可能少的，最小的

参考例句：

• They referred to this kind of art as minimal art.他们把这种艺术叫微型艺术。
• I stayed with friends, so my expenses were minimal.我住在朋友家，所以我的花费很小。