帮助尼日利亚残疾乞丐自食其力（在线收听）

Turning Nigeria's Disabled From Beggars to Workers 帮助尼日利亚残疾乞丐自食其力

KADUNA—

An estimated 20 million people in Nigeria have physical handicaps.  With few opportunities for work, many have resorted to street begging. But a group of disabled men in Kaduna state are encouraging others to get off the street by empowering them with new skills.

These men are waiting for food from a local charity. It may be their only meal today. Disabled, most rely on street begging to sustain them.  

这些人正等待当地一家慈善机构发放的食物。这可能是他们今天的唯一一餐。其中大部分的残疾人士依靠街头乞讨维生。

Unlike the others queuing here, 18-year-old Aliyu Yakubu is learning to fix tricycles and do other metal work to earn a living.

和在这里排队的其他人不同,18岁的阿利尤·雅酷布正在学习修理三轮车及其他金属加工手艺谋生。

Yakubu remembers the moment he decided to quit begging.

雅库布回忆起他决定不再乞讨的时刻。

“My former class prefect saw me begging on the street and didn’t recognize me. He gave me some money," he said. "When I stretched my hand out to collect it, then he saw my face. I felt ashamed, and, since then, I decided not to beg again.”

“我在街上乞讨恰巧被以前的同学看到后没被认出，他给了我一些钱。当我伸手去接的时候他看到我的脸。我感到惭愧,从那时起,我决定不再乞讨。”

Instructor Isiaka Maaji, himself physically disabled, helps people like Yakubu get off the streets and learn a trade.

辅导人员伊斯卡·玛吉虽然身体残疾,但却帮助像雅酷布这样的人们远离街道,学一门手艺。

He got his own skills from a state-run vocational rehabilitation training program and has been training others since 2002. Five years ago, he began encouraging physically challenged people to abandon begging.

他从国家职业康复训练项目中掌握了自己的技能,而且这个项目自2002年以来一直致力于培训。5年前他开始鼓励残疾人放弃乞讨。

“We encourage people like us to learn skills they can do to become self-reliant to support themselves and their families, because being in the streets as beggars is a disgrace to all of us,” Maaji said. 

“我们鼓励像我们这样的人学习能够自力更生养活自己及家人的技能,因为在街上当乞丐对我们所有人来说是一种耻辱。”

So far he’s helped and trained 30 people – some of whom now have their own metal workshop.

到目前为止已有30人接受他的帮助和训练，而且有些人已经拥有自己的金属加工店铺。

They make tricycles and motorbikes designed for the handicapped – but also doors and windows to sell.

他们还为残障人士制作三轮车和摩托车以及销售门窗。

But a member of the Handicapped Association, shop owner Ridwan Abdillahi, says the general public is not buying despite the good quality of the products.

但残疾人协会会员,店主里德旺·阿卜杜拉表示尽管产品质量很好但公众仍不会买账。

“I believe the society are seeing the goods or products made by persons with disability as disabled too,” he said. 

“我相信这个社会看到残疾人所制造的商品或产品也会带有缺陷。”

These men – used to overcoming challenges – say this is one more hurdle the disabled face. They say they will tackle it by raising awareness, with the help of the government and the community.

这些人过去常常应对难题，而这是残疾人面临的更多障碍。他们表示在政府和社会的帮助下，会通过提高意识解决这个问题。