VOA慢速英语2015 索马里人无法从美国汇钱回家

AS IT IS 2015-02-17 Somalis Unable to Send Money Home from US

Somalis in the United States are now unable to send money back to Somalia. The final American bank that allowed for sending money there has stopped doing so.

The small Merchants Bank of California was the last bank in the United States that worked with Somali-American transfer companies. The Somali-American companies operate in the same way as the worldwide money transfer companies Western Union and MoneyGram. But they permit people to send money to rural areas of Somalia far from cities and towns.

Last week, however, Merchants Bank stopped helping¹ the companies send money to Somalia.

Anti-terror legislation had stopped most American banks from giving people a way to send money to Somalia. Experts say more than a million Somalis cannot feed themselves. Many Somalis depend on the money sent to them by their friends and family members in the United States and other countries to survive.

Sunrise Community Bank in the U.S. and Barclays Bank in Britain have also closed their Somali transfer accounts. They were worried that the transfer companies were either working directly with terrorists or that the money being sent to Somalia was being given to terrorists.

The United Nations and humanitarian² workers warn that Merchants Bank’s decision will hurt Somalia. The money-transfer business there is huge. The United Nations and aid groups in Somalia use money transfers to pay their workers and to pay for projects in small villages and towns.

Aid groups such as Oxfam and Adeso, a non-governmental organization, estimate that Somalis living outside the country send more than $1 billion home every year.

Degan Ali leads the aid group Adeso. She says banks should continue to work with the money-transfer companies.

“We need an immediate³ solution and what we propose is that there be an exception to the case of Somalia because it’s the only country that has experienced two famines in modern history. It’s a country where there’s this active conflict and people are highly food-insecure.”

Somalia’s government collapsed⁴ in 1991. Since then, hundreds of thousands of Somalis have been able to eat only because people living outside the country sent them money.

Oxfam said in a statement that it has warned officials for the past few years about the severe effect on the country of banks refusing to work with the companies. It also said the end of the transfers will worsen Somalia’s humanitarian crisis.

An Oxfam spokesman told the Los Angeles Times newspaper that criminal gangs will now become involved with sending money into Somalia.  

Sahal Hassan is a Somali man living in Nairobi, Kenya. He says the U.S. government should help Somalia create a legal financial system.

He says America helps Somalia, so how they can stop our only source of money? He says it is going to have an effect on us. If America has pressured banks to close the accounts of the money transfer services, it should help Somalia create a banking⁵ system and reform money wire transfer companies. He says America should not leave us hungry and suffering.

Ms. Ali of Adeso says Somalia should be given more time to improve its financial system.

“For now, the immediate temporary solution, let’s give Somalia an exception to these rules so that the banks feel more comfortable as we strengthen the, the central banks in Somalia.”

The Somali government has been busy fighting the militant⁶ group al-Shabab and dealing⁷ with fighting among political parties. Experts say the government must also work to strengthen the Somali banking system, rebuild the economy, and help end suffering in one of the most corrupt⁸ and poorest countries on Earth.

Words in This Story

transfer – v. to move data or money from one place to another electronically

account(s) – n. an arrangement in which a bank keeps a record of the money that a person puts in and takes out of the bank

propose – v. to suggest (something, such as a plan or theory) to a person or group of people to consider

exception – n. a case where a rule does not apply

1 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

2 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

3 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

4 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

5 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

6 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

7 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

8 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。