VOA慢速英语--贝尔格莱德流浪儿童在疫情间找到了避难所

In a small house in Belgrade, a teenage girl is drying her hair, while two others eat nearby. Several boys are having their temperature measurements taken at the door to the house to protect against coronavirus.

It is another busy day for Svratiste, or Roadhouse. It is Belgrade's first drop-in center for children who live on the streets. They can come inside at any time of day. For years, the building has provided warmth and shelter for the Serbian capital's most neglected occupants.

Since opening in 2007, Svratiste has welcomed hundreds of children, some as young as five-years old. They come here to warm up, wash or eat. Now, with social restrictions¹ and economic conditions worsening in the COVID-19 pandemic, the work of the center has become even more important.

Coordinator² Mina Lukic said the health crisis³ has made Belgrade's poor even poorer as it hurts the Serbian economy.

Usually, poor children and their families get money for pieces of plastic or other scrap⁴ material that they collect to sell. But prices have dropped sharply⁵ in recent months, and they cannot earn enough money.

"We believe this is why we have more children visiting us in the past weeks than they used to," Lukic said.

"The kids that come to us are all aged⁶ 5 to 15," she added. "What's common for all of them is that they work in the street and live in extreme poverty."

Hundreds, if not thousands of children in Belgrade are poor. Their families often live in neglected areas. They mostly do not use the state's social, health care and education systems.

From an early age, the children are sent out in the streets to ask for help, collect scrap materials or look for other ways to find food or money. They often are abused. Very few ever go to school.

While Serbia has a nationwide system of social care centers and groups for the poor, Lukic said, the street kids often are ignored.

Svratiste's team of 13 social workers, psychologists and other experts have welcomed more than 1,400 children over the years. Money for the group's operations comes from donations. Some people regularly bring in clothes and other aid.

The group recently set up another center in a new part of town.

Usually, the two centers are open every day. But both closed down because of restrictions when the COVID-19 pandemic started in March. When Belgrade reopened in May, most of the children came back.

The Svratiste team has tried to help the children get to know their city by visiting playgrounds and theaters. An important effort has been to include them in the education system and make sure they stay.

Bosko Markovic, now 18, first came to Svratiste five years ago. With the center's help, he has finished high school and now wants to be a policeman, he told The Associated Press.

"They (Svratiste) have made me a better person," he said.

Words in This Story

teenage – adj. someone between the ages of 13 to 19.

pandemic – n. a contagious⁷ disease that is in many countries

coordinator – n. someone who organizes people and things

scrap – adj. leftover⁸ or unwanted materials

kids – n. children

psychologist – n. one who studies the mind

1 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

2 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

3 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

4 scrap   

n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废

参考例句：

• A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。
• Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。

5 sharply   

adj.锐利地，急速；adv.严厉地，鲜明地

参考例句：

• The plane dived sharply and rose again.飞机猛然俯冲而后又拉了起来。
• Demand for personal computers has risen sharply.对个人电脑的需求急剧增长。

6 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

7 contagious   

adj.传染性的，有感染力的

参考例句：

• It's a highly contagious infection.这种病极易传染。
• He's got a contagious laugh.他的笑富有感染力。

8 leftover   

n.剩货，残留物，剩饭；adj.残余的

参考例句：

• These narrow roads are a leftover from the days of horse-drawn carriages.这些小道是从马车时代沿用下来的。
• Wonder if that bakery lets us take leftover home.不知道那家糕饼店会不会让我们把卖剩的带回家。