VOA慢速英语2020--受新冠病毒伤害的人道主义援助工作

Humanitarian¹ Aid Work Hurt by Coronavirus

Humanitarian aid work is difficult. Workers helping² people without food, water, shelter, or healthcare must often face natural disasters, slow governments, and even war.

Now they have another enemy to consider -- COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Here we will talk about three stories of humanitarian workers in hotspot areas.

Fighting locusts⁴ in Somalia

Earlier this year, Somalia faced its worst invasion of desert locusts in 25 years. In February, the country declared a state of emergency over swarms⁶ of the crop-destroying insects.

The swarms can grow to several hundred square kilometers. Each square kilometer can contain 40 to 80 million locusts. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says the huge swarms can eat the same amount of food in one day as about 35,000 people.

As a child in Somalia, Mohamed Mohamud remembers the locusts. The swarms darkened the skies. The insects ate his small tomato plants – the ones he carefully grew for his family.

Today, Mohamud is an insect expert with the International Center of Insect Physiology⁷ and Ecology in Nairobi.

The center fights poverty and food insecurity by developing ways to control crop-destroying insects. To do that, it depends on equipment and people from other countries. However, now borders are closed to slow the spread of the coronavirus. So, the center can do little to help.

Mohamud told VOA that in the past when swarms became too big, helicopters would drop insect-killing chemicals. Other vehicles would also come to help. He said with COVID-19 and blockades everywhere, the situation has worsened. Movement across borders is now impossible.

Border closures between countries is one problem. There are also blocks within governmental agencies that have created other problems.

Feeding the poor in Nepal

Neera Sharma manages the World Food Program's school meal program in Nepal.

She said that the early days of the coronavirus crisis were difficult. During that four-month period, the food program changed from an in-school format⁸ to a take-home format.

The new format is based on guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO) and instructions from the Nepalese government. But the program also needed approval from the Nepalese government and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which helps pay for the program.

Sharma explained that in "May, June, July — three months — there was nothing." Then, schools were closed during Nepal's national lockdown. They were temporarily made into quarantine centers. This made giving out food even more difficult.

Sharma said that "there were countless⁹ children in Nepal" who went to school on an empty stomach.

The coronavirus has made hunger worse. The World Food Program estimates that 2.4 million children did not get necessary food when schools closed.

Civil war in Yemen

Yemen is currently experiencing what many observers say is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.

The rainy season there is now taking place. Some people have lost their homes to flooding. These flood waters have also caused an increase in diseases, such as cholera¹⁰ and dengue fever.

Yemen's civil war has continued since 2015 and it has worsened poverty.

"People in Yemen are still in need for very basic things," said Sonia Almassad.

She manages two offices in the U.N.'s Office for the Coordination¹¹ of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA. These basic things, she said, are water, food, shelter, blankets, and health services.

Now, Yemini people must also face COVID-19.

Humanitarian efforts in Yemen have been delayed because operations take longer now and cost more. Giving out supplies takes place over longer periods of time to permit physical distancing. People also need personal protective equipment, which raises costs.

OCHA and other U.N. agencies are struggling to find the money to continue operating in Yemen.

Since July, Almassad has been organizing all her work from her home in Syria. She did spend four months working in Yemen but was only able to move from room to room.

She said that during the disease outbreak, she has spent more time working but not getting the same results.

When will things get better?

In Somalia, Mohamud fears that heavy rains will cause another wave of locusts. His organization expects that one in every four Somalis -- 3.5 million people -- will face severe food insecurity by September.

In Yemen, three of Almassad's U.N. colleagues recently died. The U.N. would not say if COVID-19 was the cause. Still, she expects to return to the country in the next month.

In Nepal, Sharma appeared hopeful. The school meal gave out the first round of take-home food in July. It will continue giving the 1,500 metric tons of food donated by the U.S. in a second round in late September.

The food program has done very well. So, in this year's national budget, the Nepalese government agreed to expand coverage¹² of the program from 60 percent of the country to 100 percent.

Sharma said "knowing that a child won't go to bed tonight with an empty stomach because of [this] program -- that's extremely rewarding."

I'm Anna Matteo.

And I'm Caty Weaver¹³.

Words in This Story

locust³ –n. an insect similar to a grasshopper¹⁴ that gathers in huge numbers and eats crops

swarm⁵ –n. a large number of insects moving together

food insecurity –n. a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to enough food

format –n. the way in which something is designed

lockdown –n. a situation in which people must stay in their houses or prisoners in their cells for security reasons

quarantine –n. being kept away from other people in an effort to stop the spread of a disease

round –n. one of a series of similar events or actions

rewarding –adj. giving a good feeling that you have done something valuable or important

1 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。

2 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。

3 locust   

n.蝗虫；洋槐，刺槐

参考例句：

• A locust is a kind of destructive insect.蝗虫是一种害虫。
• This illustration shows a vertical section through the locust.本图所示为蝗虫的纵剖面。

4 locusts   

n.蝗虫( locust的名词复数 )；贪吃的人；破坏者；槐树

参考例句：

• a swarm of locusts 一大群蝗虫
• In no time the locusts came down and started eating everything. 很快蝗虫就飞落下来开始吃东西，什么都吃。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 swarm   

n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入

参考例句：

• There is a swarm of bees in the tree.这树上有一窝蜜蜂。
• A swarm of ants are moving busily.一群蚂蚁正在忙碌地搬家。

6 swarms   

蜂群，一大群( swarm的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They came to town in swarms. 他们蜂拥来到城里。
• On June the first there were swarms of children playing in the park. 6月1日那一天，这个公园里有一群群的孩子玩耍。

7 physiology   

n.生理学，生理机能

参考例句：

• He bought a book about physiology.他买了一本生理学方面的书。
• He was awarded the Nobel Prize for achievements in physiology.他因生理学方面的建树而被授予诺贝尔奖。

8 format   

n.设计，版式；[计算机]格式，DOS命令:格式化(磁盘)，用于空盘或使用过的磁盘建立新空盘来存储数据；v.使格式化，设计，安排

参考例句：

• Please format this floppy disc.请将这张软盘格式化。
• The format of the figure is very tasteful.该图表的格式很雅致。

9 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

10 cholera   

n.霍乱

参考例句：

• The cholera outbreak has been contained.霍乱的发生已被控制住了。
• Cholera spread like wildfire through the camps.霍乱在营地里迅速传播。

11 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

12 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

13 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

14 grasshopper   

n.蚱蜢，蝗虫，蚂蚱

参考例句：

• He thought he had made an end of the little grasshopper.他以为把那个小蚱蜢干掉了。
• The grasshopper could not find anything to eat.蚱蜢找不到任何吃的东西。