2007年VOA标准英语-Red Cross Helps Victims of Fighting in North Ki

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
30 August 2007

The International Committee of the Red Cross says it is launching an emergency operation this week for thousands of people who have fled renewed fighting between government and rebel forces in North Kivu in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from ICRC headquarters in Geneva.

The International Committee of the Red Cross says about 5,000 displaced people are living in difficult conditions in the town of Kalembe, 50 kilometers northwest of Goma in North Kivu. Officials say few towns in North Kivu have been left unscathed by the renewed fighting, which has been moving from place to place making it difficult to find a haven¹ for victims.

Red Cross spokeswoman, Anna Schaaf, describes Kalembe as one such place. She tells VOA that local residents who fled armed violence in their town in recent months have come back now that the situation is calm again. But, she says the local people are desperately² poor and are not able to cope with the influx³ of newly displaced.

"Those who have arrived early and were actually able to find a place to live together with the residents, the local people in Kalembe have done so. And normally the residents are very open to try and help those who have arrived and have left everything behind when they fled," she said. "What happens now is that they are just overwhelmed and it is not possible anymore for the residents to help out the displaced because they are so poor themselves that they do not even have enough space to accommodate them in their huts or to give them a roof over their heads so they can sleep."

Schaaf says the Red Cross this week will be distributing emergency supplies for 5,000 displaced people. She says each family will receive a bucket, soap, blankets, mats, clothing, hoes and cooking utensils⁴. She says a similar distribution was made to the local residents of Kalembe when they returned to their homes in June.

In addition, she says the Red Cross will provide drinking water. She says Kalembe's water supply, which normally is enough to meet the needs of the inhabitants, is not enough for all the people now crowding the town. And, this, she says, could pose health threats.

"The health conditions at the moment are still o.k.," she said. "But, what happens when lots of people gather in the same place and there is insufficient⁵ hygiene⁶ and no drinking water, is that it is very dangerous and water borne diseases can break out very easily and that would be really, really terrible for the population there."

Schaaf says the Red Cross is installing a temporary water supply system in the town in hopes of preventing an epidemic⁷ of water-borne diseases.

1 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

2 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

3 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

4 utensils   

器具，用具，器皿( utensil的名词复数 )； 器物

参考例句：

• Formerly most of our household utensils were made of brass. 以前我们家庭用的器皿多数是用黄铜做的。
• Some utensils were in a state of decay when they were unearthed. 有些器皿在出土时已经残破。

5 insufficient   

adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的

参考例句：

• There was insufficient evidence to convict him.没有足够证据给他定罪。
• In their day scientific knowledge was insufficient to settle the matter.在他们的时代，科学知识还不能足以解决这些问题。

6 hygiene   

n.健康法，卫生学 （a.hygienic）

参考例句：

• Their course of study includes elementary hygiene and medical theory.他们的课程包括基础卫生学和医疗知识。
• He's going to give us a lecture on public hygiene.他要给我们作关于公共卫生方面的报告。

7 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。