VOA标准英语2010-WFP Doubling Food Assistance for Niger

Mother feeding her severely¹ malnourished daughter at centre run by CONCERN and supported by WFP

The United Nations World Food Program is more than doubling the number of people it is planning to feed in Niger, as a food crisis caused by drought in the eastern Sahel continues to spread.

 

The World Food Program is now expecting to feed more than 1.5 million people in next month's general food distribution, along with specialized² therapeutic³ feeding for 500,000 children under the age of six.

That is because poor rains last year have brought forward the time when people no longer have enough to eat.

"The lean season normally starts in Niger towards June and July and lasts until September or October, which is the harvest time. But this year because of the bad harvest last year, the lean season started much earlier," says Gianluca Ferrera, WFP's deputy director for Niger.

Last year's cereal harvest in Niger was 26 percent below the previous year. Primary schools in the southern Zinder region are now closing, as families abandon the area and head toward the capital in search of food.

Ferrera says internally displaced civilians⁴ are far harder to feed then those who stay at home. So relief officials are hoping farmers return to their fields once the rains begin.

"What we have observed since the beginning of the year is an earlier movement, a migration⁵ of people leaving the rural areas toward urban areas," said Ferrera. "Starting from end of May early June we should be having rains. And normally people return back to their villages to do the agricultural work in preparation for the planting season. So we do expect to see some reverse movement in the weeks to come. And we are getting prepared to assist those people in their place of residence and not in an urban setting where it would be much more complex."

WFP is trying to raise $182 million to scale up its operations in Niger. Although Ferrera says donor⁶ response has been good, it is not yet adequate.

"We still have a huge shortfall estimated at around 50 million dollars, roughly 45,000 tons of food that we still need to meet the urgent needs of the population until September," Ferrera adds.

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization is also stepping in to aid cattle herders in Niger and Chad. Livestock⁷ pastures are dry, so herders are selling their animals at lower prices to buy food for their families.

Eight FAO projects in Niger worth more than $12 million are aimed at helping⁸ two million people. In Chad, the organization will supply more than four-million-dollars worth of seeds, fertilizer and animal feed. The distribution of animal feed and veterinary products is also underway in Mali and Burkina Faso, with at-risk farmers and herders across the Sahel expected to need assistance at least through August.

 

1 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

2 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

3 therapeutic   

adj.治疗的，起治疗作用的；对身心健康有益的

参考例句：

• Therapeutic measures were selected to fit the patient.选择治疗措施以适应病人的需要。
• When I was sad,music had a therapeutic effect.我悲伤的时候，音乐有治疗效力。

4 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

5 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

6 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

7 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

8 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。