VOA标准英语2012--More Malians Flee to Mauritania

More Malians Flee to Mauritania

 

There’s a growing number of Malian refugees in neighboring Mauritania. Most are being taken to a camp about 30 kilometers from the border. However, a medical aid group says there’s an increasing demand at the camp for clean water and sanitation¹.

Doctors Without Borders, also known as MSF, says Malians have been crossing the border since January to escape ongoing² fighting.

“There are more than 57,000 Malians [who have] arrived in Mauritania,” said Rosa Crestani, the group’s Emergency Desk manager.

Early this month, several hundred refugees a day were crossing the border. But that number has risen sharply.

“For example, three days ago we had 1,500 new arrivals in only one day. So it’s quite a big issue for us, also for everybody with these numbers of people escaping Mali,” said Crestani.

The refugees receive initial assistance at Fassala, about 3 kilometers from the Mali border. From there, they travel 27 kilometers to the U.N.-run Mbera refugee camp.

“At the beginning, the majority of the refugees were coming by cars and so on. The last arrivals – they are coming more and more with trucks and by foot. So they are quite tired and the general condition is certainly not good,” she said.

Since February, MSF has conducted about 8,500 healthcare consultations³ in Fassala and Mbera.

Crestani said, “The majority of these refugees are women and children. So we are dealing⁴ with all the care and problems quite normally in women and children, but especially these respiratory tract⁵ infections and diarrhea. Also a lot of skin infections. There are a lot of diseases that are particularly because of the lack of access to water. It’s very hot and sandy, so there are all these diseases that are really common in this kind of situation.”

The medical aid group estimates there currently are only 100 communal⁶ latrines for the 57,000 Malian refugees. Also, there’s shortage of clean water – just 9 liters of water per person per day. The humanitarian⁷ standard calls for 20 liters.

“It’s the desert. It’s very hot and difficult to find enough water and enough sanitation in the middle of nowhere,” she said.

The U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, and others are working to solve those problems.

What’s more, should any refugee need emergency surgery, the closest surgical⁸ hospital is 6 to 9 hours away in Nema. MSF plans to open a surgical center in a town about 30 minutes from the Mbera camp. It’s also planning to increase the number of clinics within the camp from one to three. If the refugee population continues to grow, the camp may be expanded.

MSF also says the local population around the Mbera camp is feeling the stress of the many new arrivals. So, it’s also providing medical care for them. 

1 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

2 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

3 consultations   

n.磋商（会议）( consultation的名词复数 )；商讨会；协商会；查找

参考例句：

• Consultations can be arranged at other times by appointment. 磋商可以通过预约安排在其他时间。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Consultations are under way. 正在进行磋商。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 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。

5 tract   

n.传单，小册子，大片(土地或森林)

参考例句：

• He owns a large tract of forest.他拥有一大片森林。
• He wrote a tract on this subject.他曾对此写了一篇短文。

6 communal   

adj.公有的，公共的，公社的，公社制的

参考例句：

• There was a communal toilet on the landing for the four flats.在楼梯平台上有一处公共卫生间供4套公寓使用。
• The toilets and other communal facilities were in a shocking state.厕所及其他公共设施的状况极其糟糕。

7 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。

8 surgical   

adj.外科的，外科医生的，手术上的

参考例句：

• He performs the surgical operations at the Red Cross Hospital.他在红十字会医院做外科手术。
• All surgical instruments must be sterilised before use.所有的外科手术器械在使用之前，必须消毒。