VOA慢速英语2021--美国宣布向阿富汗提供3.08亿美元援助

US Announces $308 Million in Aid for Afghanistan

The United States on Tuesday announced $308 million in additional humanitarian¹ assistance for Afghanistan. The new aid comes as the country faces a possible humanitarian crisis following the Taliban militant² group's takeover of the government nearly five months ago.

U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne said in a statement the new aid comes from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). But it will be provided through independent humanitarian organizations. She said aid will be used to provide shelter, health care, winterization assistance, emergency food aid, water and sanitization services.

Afghanistan's troubled economy has become weaker since the Taliban takeover. Nearly 80 percent of Afghanistan's former government's budget came from the international community. Foreign countries provided most of the money for hospitals, schools, factories and government ministries³. The USAID called on the Taliban to permit "all aid workers, especially women...to operate independently and securely" as humanitarian groups assist people in need.

Separately, the United Nations on Tuesday released its 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan for Afghanistan. The plan said the country requires $4.4 billion in aid money. That is the largest humanitarian appeal ever launched for a country. The U.N. says 22 percent of Afghanistan's 38 million people are living near famine. Another 36 percent are facing severe food insecurity.

The new money promised by the administration of President Joe Biden increases U.S. aid for Afghanistan to more than $780 million. That is the total since the end of the 20-year-old war in August.

The U.S. has also promised to send Afghanistan 1 million additional COVID-19 vaccines⁴ through the U.N.'s COVAX program. COVAX is an effort by the World Health Organization to improve the availability of vaccines. With the new shipment, the U.S. will have sent 4.3 million shots to Afghanistan.

International aid to Afghanistan was suspended after the Taliban took control last August. Billions of dollars of the country's foreign assets were also frozen.

The U.S. and the international community decided⁵ not to recognize the Taliban government in Afghanistan. The decision has led to questions about how to provide aid to the country without putting money directly into the Taliban's hands.

The lack of money has led to increased poverty. Aid groups have warned of a possible humanitarian catastrophe⁶. State employees, including doctors, teachers and civil servants, have not been paid in months. Banks in Afghanistan have restricted how much money people can take out.

The Taliban have called on the international community to release money and help prevent a humanitarian disaster.

Words in This Story

winterize –v. to make a structure ready for winter especially by making it resistant⁷ to winter weather

sanitization –n. the process of keeping places free from dirt, infection, disease, etc., by removing waste, trash and garbage, by cleaning streets

famine –n. a situation when many people do not have enough to eat

assets –n.(pl.) things of value

catastrophe –n. a terrible disaster

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 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

3 ministries   

（政府的）部( ministry的名词复数 )； 神职； 牧师职位； 神职任期

参考例句：

• Local authorities must refer everything to the central ministries. 地方管理机构应请示中央主管部门。
• The number of Ministries has been pared down by a third. 部委的数量已经减少了1/3。

4 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

7 resistant   

adj.(to)抵抗的，有抵抗力的

参考例句：

• Many pests are resistant to the insecticide.许多害虫对这种杀虫剂有抵抗力。
• They imposed their government by force on the resistant population.他们以武力把自己的统治强加在持反抗态度的人民头上。