2007年VOA标准英语-Liberian Refugees Return to Face Challenges of

By Kari Barber/Prince Collins
Dakar, Monrovia
13 June 2007

Hundreds of thousands of Liberian refugees, displaced by more than a decade of civil war, have returned to the country. For many, coming home offers few opportunities as the economy struggles to stabilize¹ and government services remain scarce.  With large-scale repatriations expected to be phased out in the coming weeks, Kari Barber reports from VOA's west Africa bureau in Dakar about how re-settlement is working for those who have returned.

Vendors3 on the streets of Monrovia (file photo)" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070628/0923330.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

Vendors on the streets of Monrovia (file photo)

Jerry Coleman fetches water from a machine to sell at the market.

He says he does whatever odd-end jobs he can find to provide food for his wife and six children.

"Sometimes we go and help people cut their grass, and sometimes we wash people's clothes," he said. "That is the only way because the labor⁴ jobs in the companies are very hard to get. This is the only thing we are surviving on so far because the government does not have jobs for us and the companies are not here."

Coleman and his family returned to Monrovia last year on foot from a refugee camp in Sierra Leone where they lived during the war. He says he wishes he had never returned.

"I regret very much, I regret very much coming back to Liberia," he said. "I expected from my own country to come back and start doing something to sustain my family, but nothing at all. I did not get anything. So I regret coming back to Liberia."

Single father Samuel Toe returned with his two children to Liberia from Ivory Coast in 2006. He says enough has not been done to help refugees resettle and find jobs.

"There were a lot of things that they promised," he said. "Like they promised us that they were going to give us a few rations⁵ to help us establish life. Up to now we have not seen any effort from them yet."

A spokesman for the Liberia Refugee Repatriation² and Reintegration Commission, Carpet Reeves, says his group is doing everything it can to help returned refugees, including transportation back home and food rations.

"Here we will give you the first two months of food rations, because it is our mandate⁶," he said. "Our mandate is to be with the people in the community, to make sure their lives are restarted."

Despite the struggle, some Liberians say they are happy to be home.

Dennis Cole spent eight years in a refugee camp in Guinea. He says life is better in Liberia than it was in the camp.

"Since I came things are going fine," he said. "I have three children in school. I am selling clothes in a wheelbarrow to sustain my children."

Cole says he is operating a small business selling used clothes.

"In Liberia, all is well with me now," he added.

According to U.N. data, there are still tens of thousands of Liberian refugees dispersed⁷ throughout West Africa, primarily in Ghana, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria.

1 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

2 repatriation   

n.遣送回国，归国

参考例句：

• The Volrep programme is the preferred means of repatriation. 政府认为自愿遣返计划的遣返方法较为可取。 来自互联网
• Arrange the cargo claiming and maritime affairs,crews repatriation,medical treatment,traveling so on. （六）洽办货物理赔，船舶海事处理，办理船员遣返，就医，旅游等。 来自互联网

3 vendors   

n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方

参考例句：

• The vendors were gazundered at the last minute. 卖主在最后一刻被要求降低房价。
• At the same time, interface standards also benefIt'software vendors. 同时，界面标准也有利于软件开发商。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

4 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

5 rations   

定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量

参考例句：

• They are provisioned with seven days' rations. 他们得到了7天的给养。
• The soldiers complained that they were getting short rations. 士兵们抱怨他们得到的配给不够数。

6 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

7 dispersed   

adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的

参考例句：

• The clouds dispersed themselves. 云散了。
• After school the children dispersed to their homes. 放学后，孩子们四散回家了。