2007年VOA标准英语-UN Says Somalis in South Are Severely Malnouris

By Caroline Sawyer
Nairobi
17 August 2007

A United Nations agency report says 600,000 people in southern Somalia, including people in and around the capital Mogadishu, are suffering from severe malnutrition¹ and nearly 300,000 of those require immediate² assistance. The report blames the humanitarian³ crisis on a combination of factors, including poor rains, disruptions in trade caused by the ongoing⁴ conflict in Mogadishu, and hyperinflation that has made food goods unaffordable for many people. Caroline Sawyer reports from the VOA office in Nairobi, Kenya.

This year's harvest from the Shebelle region in southern Somalia is the worst seen in ten years according to the United Nation's Food and Agricultural Organization.

Shebelle is the center of Somalia's food production, and this is now the second, and in some areas, the third consecutive⁵ poor harvest, resulting in a national food crisis.

In the past, Shebelle farmers were able to cope when their crops failed by finding work in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu. But continuing violence in the city between insurgents⁶ and the Ethiopian-backed Transitional Government Forces, means alternative ways of making a living have been cut off.

Doctor's from the Ugandan peacekeeping force in Somalia examine a malnourished boy at their field hospital at the Halane Camp just south of Mogadishu, 20 Jul 2007

Aid workers say malnutrition rates in the southern Somalia region are over 50 percent which is above the international humanitarian emergency threshold and one in 20 children are currently suffering severe malnutrition.

Chief Technical Advisor⁷ at the Food Security Analysis Unit for Somalia, Cindy Holleman, says this is not yet a famine situation, but if humanitarian aid is not mobilized immediately, there is a big concern that the situation will get worse.

"It is the multiple impact that the region is reeling from," said Holleman. "One is the poor crops, but the other is the very high rates of inflation. Just within the last four or five months you are seeing price increases for rice, cereal, sugar, vegetable oil increasing 66 percent, so huge inflationary impact."

For the past three months, Somalia's inflation rates have been between 40 and 60 percent. According to economists⁸, this has been caused by a 37 percent devaluation in the Somali shilling since January after a dramatic increase in the money supply, as well as a lack of confidence in the economy.

The United Nations has reported that over 400,000 people have fled Mogadishu since early 2007, many of them going to the Shebelle region. These displaced families have insufficient⁹ access to food, clean water or sanitation¹⁰ and as a result many are suffering from diarrhea.

Cindy Holleman says humanitarian aid alone will not solve this emergency.

"There needs to be advocacy at all levels to cease the civil insecurity and political instability and that is going to be critical not only to ensure greater humanitarian access to be able to meet the needs of the crisis but also to encourage the resumption of economic activities in the region," said Holleman. "To give people the opportunity to begin to recover and to prevent a further slide into a humanitarian crisis."

Ugandan military chiefs confirmed Thursday they are sending 250 additional soldiers to Mogadishu later this month to back up the African Union peacekeeping forces which have been in the country since January.

1 malnutrition   

n.营养不良

参考例句：

• In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
• It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。

2 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

3 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。

4 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。

5 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。

6 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

7 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

8 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 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。

10 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。