VOA标准英语2008年-New Campaign Aims to Help Hundreds of Thousands

The UN refugee agency and 10 other partners are launching a nationwide campaign to help the victims of forced displacement¹ in Colombia. The campaign will use the Internet to make the public aware of the displacement crisis and to provide practical information on how it can help those who have been forced to flee their homes because of conflict. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from UNHCR headquarters in Geneva.

The UN refugee agency notes the internal displacement crisis in Colombia is one of the largest and oldest in the world. And, for many people, there is no end in sight.

FARC and other rebel groups have been trying to unseat the government in Colombia for four decades. The conflict goes on and so does the displacement.

Some sources say as many as three million people have been forced to flee their homes. Many have been displaced several times. Every year, the UNHCR reports another quarter of a million people are uprooted².

Spokeswoman, Jennifer Pagonis says more than half of all displaced people live below the poverty line. She says they often have difficulty finding a new home and a reliable source of income. Without these, displaced people are unable to achieve long-term security and stability.

Despite their huge numbers, she says many people in the capital, Bogota and other cities are not even aware of the displaced despite their huge numbers and miserable³ conditions of existence.

This, she explains, is why the Internet campaign is so important. "People who also are living in big cities do not know that there are large numbers of displaced people living on the fringes under some very precarious⁴ circumstances. So, that is a way of bringing this home to people who may well be in a position to help if they knew actually what the situation really was. So, it gives them a chance to properly communicate with displaced people as well who have got access to the Internet and a part, certainly of the organizations that are trying to help them," she said.

Pagonis says the campaign hopes to reach a wide Internet audience, who will be interested in taking an active role in addressing this crisis. She says the campaign aims to get the public and private sectors⁵ to join in efforts to help. It hopes to encourage corporate⁶ leaders and entrepreneurs to take an active role in helping⁷ the displaced.

She says the site offers examples of successful local initiatives and testimonies⁸ from displaced on what they have done to ease their plight⁹. She says the site has been designed to encourage visitors to participate in the project by posting their own ideas and suggestions of what works best.

 

 

1 displacement   

n.移置，取代，位移，排水量

参考例句：

• They said that time is the feeling of spatial displacement.他们说时间是空间位移的感觉。
• The displacement of all my energy into caring for the baby.我所有精力都放在了照顾宝宝上。

2 uprooted   

v.把（某物）连根拔起( uproot的过去式和过去分词 )；根除；赶走；把…赶出家园

参考例句：

• Many people were uprooted from their homes by the flood. 水灾令许多人背井离乡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The hurricane blew with such force that trees were uprooted. 飓风强烈地刮着，树都被连根拔起了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

4 precarious   

adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的

参考例句：

• Our financial situation had become precarious.我们的财务状况已变得不稳定了。
• He earned a precarious living as an artist.作为一个艺术家，他过得是朝不保夕的生活。

5 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

7 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。

8 testimonies   

（法庭上证人的）证词( testimony的名词复数 )； 证明，证据

参考例句：

• Davie poured forth his eloquence upon the controversies and testimonies of the day. 戴维向他滔滔不绝地谈那些当时有争论的问题和上帝的箴言。
• Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies. 22求你除掉我所受的羞辱和藐视，因我遵守你的法度。

9 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。