VOA标准英语2011--US Pledges Aid for Drought-Stricken Soma

US Pledges Aid for Drought-Stricken Somali Refugees

With the drought in Somalia officially declared a famine, the administrator¹ of the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, was in the Dadaab refugee camps of Kenya to pledge American support. But will that support meet the needs?
USAID director Rajiv Shah arrived in Kenya Wednesday morning for a day-long visit to refugee camps surrounding Dadaab, in Kenya's northeast. Dadaab, once a sleepy desert village, now plays host to more than 400,000 refugees, mostly from neighboring Somalia.
The influx² of refugees has been near constant since the onset³ of conflict in Somalia, but has accelerated in recent months due to the extreme drought plaguing much of the region.
Shah visited the Ifo camp as many refugees, haggard after the long journey from Somalia, stood outside the gate, waiting for relief. After a tour with U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Scott Gration, Shah praised U.S. efforts, particularly through the Famine Early Warning System, in dealing⁴ with the food and water shortages.
"Because we have been collecting the data and taking very aggressive actions since about August and September of last year, we believe those efforts have effectively mitigated⁶ some of the challenging consequences of the drought," said Shah.
He also pointed⁷ to livestock⁸ vaccination⁹ programs and past World Food Program assistance as evidence of the United States' involvement in the east African crisis.
Definition of Famine:
The word famine is a term that is not used lightly by humanitarian¹⁰ organizations. The United Nations describes a crisis as a famine only when the following conditions are met:
Malnutrition¹¹ rates exceed 30 percent
More than two people per 10,000 people are dying each day
Severe lack of food access for large population
Current Famine:
Almost half of Somalia's population, 3.7 million people, are affected¹² by the current crisis with malnutrition rates in southern Somalia the highest in the world, surpassing 50 per cent in some areas. The United Nations says it is likely that tens of thousands have already have died, the majority of those being children.
The drought that has led to the current famine in parts of Somalia has also affected people in Kenya and Ethiopia.
Previous Famines in the Horn of Africa:
Somalia 1991-1992
Ethiopia 1984-1985
Ethiopia 1974
Aid pledge
The United Nations has officially declared what many observers had suspected: the crisis in Somalia has devolved into famine. On the heels of that declaration, Shah told reporters at the Ifo camp that the United States government had pledged an additional $28 million to assist affected people in Somalia as well as recent refugees. The U.S. is already providing $431 million in aid.
But there are questions about whether the extra money will be enough to handle even those in Kenya's camps, let alone the millions outside the camps and in Ethiopia and Somalia. Wednesday, aid group Oxfam International accused Western governments of "willful neglect," saying barely a quarter of the $800 million needed to combat the famine had been delivered.
Al-Shabab
Shah told reporters that much of the international effort to mitigate⁵ the drought and address the humanitarian crisis had been blocked by the Somali insurgent¹³ group al-Shabab.
"It's no accident that the specific geographies that have been declared by the international community as an official famine are those areas where humanitarian actors simply have not been allowed to have access to the population," added Shah.
The famine has been declared for the regions of Lower Shabelle and southern Bakool, two strongholds of the al-Qaida-linked group. In the past al-Shabab has restricted humanitarian access to populations under their control, but recently said they were reversing that position in light of the current crisis.
Shah said the U.S. would "test the willingness" of al-Shabab to allow aid to the affected areas, but would not specify¹⁴ how exactly that willingness would be tested. He told reporters the United Nations was "leading an effort to understand what that means."
Refugee life
After touring the Ifo registration¹⁵ center, Shah visited the camp outskirts¹⁶ where recent arrivals have, over the past few years, made Dadaab the third largest city in Kenya. Many who have just arrived have only been provided with plastic sheets to build their houses due to shortages in the camps. Many have been waiting weeks for official registration and regular food rations¹⁷, and many will likely wait weeks more.
In the meantime, Somalis are expected to keep pouring across the border, into Kenya's refugee camps at an estimated rate of 1,300 per day.

1 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

2 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

3 onset   

n.进攻，袭击，开始，突然开始

参考例句：

• The drug must be taken from the onset of the infection.这种药必须在感染的最初期就开始服用。
• Our troops withstood the onset of the enemy.我们的部队抵挡住了敌人的进攻。

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 mitigate   

vt.（使）减轻，（使）缓和

参考例句：

• The government is trying to mitigate the effects of inflation.政府正试图缓和通货膨胀的影响。
• Governments should endeavour to mitigate distress.政府应努力缓解贫困问题。

6 mitigated   

v.减轻，缓和( mitigate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The cost of getting there is mitigated by Sydney's offer of a subsidy. 由于悉尼提供补助金，所以到那里的花费就减少了。 来自辞典例句
• The living conditions were slightly mitigated. 居住条件稍有缓解。 来自辞典例句

7 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

8 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

9 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

10 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。

11 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。

12 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

13 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

14 specify   

vt.指定，详细说明

参考例句：

• We should specify a time and a place for the meeting.我们应指定会议的时间和地点。
• Please specify what you will do.请你详述一下你将做什么。

15 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

16 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

17 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。