VOA标准英语2014--肯尼亚学校的供餐计划,喂养孩子们的身体和思想

 

Kenyan School Feeding Program Powers Bodies, Minds 肯尼亚学校的供餐计划,喂养孩子们的身体和思想

NAIROBI, KENYA— In Kibera, a large and poor informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, one school is doing more than feeding students’ minds. It also is feeding their stomachs.   

Thirty-two year-old Mildred Auma goes about her daily routine. Every morning at 6 o'clock she wakes her son Augustine and prepares him for school.

 The four-year-old has a glass of milk and a bite of unleavened bread called ‘chapati’ before he heads off to school.  He is one of only a few students who get anything to eat before going to class.

Seed school Kibera

 This school, called Seed School Kibera, began offering early childhood education seven years ago to underprivileged children. Today there are 60 students ranging from three to 14 years of age.

 Benjamin Odhiambo, who has been teaching at the school for the last two years, says it caters¹ to both the minds and bodies of its students.

"The children look forward to the meals because most of these children come from less privileged families. This is the only meal they can afford within a day, so we are not just feeding them physically² but we are also nourishing them intellectually," said Odhiambo.

 Unemployment here is rife³, and most children come to school hungry, which can lead to a lack of concentration and poor performance. So the school started a food program. At 10 a.m. the students have porridge, and at 1 p.m. they get served a hot nutritious⁴ lunch before they leave for home three hours later.

Mildred Auma is among the lucky few who owns a business that can provide for her family’s basic needs. She makes about $10 a day from selling groundnuts and buns.

Nutrition, education

 She is grateful, though, for the meals her son gets at school. "The school is close to my business, and the fact that they give meals is great. [But] Augustine may not be able to stay there when he graduates from class three [his present grade level]. If that happens, I will ask them to help him find a place in a similar school," said Auma.

 Patrick Aouki, the schools director, said the food program is financed by employing some of the parents to make beaded jewelery. Sales of the necklaces and bangles generate about $120 a month.   

"We have an economic challenge in the slums. So one major thing we actually do is to offer a feeding program for the children," said Aouki. "This supports them actually to grow intellectually and maybe physically to be able to concentrate on their learning."

For Augustine and his schoolmates, this education may prove a way out of poverty and into a more promising⁵ future.

1 caters   

提供饮食及服务( cater的第三人称单数 )； 满足需要，适合

参考例句：

• That shop caters exclusively to the weaker sex. 那家商店专供妇女需要的商品。
• The boutique caters for a rather select clientele. 这家精品店为特定的顾客群服务。

2 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

3 rife   

adj.(指坏事情)充斥的，流行的，普遍的

参考例句：

• Disease is rife in the area.疾病在这一区很流行。
• Corruption was rife before the election.选举之前腐败盛行。

4 nutritious   

adj.有营养的，营养价值高的

参考例句：

• Fresh vegetables are very nutritious.新鲜蔬菜富于营养。
• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。

5 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。