美国国家公共电台 NPR--This is what displaced Somalians want you to know about their humanitarian crisis

This is what displaced Somalians want you to know about their humanitarian¹ crisis

Transcript²

At the Daniyle camp on the outskirts³ of Mogadishu, Somalia, hundreds of people who've fled from drought-stricken areas of Somalia are now crammed⁴ into a dusty lot. They've erected⁵ makeshift shelters out of sticks covered with tarps, burlap bags and bits of plastic sheeting. The ground is dry and powdery. Puffs⁶ of dust rise around each footfall.

Khadijo Noor Ali arrived at the Daniyle camp two months ago with 7 children in tow. Khadijo says they had to come after the crops in her village in the Lower Shabelle region failed for the fourth season in a row.

"We fled from the drought," she says. "We had nothing to eat. We ran away from our home."

Khadijo is single mother. She has five kids from her first marriage, a 4-year-old from her second and a frail⁷ 8-year-old relative whose parents died several years ago.

In her village, she worked as a farm laborer⁹ tending crops. But without rain there was no work.

"The owner of the farm saw the lives we were living," Khadijo says, sitting with her children in front of her shelter. "He paid for the bus fares for us to come here."

Daniyle is one of hundreds of displaced persons camps that have sprung up this year around the Somali capital and other cities. According to volunteers who helped build latrines and a set of water taps at the camp, there are now more than 300 families living in Daniyle alone and between 20 to 30 more families arrive each week. The United Nations now calculates that more than 1.7 million Somalis – in a country of just over 16 million people — have been uprooted¹⁰ from their homes this year due to the food crisis and fighting involving the Islamist militant¹¹ group al-Shabaab.

Khadijo says she came to Mogadishu because she heard that international aid agencies were providing food to the residents of the camps. But once she arrived, she found that wasn't happening.

"We have been here for two months and we haven't gotten any assistance at all except for the toilets and the water taps," she says. The camp chairwoman confirms that there are no food distributions happening at Daniyle although food assistance is provided at some of the other displaced persons camps that were set up years ago by Somalis fleeing earlier disasters.

Khadijo feeds her children by doing casual labor⁸, she says, usually washing laundry for families in Mogadishu. But she says she can't always find work.

"We are living in very hard conditions," she says. "If I get work, I'll buy food and cook it. If I get nothing, I tell the children to go to bed, to sleep with hunger."

The 8-year-old orphan¹², Dahiro, appears to be suffering the most from the lack of food. Her arms are thin and hang limply at her sides. Her hair has faded to a reddish color, a classic sign of malnutrition¹³.

According to a consortium of aid agencies, including the U.N.'s World Food Programme, 5.6 million Somalis are already "experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity."

As the worst drought on record continues to scorch¹⁴ the Horn of Africa, the consortium predicts that more than half the country, some 8 million Somalis, could be going hungry by April of 2023. The number of people facing catastrophic food shortages, basically at risk of starvation, could top 700,000.

And the food crisis is already claiming lives. Doctors say they are treating children who are already dying of malnutrition.

Drought is only part of the problem

At the Bay Regional Hospital in the southwestern city of Baidoa, Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim, who works on pediatric malnutrition wards¹⁵, says the food crisis in Somalia is about more than just failed crops.

"Food prices were really high earlier this year," he says. Prior to the war in Ukraine, Somalia got 90% of its wheat from Russia and Ukraine. The doctor says grain prices have come down somewhat but still remain high. He adds that water prices have also jumped dramatically, adding to the financial burden on families. Looking over the chart of a child in the intensive care unit, Dr. Ibrahim says most malnourished kids — even those on the brink¹⁶ of starvation — can be successfully treated so long as their parents bring them for help. The boy in front of him is 2 years old and weighs just 12 pounds.

"He's half the weight he should be," the doctor says.

The boy's mother, Sowda Mustaf, is 21 years old. Even as she tends to her son in the hospital, a neighbor brings in her 6-month-old daughter to breast feed. Her husband left her, she says, and she survives thanks to her brother, who does day labor in the market in Baidoa.

"When he gets some money, he shares it with us," she says.

Efforts to get international aid to Baidoa and many parts of Somalia have been hampered¹⁷ by al-Shabaab, which controls many rural areas in the south of the country. The armed group controls all of the roads leading into Baidoa, where hundreds of thousands of Somalis have arrived seeking food aid. The leaders of al-Shabaab have banned international aid agencies from working in their territory, claiming that the group will provide assistance on its own. And because al-Shabaab is at war with the government, Somali officials can't offer help. The militants¹⁸ attack aid convoys¹⁹, forcing humanitarian groups to fly almost all of their supplies into the drought-afflicted areas.

Local shopkeepers in Baidoa say al-Shabaab is also driving up food prices due to what they refer to as "blockages²⁰" on the local roads. Shipments of food from Mogadishu can only be arranged by special brokers²¹. Merchants in Baidoa who used to send rice, oil and other staples²² to vendors²³ at market stalls in outlying villages now say they can't risk having their shipments seized by the armed insurgents²⁴.

Bashir Ahmed Saman, 23, runs a dry goods store in Baidoa. He says roads around the city have been blocked ever since he opened his shop two years ago. "I cannot buy everything I want from Mogadishu," he says. "I can only order it from the larger wholesalers. Also, I can't transfer items to another village because of the blockages. That affects me."

The "blockages" hurt his profits and also inflate²⁵ his prices. "I blame this situation on the lack of a strong government," he says. "Also, the change of the climate. But mainly we don't have leaders who are able to solve the problems of this country."

This camp resident sees just one solution

In one of the displaced persons camps in Baidoa, 32-year-old Farhia Abdi Hussein says the food situation is dire²⁶. Residents have no money, she says, and aid from international relief groups has mostly focused on providing toilets, water and tarps.

"Most of the people survive by begging," Farhia says of the residents of the camp. She says some people get medicine from a humanitarian health clinic and then resell it in town to buy food.

Farhia fled her village, which was controlled by al-Shabaab, after her crops failed and most of her goats died.

"I can't go back to where I come from because the area is controlled by al-Shabaab," she says. Al-Shabaab doesn't allow people to freely leave so she fled in the middle of the night. "Once you move from that place you cannot go back there. Even if you left everything there."

She says she doesn't have much faith that the government or international relief agencies will be able to solve the current food crisis in her country. The one thing that could make a difference, she says, would be rain.

"I pray to God that he brings rains so that those who are able to go back can go to their villages and grow their own crops," she says. "But for people like me who cannot go home, I hope they can also get a life in the urban town. They can get something to live on. I hope the rains will come and people will be stable."

1 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。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 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。

4 crammed   

adj.塞满的，挤满的；大口地吃；快速贪婪地吃v.把…塞满；填入；临时抱佛脚( cram的过去式)

参考例句：

• He crammed eight people into his car. 他往他的车里硬塞进八个人。
• All the shelves were crammed with books. 所有的架子上都堆满了书。

5 ERECTED   

adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立

参考例句：

• A monument to him was erected in St Paul's Cathedral. 在圣保罗大教堂为他修了一座纪念碑。
• A monument was erected to the memory of that great scientist. 树立了一块纪念碑纪念那位伟大的科学家。

6 puffs   

n.吸( puff的名词复数 )；（烟斗或香烟的）一吸；一缕（烟、蒸汽等）；（呼吸或风的）呼v.使喷出( puff的第三人称单数 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧

参考例句：

• We sat exchanging puffs from that wild pipe of his. 我们坐在那里，轮番抽着他那支野里野气的烟斗。 来自辞典例句
• Puffs of steam and smoke came from the engine. 一股股蒸汽和烟雾从那火车头里冒出来。 来自辞典例句

7 frail   

adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的

参考例句：

• Mrs. Warner is already 96 and too frail to live by herself.华纳太太已经九十六岁了，身体虚弱，不便独居。
• She lay in bed looking particularly frail.她躺在床上，看上去特别虚弱。

8 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。

9 laborer   

n.劳动者，劳工

参考例句：

• Her husband had been a farm laborer.她丈夫以前是个农场雇工。
• He worked as a casual laborer and did not earn much.他当临时工，没有赚多少钱。

10 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》

11 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

12 orphan   

n.孤儿；adj.无父母的

参考例句：

• He brought up the orphan and passed onto him his knowledge of medicine.他把一个孤儿养大，并且把自己的医术传给了他。
• The orphan had been reared in a convent by some good sisters.这个孤儿在一所修道院里被几个好心的修女带大。

13 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。

14 scorch   

v.烧焦，烤焦；高速疾驶；n.烧焦处，焦痕

参考例句：

• I could not wash away the mark of the scorch.我洗不掉这焦痕。
• This material will scorch easily if it is too near the fire.这种材料如果太靠近炉火很容易烤焦。

15 wards   

区( ward的名词复数 )； 病房； 受监护的未成年者； 被人照顾或控制的状态

参考例句：

• This hospital has 20 medical [surgical] wards. 这所医院有 20 个内科[外科]病房。
• It was a big constituency divided into three wards. 这是一个大选区，下设三个分区。

16 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

17 hampered   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions. 恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• So thought every harassed, hampered, respectable boy in St. Petersburg. 圣彼德堡镇的那些受折磨、受拘束的体面孩子们个个都是这么想的。

18 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

19 convoys   

n.（有护航的）船队( convoy的名词复数 )；车队；护航（队）；护送队

参考例句：

• Truck convoys often stop over for lunch here. 车队经常在这里停下来吃午饭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A UN official said aid programs will be suspended until there's adequate protection for relief convoys. 一名联合国官员说将会暂停援助项目，直到援助车队能够得到充分的保护为止。 来自辞典例句

20 blockages   

n.堵塞物( blockage的名词复数 )；堵塞，阻塞

参考例句：

• The storms could increase the risks posed by river blockages. 暴风雨会增加因河道堵塞所造成的危险。 来自互联网
• An angiogram shows the location and severity of blockages in blood vessels. 冠状动脉造影能够显示血管内的阻塞位置以及阻塞的严重程度。 来自互联网

21 brokers   

n.（股票、外币等）经纪人( broker的名词复数 )；中间人；代理商；（订合同的）中人v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的第三人称单数 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• The firm in question was Alsbery & Co., whiskey brokers. 那家公司叫阿尔斯伯里公司，经销威士忌。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• From time to time a telephone would ring in the brokers' offices. 那两排经纪人房间里不时响着叮令的电话。 来自子夜部分

22 staples   

n.（某国的）主要产品( staple的名词复数 )；钉书钉；U 形钉；主要部份v.用钉书钉钉住( staple的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The anvil onto which the staples are pressed was not assemble correctly. 订书机上的铁砧安装错位。 来自辞典例句
• I'm trying to make an analysis of the staples of his talk. 我在试行分析他的谈话的要旨。 来自辞典例句

23 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

24 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

25 inflate   

vt.使膨胀，使骄傲，抬高（物价）

参考例句：

• The buyers bid against each other and often inflate the prices they pay.买主们竞相投标，往往人为地提高价钱。
• Stuart jumped into the sea and inflated the liferaft.斯图尔特跳到海里给救生艇充气。

26 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。