The U.N. Children's Fund has unveiled a treasure box of activities for very young children caught in emergencies. UNICEF says its new early childhood development kit is fun, stimulating and helps provide children in difficult circumstances a sense of normalcy.
联合国儿童基金会公布了给那些处于紧急状态下的幼童准备的宝盒。该组织表示，这个为幼儿早期发展的宝盒具有娱乐性和启发性，给那些处在艰难环境中的儿童有一些正常生活的感觉。
The U.N. Children's Fund estimates 175 million children are affected by war and natural disasters every year. A large number of these children are six-years old or less. But, until now, only ad hoc recreational toys and materials have been available to help these very young children cope with their traumatic experiences.
联合国儿童基金会估计每年有1亿7千5百万儿童受到战争及天然灾害的影响。这些儿童中大多数才6岁或是不满6岁。然而，到目前为止，这些年幼的小孩只有一些临时做的玩具及材料来帮助他们应对所经历的创伤。
UNICEF Executive Director Ann Venemann says the new development kit provides young children with resources so they can play and interact with others.
联合国儿童基金会执行主任安.维尼曼表示，新的宝盒能提供幼童一些资源，让他们可以玩游戏并与他人互动。
"Studies show that early childhood is the most critical period for brain development, making young children the most vulnerable to the stresses brought on by war and disasters, such as hurricanes, floods and earthquakes," she said.
她说：“研究显示，童年的早期对大脑发展来说是最关键的时刻，这也使幼童很容易受到战争和灾害带来的压力，像飓风、洪水和地震等。”
"Early experiences create a foundation for physical and mental health, optimal growth and lifelong learning, social emotional competencies and productivity. If there is a disruption in development, for example, through serious trauma that is not addressed early on, it could result in life-long development problems," she added.
“童年时期的经历给身体和心理健康，最佳生长，终生学习，和在社会上应具备的情绪能力及生产力打下基础。如果由于灾难等受到挫折而没有及早解决，就可能会在发展方面成为终生的问题。”
The kit is a box containing 37 different items, for use by 50 children up to six years of age. Each kit costs $230 and is bursting with soft, pastel colored animal dolls. It also contains multi-colored puzzles, construction blocks, coloring pencils, memory games and even soap for promoting hygiene.
一个宝盒里面有37种不同的玩具，可以给50名6岁以下的儿童使用。每个宝盒的费用是230美元，里面都是柔软和彩色的动物玩具。里面还有彩色拼图、积木、着色铅毕、记忆游戏，还有推广卫生的肥皂。
UNICEF says the activities are wide-ranging. They encourage development, social interaction and promote playing, drawing, and story telling.
联合国儿童基金会说，这些活动范围广大。它们鼓励发展，社会互动，并且促使孩子玩游戏，画图和讲故事。
Office of Emergency Programs Deputy Director Dermot Carty recalls the magical effect produced by a recreational kit upon the lives of children suffering the traumatic effects of the Indonesian tsunami.
紧急方案办公室副主管德莫特.卡蒂回想起这个娱乐宝盒在印尼遭遇海啸时对儿童生活上所产生的神奇效果。
"The children's lives changed immediately. I always remember when the box was opened and the response of the children," said Carty. "First of all they started looking at each other, looking for the box and then looking at each other and it resulted in smiles and then suddenly there was a rush for the box and then suddenly you had interaction. You had children laughing. They were running around. They were playing with each other ... And it was just an amazing experience to have been there to witness that. In a period of five minutes you could see the lives of 100 children changing almost in front of your face."
“这个宝盒立即改变了儿童的生活。我一直记得，打开这个箱子时小朋友的反应。一开始，他们你看我，我看你， 然后看箱子，之后他们又彼此相看，结果露出微笑，大家突然冲向箱子，然后就有了互动。你听到小孩的笑声。他们在四处跑着。他们互相玩耍。在现场目睹这些情景真是惊人的经历。5分钟的时间内，你看到100名小孩的生活几乎在你眼前转变了。”
The kit was tested in Chad, Liberia, Congo Brazzaville, Jamaica, Guyana, Maldives and Iraq before being launched. Carty says UNICEF has 1,100 boxes ready to go to 18 countries and this number will grow.
在开始推出这个宝盒前，它已经在乍得、利比里亚、刚果首都、牙买加、圭亚那、马尔代夫和伊拉克进行了测试。卡蒂说，联合国儿童基金会已经有1,100个宝盒，准备送给18个国家，得到宝盒的国家数字还会继续增加。 |