VOA常速英语--肯尼亚智力障碍儿童接受救助（在线收听）

肯尼亚智力障碍儿童接受救助

Living in a Nairobi slum is not easy.

内罗毕贫民窟的生活可不容易。

Electricity is scarce, clean water expensive, sanitation poor, and quality education hard to come by. But for children living with disabilities, slum life becomes even more difficult.

供电稀缺，饮用水昂贵，卫生条件极差而且很难接受素质教育。但对于残疾儿童而言，贫民窟的生活就会更加艰难。

It's one thing,if you're a kid with special needs or intellectual disabilities in a developed country. But when you consider kids growing up in a slum in Nairobi,or any other slum in a major urban area in Africa, there's a huge need there I think,”

这只是一方面，如果你是个需要特殊照顾或身患残疾的孩子，要是身处发达国家还好。但你想到这些孩子们是在内罗毕贫民窟或非洲其他市区的贫民窟长大，我想他们需要迫切帮助。

Nancy McNally, Catholic Relief Services, says there are additional challenges for children with disabilities in Kenyan.

天主教救助机构的南希·麦克奈莉表示肯尼亚残障儿童还面临其他难题。

“If they have intellectual disabilities,then sometimes they are ostracized by their own communities, by their own parents. You know, there are some superstitions that the kids might be cursed.”

如果他们有智力障碍，有时候会受到社区或者自己亲生父母的排斥。你知道的，有迷信说这些戏孩子受到了诅咒。

So to help these children, and provide a support system for their parents,Catholic Relief Services and Special Olympics started a Young Athletes program in the Nairobi slum of Kawangware.

为了帮助这些孩子，为其父母提供支持，天主教救助服务机构及残奥会在肯尼亚的内罗毕卡弯格瓦利贫民窟发起了青年运动员救助项目。

The program caters to children with intellectual disabilities, ages of two to seven who come to an early childhood development center twice a week to participate in activities with other children. Social workers also conduct home visits, helping parents with emotional encouragement and positive parenting techniques. At the same time, parents like Justus Edalia are able to get support from other parents dealing with similar issues.

这个项目会帮助年龄在2至7岁的智障儿童，他们会每周两次同其他孩子一起前往儿童发展中心参加活动。社会工作者走访家庭，精神上鼓励父母，并提供一些积极的育儿技巧。同时，像尤斯特斯·艾达利亚这样的父母能够得到处理过类似问题父母的支持与帮助。

That's important, because Edalia says caring for his son Jason is a round-the-clock responsibility.

这很重要，因为艾达利亚表示他的儿子需要全天的照顾。

“These children need a very lot of care, because you can't leave these children for an hour maybe for another neighbor to take care of them free,you are the one who is responsible.”

这些孩子需要非常多的照顾，因为你不能离开他们一个小时或交予邻居暂时看管，只能由你来。由于上学都成问题，因此父母们几乎不能得到片刻的安宁。

Parents rarely get a break because even schooling is a problem. Ann Muchiri, says many parents here cannot afford what are called “special schools”，that service children with disabilities.

安妮·穆克里表示许多父母无法负担那些专为残疾儿童而设“特殊学校”的费用。

“Most of them don't have a school to go to because the special schools are too expensive for them. They cannot afford it, and then again, some schools don't want these children. So they just stay with them at home,”

大多数的孩子没有上过学，因为这些特殊学校费用十分昂贵。他们负担不起，而且有些学校不会接收这样的学生。他们只能待在家里。

Jason stands for the unusual, because most of the children's caregivers are single mothers whose husbands often leave them.

杰森就是这样的其中一人，因为大多数孩子的看护人是被丈夫舍弃的单亲妈妈。

“Most fathers, don't like this child with disability. Most parents, like dad, they see the child with the disability is like an outcast.”

家庭中的大多数父亲不是很喜欢身患残疾的孩子。大多数父母也像父亲一样将残疾儿童视作被遗弃的人。

But Edalia, who is actively parenting his son, said the program has helped.

但积极养育着他自己儿子的艾达利亚表示这个项目带来了许多帮助。

“Because right now, he has got a very good improvement.”

“因为现在他已经有了很大的改善。”

There are currently 74 children in the program. And organizers say they hope to expand.

这个项目目前正帮助74个孩子。而该组织表示希望可以扩大救助的儿童数量。