VOA慢速英语2018--南苏丹医生获得联合国南森难民奖

South Sudanese Doctor Wins U.N. Nansen Award

A South Sudanese surgeon has been named the winner of a United Nations award for assisting refugees.

Evan Atar Adaha received the 2018 Nansen Refugee Award for 20 years of giving medical care to people fleeing Sudan and South Sudan. The award is presented by the UN Refugee Agency, or UNHCR.

Adaha, who is age 52, is based in the town of Bunj in northeastern South Sudan. There, he runs the only hospital still in operation, which serves around 200,000 people.

Babar Baloch is a representative for UNHCR. He told VOA that Adaha’s hospital is surrounded by an active conflict area. He said the doctor provides medical services under very dangerous conditions.

“The only line of defense¹ he has is his reputation and his humanitarian² work. Luckily, so far, his work has been respected by all sides. His clinic is open for all sides, whoever needs his assistance.”

Baloch said Adaha and his medical team perform around 58 operations each week with limited supplies and equipment. He said the doctor may be called at any hour and sometimes sleeps only one hour each day.

Resources and conditions in the hospital make Adaha’s work extremely difficult. Much of the equipment is broken. The surgical³ theater is lit by only one light. Electricity comes from generators⁴ that often break down. The hospital is often too crowded with patients.

‘A shining example’

South Sudan's civil war is now in its fifth year. It has killed tens of thousands and caused more than four million people to flee.

Filippo Grandi leads the UNHCR. In a statement, he called Adaha’s work a “shining example of…humanity and selflessness.”

Adaha was born in Torit, South Sudan. As a young man, he earned an award to study medicine in Khartoum, Sudan. Later, he practiced medicine in Egypt.

He returned home in 1997 to establish his first hospital in Kurmuk, a town in Sudan’s Blue Nile state.

Increased fighting between Sudan’s government and rebels forced Adaha to flee Kurmuk in 2011. He moved with his workers and equipment to Bunj in Upper Nile state, where 300,000 Sudanese refugees live in temporary housing.

UNHCR’s Nansen Refugee Award honors extraordinary service to refugees. Recent winners include Sister Angelique Namaika from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zannah Mustapha, a lawyer and mediator⁵ from Borno state in northeastern Nigeria.

The 2018 award ceremony will be held October 1 in Geneva, Switzerland, with a speech delivered by UNHCR Goodwill⁶ Ambassador and actor Cate Blanchett.

The Nansen Refugee Award is named for Fridtjof Nansen, a Norwegian explorer, scientist, diplomat⁷, humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize winner. Award winners receive a medal and a $150,000 prize.

I’m Alice Bryant.

Words in This Story

surgeon – n. a doctor who performs operations that involve cutting into someone's body in order to repair or remove damaged or diseased parts

reputation – n. the common opinion that people have about someone or something

clinic – n. a place where people get medical help

practice – v. to have a professional medical or legal business

medal – n. a piece of metal often in the form of a coin with designs and words in honor of a special event or person or an achievement

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 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。

3 surgical   

adj.外科的，外科医生的，手术上的

参考例句：

• He performs the surgical operations at the Red Cross Hospital.他在红十字会医院做外科手术。
• All surgical instruments must be sterilised before use.所有的外科手术器械在使用之前，必须消毒。

4 generators   

n.发电机，发生器( generator的名词复数 )；电力公司

参考例句：

• The factory's emergency generators were used during the power cut. 工厂应急发电机在停电期间用上了。
• Power can be fed from wind generators into the electricity grid system. 电力可以从风力发电机流入输电网。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 mediator   

n.调解人，中介人

参考例句：

• He always takes the role of a mediator in any dispute.他总是在争论中充当调停人的角色。
• He will appear in the role of mediator.他将出演调停者。

6 goodwill   

n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉

参考例句：

• His heart is full of goodwill to all men.他心里对所有人都充满着爱心。
• We paid ￡10,000 for the shop,and ￡2000 for its goodwill.我们用一万英镑买下了这家商店，两千英镑买下了它的信誉。

7 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。