2007年VOA标准英语-UNHCR Launches Multimillion Dollar Appeal for S

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
24 July 2007

The UN refugee agency is appealing for $48 million to provide badly needed assistance until the end of next year for thousands of Somali refugees who have recently fled conflict in Somalia. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva that the appeal will also fund humanitarian¹ programs for people displaced within Somalia.

Somali displaced women wait for the World Food Program (WFP), distribution of food on the outskirt of Mogadishu, May 2007 (File)

Right now, the UN refugee agency is assisting 312,000 people internally displaced within Somalia. The agency says it believes that number will rise to 478,000 by the end of 2008 given the ongoing² instability in the country.

In the last week alone, aid agencies report about 10,000 people have fled renewed fighting in the capital Mogadishu. UN refugee spokeswoman, Jennifer Pagonis, says it is difficult to know how many more people may be obliged to leave in the future. But, she says it is important to be prepared now to help those who will need assistance within the coming year.

She says people who have been forced to flee are under enormous stress. She tells VOA conditions under which they live are deplorable.

"People are living in some of the worst displacement³ conditions in Africa. They are living in very crowded, high-density areas. Rents for these areas are very, very high," she said. "So, people are cramped⁴ together to bring the cost down. And, that sanitation⁵ is poor and everything else that comes along with living in a highly densely⁶ population area with very poor conditions."

Less than half of the $48 million appeal will benefit internally displaced people in Somalia. The rest will be used for Somalis who recently have fled the country and have sought refuge in Ethiopia, Kenya, Yemen and Djibouti.

Pagonis says the number of new refugees is not enormous. But, they still need help.

"Already in Ethiopia, the government there has recognized over 4,000 refugees and moved them away from the border and will now be constructing or revitalizing a camp for them to go into. And, about 500, a very small number, have arrived in Djibouti. But, there, there is almost no facilities for welcoming refugees. And, they live in a very difficult situation in the streets of the capital essentially⁷ until we can move them to a camp," said Pagonis. "So, there are different needs in different countries."

Because of insecurity, aid workers are unable to access certain areas. This is hampering⁸ the delivery of relief. But, UNHCR's Pagonis says aid agencies are hoping the ongoing negotiation⁹ process and involvement of the international community will result in an improved security situation and humanitarian access.

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 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

3 displacement   

n.移置，取代，位移，排水量

参考例句：

• They said that time is the feeling of spatial displacement.他们说时间是空间位移的感觉。
• The displacement of all my energy into caring for the baby.我所有精力都放在了照顾宝宝上。

4 cramped   

a.狭窄的

参考例句：

• The house was terribly small and cramped, but the agent described it as a bijou residence. 房子十分狭小拥挤，但经纪人却把它说成是小巧别致的住宅。
• working in cramped conditions 在拥挤的环境里工作

5 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

6 densely   

ad.密集地；浓厚地

参考例句：

• A grove of trees shadowed the house densely. 树丛把这幢房子遮蔽得很密实。
• We passed through miles of densely wooded country. 我们穿过好几英里茂密的林地。

7 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

8 hampering   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• So fraud on cows and development aid is seriously hampering growth. 因此在牛问题上和发展补助上的诈骗严重阻碍了发展。
• Short-termism, carbon-trading, disputing the science-are hampering the implementation of direct economically-led objectives. 短效主义，出售二氧化碳，进行科学辩论，这些都不利于实现以经济为主导的直接目标。

9 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。