VOA标准英语10月-Ethiopia Appeals for Additional Food Aid

Ethiopia is appealing for $266 million in emergency aid for the remainder of this year to alleviate¹ food shortages threatening the lives of nearly 6.5 million people. VOA's Peter Heinlein in Addis Ababa reports officials estimate that one of every eight Ethiopians is receiving food aid during the current extended drought.
　

Shitaye, 12, looks after her family's crop in southern Ethiopia, 10 Oct 2008

Ethiopia's minister of state for agriculture and Rural Development Mitiku Kassa is asking donor² nations and humanitarian³ agencies to boost food aid pledges which already this year are believed to be well over $1 billion. The United States, the largest donor, has contributed more than half that amount.

Speaking to representatives of the donor community, Kassa said "we need additional resources". But he disputed reports that as many as 10 million Ethiopians are in danger of starvation.

"The joint⁴ multi-agency team came up with 6.4 million, and this number is agreed already with the regional governments and humanitarian partners. There is no mistake," Kassa said.

The United Nations and several humanitarian agencies have been quoted as saying the number of Ethiopians needing food assistance is far higher than official estimates. Mohammed Diab, Ethiopia country director for the U.N. World Food Program told donors⁵ the higher figures include millions of people who receive regular food assistance under what is called the Productive Safety Net program.

"The beneficiaries including short-term intervention⁶ to provide assistance to beneficiaries in safety net area came with a figure of 10 million so the figure is not out of place, but it does not refer to the relief component⁷. It refers to relief and safety net component," Diab said.

That 10 million figure represents roughly 12 percent of Ethiopia's estimated 80 million citizens. Fidele Sarasorro, the United Nations representative in Ethiopia, says appeals for food assistance earlier this year netted less than two-thirds of what was needed.

"The contribution has been substantial but less than expected,"Sarasorro said. "We estimate that around 60 to 65 percent of the requirement has been contributed by donors."

Agriculture ministry⁸ officials say they are hopeful good rains in coming months will make further food aid appeals unnecessary. But humanitarian agency representatives say large injections of assistance are almost certain to be needed well into next year, even if the next rainy season is good.

Four out of five Ethiopians are farmers or pastoralists, depending on the rain for their livelihood⁹.

1 alleviate   

v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等)

参考例句：

• The doctor gave her an injection to alleviate the pain.医生给她注射以减轻疼痛。
• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。

2 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

3 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。

4 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

5 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

7 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

8 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

9 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。