VOA常速英语2008年-Resettlement of Kenya's Displaced Strains Famil

By Scott Bobb
Kisumu, Western Kenya
27 February 2008

The violence following the disputed elections in Kenya killed more than 1,000 people and displaced an estimated 600,000 more. Many of the displaced have been taken in by their extended families but thousands continue to live in camps awaiting resettlement and some of them have nowhere to go. VOA's Scott Bobb visited such a camp in Kisumu, western Kenya, and has this report.

On a hot afternoon inside a sprawling¹ compound on the edge of Kisumu, children play under a large tent sheltering rows of cots covered by mosquito nets. Meanwhile, adults chat on plastic chairs under a nearby canopy².

The Milimani camp was set up on the grounds of a local church group after the post-election violence erupted in Kenya. It has been a temporary home over the past six weeks to some 9,000 displaced people.

Camp director Joshua Osewe of the local Maseno South Evangelical Church Diocese explains that the camp is a transition point for people who are returning to their ancestral homes after being driven from their communities mostly in central Kenya.

"These people are confused. They are desperate and they need a lot of counseling sessions. [For] These people there was that trauma³ [due to] the experiences they had," said Osewe.

Stories swirl⁴ through the camp of atrocities⁵ suffered by the latest arrivals. Osewe describes how one woman arrived in camp carrying the head of her husband in a sack. Others saw loved ones cut into pieces by machete wielding⁶ mobs or burned inside their houses.

The people in this camp are originally from western Kenya and mostly of the Luo ethnic⁷ group which largely supported opposition⁸ leader and favorite son Raila Odinga. They were driven here in late January by violence that was in reaction to attacks in western Kenya against Kikuyu who largely supported President Mwai Kibaki.

Nicholas Ochieng, in his mid-30s, sits despondently⁹ on a plastic chair away from the main group. He fled his home in Nakuru, central Kenya, after his wife and two children were burned to death and all his belongings¹⁰ destroyed. Penniless and alone, he has been in Milimani camp for two weeks.

"Now since I came here at least I'm feeling relieved because I am in my home. There is nobody harassing¹¹ me. I have some people coming here for counseling and when I have a problem I approach them and tell them what I need. They are helping¹² me," he said.

But Ochieng moved away from here as a young man. His parents and grandparents died and the family property was sold. He has no where to go.

At first Ochieng says he was very angry but now he is trying to accept what happened.

"I'm trying to get it out of my mind. Something like revenging or something like grudge¹³, it's out of my mind because even if I think about that it will disturb me so I have to forget everything," he added.

James Dera leads a team of 40 volunteer counselors¹⁴ at the camp. He says the counselors greet new arrivals as they get off the buses and trucks. He says most of them quickly begin sharing their experiences.

"They are very fearful. They are harboring anger. They are harboring rage, big revenge aspects. They are really depressed¹⁵. They are really traumatized. [But] Some [others] saw this for their first time. They have nothing to share. They are very quiet," said Dera.

The counselors first talk to the new arrivals in groups. They identify those who need individual counseling and those who need more intensive, hospital care.

Dera calls his work psychological first-aid. He says these people will need help for a long time. He hopes funding can be found to allow the counselors to visit the new arrivals in their new homes and help them re-integrate into communities which many of them have never known.

Camp Coordinator¹⁶ Osewe says many of these people left the region decades ago. He says the sheer numbers of those returning will strain every aspect of society here.

"The economy of this area will obviously be affected¹⁷. The school system will be affected. We do not have enough facilities in the schools that we have," he said. "There is concern for health facilities which may not be adequate."

He says the communities will strive to accommodate their newly arrived relatives because that is the tradition. But the government and civic¹⁸ groups will have to support the transition or else another potentially volatile¹⁹ group of disgruntled and dispossessed individuals will emerge.

1 sprawling   

adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
• a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇

2 canopy   

n.天篷，遮篷

参考例句：

• The trees formed a leafy canopy above their heads.树木在他们头顶上空形成了一个枝叶茂盛的遮篷。
• They lay down under a canopy of stars.他们躺在繁星点点的天幕下。

3 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

4 swirl   

v.(使)打漩，(使)涡卷；n.漩涡，螺旋形

参考例句：

• The car raced roughly along in a swirl of pink dust.汽车在一股粉红色尘土的漩涡中颠簸着快速前进。
• You could lie up there,watching the flakes swirl past.你可以躺在那儿，看着雪花飘飘。

5 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 wielding   

手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的现在分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响）

参考例句：

• The rebels were wielding sticks of dynamite. 叛乱分子舞动着棒状炸药。
• He is wielding a knife. 他在挥舞着一把刀。

7 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

8 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

9 despondently   

adv.沮丧地，意志消沉地

参考例句：

• It had come to that, he reflected despondently. 事情已经到了这个地步了，他沉思着，感到心灰意懒。 来自辞典例句
• He shook his head despondently. 他沮丧地摇摇头。 来自辞典例句

10 belongings   

n.私人物品，私人财物

参考例句：

• I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。
• Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。

11 harassing   

v.侵扰，骚扰( harass的现在分词 )；不断攻击（敌人）

参考例句：

• The court ordered him to stop harassing his ex-wife. 法庭命令他不得再骚扰前妻。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was too close to be merely harassing fire. 打得这么近，不能完全是扰乱射击。 来自辞典例句

12 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

13 grudge   

n.不满，怨恨，妒嫉；vt.勉强给，不情愿做

参考例句：

• I grudge paying so much for such inferior goods.我不愿花这么多钱买次品。
• I do not grudge him his success.我不嫉妒他的成功。

14 counselors   

n.顾问( counselor的名词复数 )；律师；（使馆等的）参赞；（协助学生解决问题的）指导老师

参考例句：

• Counselors began an inquiry into industrial needs. 顾问们开始调查工业方面的需要。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We have experienced counselors available day and night. ) 这里有经验的法律顾问全天候值班。） 来自超越目标英语 第4册

15 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

16 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

17 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

18 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

19 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。