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Six Stories of Hardship During the Coronavirus Pandemic

时间:2020-05-18 23:55:19

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From India to Argentina, millions of people who were already struggling have had their lives made harder during the new coronavirus pandemic.

The International Labor1 Organization, or ILO, says more than four out of five people in the world's labor force of 3.3 billion have been affected2 by workplace restrictions3. The organization added 1.6 billion temporary workers "stand in immediate4 danger of having their livelihoods5 destroyed."

Their families now face hunger and poverty. However, they cannot stay at home and have to find a way to work for their next meal.

The Associated Press followed six people from different parts of the world to show how the pandemic has affected them.

Nairobi, Kenya

Judith Andeka is a 33-year-old mother of five. She lost her husband two years ago. She makes between $2.50 to $4 a day from washing clothes in Nairobi's Kibera, one of the world's poorest area.

People are not going to work during the pandemic, so they cannot pay for her services. Even if they could pay, they do not want her to touch their clothes because they are worried about the virus.

"I haven't had a good day for the last two weeks," Andeka said. She sent her five children to live with relatives. "I had no choice, because how do you tell a 2-year-old you have no food to give them," she said.

At a food distribution place in Kibera, Andeka often faces men with sticks who beat back the large crowd and police who fire tear gas. Each time she goes out looking for food and work, she risks being robbed of her few belongings6, including plastic chairs, a thin table, buckets for collecting water, a small gas burner and an old black-and-white TV.

"It's better for corona(virus) to end and we continue living in hunger," Andeka said. "Hunger is normal."

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Rosemary Páez Carabajal sold coffee on the streets of Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, until the restrictions forced her to stop. Her husband is also out of work. They and their two children pay about $119 a month to live in a single room. The room is now filled with textbooks as they try to teach their seven-year-old son.

They are using up their savings7, having received a one-time government aid payment worth about $150. For now, the supervisor8 of their building is not collecting rent.

Páez Carabajal worries her coffee business may not survive after restrictions are eased. "People are going to have doubts about buying because the disease is transmitted by grabbing things," she said.

The coronavirus came during a recession in Argentina. More than one third of its 44 million people live in poverty. About 3 million people have requested food aid in recent weeks. That is in addition to the 8 million getting such assistance before the pandemic.

Jakarta, Indonesia

When Budi Santosa, a cook in a Chinese fast food restaurant, was told he would lose his job, he was not sure how to tell his wife.

"I am the breadwinner of the family. My children are toddlers. So they are the first things I thought about that day," he said.

The 32-year-old is one of nearly 2 million people who have lost their jobs in Indonesia as a result of the pandemic. It is a country of 270 million people. Close to 10 percent live in poverty.

Not only has Santosa lost his job, the restrictions on movement mean he can no longer earn extra money as a taxi driver. "The government told us to stay at home, but if I stay home my wife and children will have no food to eat," he said.

He now makes a little over $4 a day on average, down from $19 before the pandemic. That is just enough to buy food for himself, his wife and two young children. Santosa borrowed money from friends to pay April's rent. He is not sure what he will do for the month of May.

Cairo, Egypt

The "ahwa," or coffee shop, was among the first businesses ordered to close during the pandemic in Egypt. People were no longer permitted to smoke the "sheesha," the water pipe so popular in the Middle East.

That cost Hany Hassan his job. He had been making $5 a day, just enough to feed his family. "We are financially ruined," said the 40-year-old father of four.

Before the pandemic, one in three Egyptians or roughly 33 million people were living on about $1.45 per day. Some, about 6 percent, live on even less than a dollar a day. The government has since offered around $32 a month for those without work. Hassan is one of 2 million people who have applied9.

"It's not only me," he said. "there are many people now who have nothing to feed their children."

Amman, Jordan

Brothers Mohammed and Khalil Yousef used to work as truck drivers. Mohammed delivered building supplies. Khalil moved produce. Each earned between $14 and $28 a day. Between them they have nine children. All of the children are under the age of 16.

Mohammed said people living in Al-Wehdat, Jordan's second-largest camp for Palestinian refugees, usually help each other out in hard times. But everyone is without work now. He opened his wallet showing identification cards, but no money. He said: "In the beginning I still had a little bit of money, but now there's nothing."

Some of the restrictions have been eased. The brothers are now partially10 getting back to work. There are fears, however, that loosening the restrictions could cause a rise of virus infections in overcrowded Al-Wehdat. But not having work worries people more. "People are afraid...of not being able to put food on the table," Mohammed said.

Lucknow, India

Mahesh and Gita Verma sold flowers in a small store outside of a Hindu temple honoring the monkey god Hanuman. When officials ordered most businesses to close, they sold all their flowers for just a few cents.

India has the world's largest population of extremely poor people. The World Bank estimates there are 176 million people living on less than $1.90 a day.

The Vermas have already struggled to feed their five children, ages eight through 20. Now they eat mostly potato-based dishes. They also have canceled their cable TV — a small pleasure that, to them, represented success.

"We cannot have food like we used to have," Gita said.

The couple feared they would run out of money and food before the end of the restrictions on May 18. So they took a small loan from friends to start selling bread and milk in their store. It is the kind of business that the government permits to operate during the shutdown.

I'm John Russell.

And I'm Ashley Thompson.

Words in This Story

pandemic –n. the fast spread of a disease across a wide geographical11 area

relative(s) –n. people who share the same ancestors

distribution –adj. related to giving out or spreading around

rent –n. a regular payment to be able to live in a place you do not own

grabbing –v. to take something quickly

toddler –n. a young child just learning to walk

temple –n. a building for worship


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 labor P9Tzs     
n.劳动,努力,工作,劳工;分娩;vi.劳动,努力,苦干;vt.详细分析;麻烦
参考例句:
  • We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
  • He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后,他已经疲惫不堪了。
2 affected TzUzg0     
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。
3 restrictions 81e12dac658cfd4c590486dd6f7523cf     
约束( restriction的名词复数 ); 管制; 制约因素; 带限制性的条件(或规则)
参考例句:
  • I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
  • a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制
4 immediate aapxh     
adj.立即的;直接的,最接近的;紧靠的
参考例句:
  • His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
  • We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。
5 livelihoods 53a2f8716b41c07918d6fc5d944b18a5     
生计,谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者,他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
  • With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小,他们的传统生计受到了威胁。
6 belongings oy6zMv     
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。
7 savings ZjbzGu     
n.存款,储蓄
参考例句:
  • I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假,那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
  • By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时,他的存款已全部用完。
8 supervisor RrZwv     
n.监督人,管理人,检查员,督学,主管,导师
参考例句:
  • Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说,我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
  • He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。
9 applied Tz2zXA     
adj.应用的;v.应用,适用
参考例句:
  • She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
  • This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。
10 partially yL7xm     
adv.部分地,从某些方面讲
参考例句:
  • The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
  • The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静,宵禁部分解除。
11 geographical Cgjxb     
adj.地理的;地区(性)的
参考例句:
  • The current survey will have a wider geographical spread.当前的调查将在更广泛的地域范围內进行。
  • These birds have a wide geographical distribution.这些鸟的地理分布很广。

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