VOA标准英语2009年-UN Launches Multi-Million Dollar Gaza Rama

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA, is launching a Gaza Ramadan Appeal for $181 million to provide food, jobs and other assistance for one million Palestinian refugees. Seven months after the Israeli Operation in Gaza, UNRWA says very little has been done to revive the livelihoods¹ of the refugees and to rebuild the homes and other facilities that were destroyed or damaged.
　
Palestinian workers distribute food in a UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) warehouse² in the Shati refugee camp, in Gaza City, Tuesday, 18 Aug. 2009

UNRWA says launching the appeal for Gaza on the eve of Ramadan is mainly aimed at getting the attention of Arab donors³ to the continuing needs and harsh conditions under which one million Palestinian refugees are living.

The agency appealed for $345 million after the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ended in Gaza early this year. Only 52 percent of the appeal is covered.

UNRWA spokeswoman, Elena Mancusi Materi, says most of that money came from traditional Western donors, except for one generous contribution from an Arab country.

"We received $34 million from Kuwait. Then we received $400,000 from Qatar," Materi said. "We received, I think, $100,000 from Saudi Arabia … But, it is nothing major apart from the very big and generous Kuwaiti donations for Gaza."

Materi urges Arab countries to give generously to provide UNRWA with the $181 million it needs to alleviate⁴ the suffering of the Palestinian refugees in Gaza until the end of the year.

"We are approaching the start of the school year," Materi said. "We have 8,000 new pupils who have applied⁵ to enter UNRWA schools for this new school year in Gaza. Without funds to recruit extra staff, we will be forced to enroll⁶ students into classes, which are already extremely overcrowded. And, this will obviously have an impact on the efforts we have been undertaking⁷ to stop the decline in academic achievement of Gaza refugee pupils."

Materi says more than 30 schools were hit during the Israeli-Palestinian war. She says none can be rebuilt or repaired because Israel will not allow construction material to enter Gaza.

Because reconstruction⁸ has not been possible until now, she says many people remain without adequate shelter. And, UNRWA, she says will use some of the money from the appeal to help poor people repair their homes.

"We aim to deliver packages of food every two months to families comprising 650,000 refugees," Materi said. "So, this is more than half the Gaza refugee population, which should be benefiting according to needs assessment⁹ … Cash is also needed to cover basic needs of the families living in most destitute¹⁰ poverty, purchasing food and other essential items."

Other priority needs, she says, include mental health counseling for children and their families, job creation opportunities and upgrading of health facilities.

1 livelihoods   

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。

2 warehouse   

n.仓库；vt.存入仓库

参考例句：

• We freighted the goods to the warehouse by truck.我们用卡车把货物运到仓库。
• The manager wants to clear off the old stocks in the warehouse.经理想把仓库里积压的存货处理掉。

3 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》

4 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。

5 applied   

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。

6 enroll   

v.招收；登记；入学；参军；成为会员（英)enrol

参考例句：

• I should like to enroll all my children in the swimming class.我愿意让我的孩子们都参加游泳班。
• They enroll him as a member of the club.他们吸收他为俱乐部会员。

7 undertaking   

n.保证，许诺，事业

参考例句：

• He gave her an undertaking that he would pay the money back with in a year.他向她做了一年内还钱的保证。
• He is too timid to venture upon an undertaking.他太胆小，不敢从事任何事业。

8 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

9 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

10 destitute   

adj.缺乏的；穷困的

参考例句：

• They were destitute of necessaries of life.他们缺少生活必需品。
• They are destitute of common sense.他们缺乏常识。