VOA慢速英語:Build a School in Burma

From VOA Learning English, this is the Education Report.

這里是美國之音慢速英語教育報道。

Burma also known as Myanmar, is one of the poorest countries in the world. United Nations says people there earn an average of about $460 a year.

緬甸是世界上最窮的國家之一。聯(lián)合國表示，該國人民的年平均收入約為460美元。

For more than twenty years, the military ruled the country leading to international economic sanctions. The country now has an elected government and international aid has begun to arrive, but there are few resources for education in rural villages.

二十多年來，軍方統(tǒng)治緬甸引來了國際經濟制裁。該國現在有了民選政府，國際援助也開始抵達。但農村的教育資源非常少。

Bob Cornwell and the group called Build a School in Burma are trying to change that. Three years ago, he was a financial advisor to several foreign government. Today, he is building schools in Burma.

鮑勃·康威爾(Bob Cornwell)和Build a School in Burma組織正試圖改變這一情況。3年前，康威爾曾是幾個外國政府的財務顧問。如今，他正在緬甸修建學校。

"We're really trying to help kids on the margin who wouldn't otherwise get an education, and kids not having an education is just a recipe for every kind of personal disaster."

他說，“我們真的想幫助身處邊緣的孩子，否則他們就上不了學。所有的個人災難都離不開兒童不接受教育這個因素。”

He met some of those children in 2010. He and a friend were travelling from village to village in the northwestern province of Burma.

2010年他見到了這些兒童中的一些人。他和一個朋友當時正在緬甸西北省份挨個村的旅行。

"None of these villages had electricity. Many of them are not really accessible even by road. And lots of kids. Maybe like five on average per family. No school."

他說，“這些村莊都沒有電。其中許多村莊甚至不通公路。這些村莊有很多孩子，平均每個家庭可能有5個孩子。但這些村莊都沒有學校。”

Bob Cornwell returned to his home in California. Back home, he learned that the cost of building a primary school in Burma was just $15,000 to $20,000. So he sold his interest in the financial consulting company that he had started 25 years earlier, and returned to Burma.

康威爾回到了加州的家中。在家里他了解到，在緬甸興建一所小學只需要花費1.5萬到2萬美元。于是他賣掉了自己25年前開辦的財務咨詢公司的股份，回到了緬甸。

He looked for villages that would give land and construction help in exchange for school.

他開始尋找愿意用土地和施工援助換取學校的村莊。

Rick Heizman, an expert on Burmese music volunteers to help. He had been working on humanitarian and education projects in Burma for more than twenty years.

緬甸音樂專家Rick Heizman志愿提供幫助。他曾在緬甸的人道和教育項目上工作了20多年。

(Music)

音樂

Rick Heizman is married to a well-known Burmese harpist Su Wei. They live in San Francisco, California. But they return to Burma often to visit the school projects.

Rick Heizman娶了緬甸著名的豎琴手蘇薇(Su Wei，音譯)。他們住在加州的舊金山市。但他們經?；氐骄挼槿パ膊閷W校項目。

Su Wei says the children are excited to learn to read and write, and she says their parents are happy that their children can getting an education without having to leave their village.

蘇薇表示，孩子們對學習讀寫都很興奮，他們的父母也很高興，自己的孩子不用離開村子就能接受到教育。

"You know, The school is inside their village, nearby, so, at least, they don't have to worry about taking the kids to the school in faraway places. You know like that."

她說，“學校就在他們的村子里，所以至少他們不用擔心將孩子送到遠處的學校去。”

Build a School in Burma has built two schools, and a third one is almost completed. In June, construction or renovation began on two more. Bob Cornwell says the group works with community leaders.

Build a School in Burma組織已經興建了兩所學校，第三所也幾近完工。6月份又開始對兩所以上的學校進行建造和翻新?？低柋硎?，該組織和社區(qū)領導一起合作。

"They have a very good connection to the local people. They understand what the needs are. So having someone who really understands the local situation is crucial. They are underground there all the time, so we really focused on those groups."

他說，“他們(指社區(qū)領導)和當地人民緊密聯(lián)系，他們知道需求是什么。所以有人真正了解當地情況是關鍵。他們一直在那，所以我們非常關注這些組織。”

Bob Cornwell is applying for grants and asking for donations, so he can build more schools. He says spending his retirement years this way has made him happier than he ever imagined he would be.

康威爾正在申請補助和尋求捐助，這樣他就能修建更多學校。他說，這樣利用自己的退休時間比自己想象得更加快樂。