【932-934】苏丹难民对埃及施加压力&南非自由堕胎法受到公众反对的影响&沙丘鹤栖息在漫长的旅途中
AS IT IS
Refugees from Sudan Putting Pressure on Egypt
March 31, 2019
Conflict and political unrest in Africa has forced thousands of people to flee their homelands in the hope of finding better lives.
Many Sudanese and their families have sought refuge across the border in Egypt. But the large number of refugees is placing a strain on Egypt’s resources.
El Hadi Osman is a refugee from Khartoum, the Sudanese capital. He told VOA that he left Sudan for religious reasons. He worked as a writer and reporter until Sudanese police targeted him for becoming a Christian.
El Hadi said that police told him to stop going to religious services and reject Christianity, but he refused. “When they jailed me, they beat me and hung me upside down in prison," he added.
El Hadi said that he fled to Cairo in 2014 after spending weeks in a Sudanese jail. When he arrived, he spent weeks sleeping on a walkway in a poor neighborhood. Now, he seeks help from refugee agencies to find work in order to survive.
Sudanese refugees in Egypt, like El Hadi, keep a watchful eye on events back in Sudan. Many dream of returning home if the current leadership there changes.
Santo Makoi is a political refugee from South Sudan. He studied fine arts at Khartoum University in Sudan’s north before the south became independent in 2011. He worked for a European non-governmental organization called War Child, where he taught refugee children how to paint.
Santo is registered as a refugee with the United Nations, but continues to create art at a studio created by an Egyptian aid group.
Nour Khalil is a lawyer and represents immigrants living in Egypt. Khalil says the refugee crisis there is even worse than official reports suggest. Tens of thousands of Syrians, Yemenis, Ethiopians, Eritreans and Libyans have left their countries because of the many conflicts in the area. Many of these individuals are not officially registered with the U.N. refugee agency, the UNHCR.
At a recent gathering of heads of state and government from Europe and Africa, Egypt’s president said that his country is heavily burdened by the millions of refugees living there.
President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi added that Egypt has "prevented boat-loads of refugees from leaving its territory for Europe since 2016."
The UNHCR says Egypt has given refugees protection, health care, schooling, as well as the right to work.
A UNHCR spokesperson told VOA that the United Nations "makes sure that they have access to basic services and are also supported and protected in the best way we can." But she added that the current resistance to refugees in many countries is delaying the work of her organization. She noted that "only 55,000 refugees out of millions were resettled [by UNHCR] in other countries last year."
For now, the life of a refugee in Egypt has become a struggle. Many refugees choose to go on to Libya and, from there, try to reach Europe by boat. Many others have also found themselves detained in a Libyan jail under what have been described as inhuman conditions.
I’m Jonathan Evans.
Ed Yeranian reported this story for VOA News. Jonathan Evans adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
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Words in This Story
strain – n. a feeling of pressure and worry that you have because you are trying to do too much or are dealing with a difficult problem
resources – n. a supply of money or materials that can be used in order to work effectively
studio – n. a room where an artist works
burdened – v. something that is very difficult to accept, do, or deal with
AS IT IS
South Africa’s Liberal Abortion Laws Affected by Public Disapproval
March 31, 2019
“Precious” is 26-years-old and 16 weeks pregnant. She asked VOA to call her by that name to protect her identity.
Her best friend is also pregnant by the same man – a man Precious once considered her boyfriend. This information led her to the difficult decision to seek an abortion.
Precious lives in South Africa, where such operations are legal. A woman can ask a health care worker to perform an abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. The woman is not required to provide a reason for the operation. After 12 weeks, she must state a reason and a doctor must be present.
But when Precious tried to end the pregnancy in her home city of Johannesburg, she had a problem.
“When I went to register my name, I simply said, ‘I want to do an abortion,’ and then they said, ‘No,’” she told VOA.
“And there were two nurses there and…one said, ‘no, you have to go back to your place and do it there.’ Then we had a disagreement there, as, like, I’m being against God,” Precious said.
Reproductive health activists say an experience like hers is fairly common. They say that is why 10,000 South African women every year have illegal abortions from unqualified providers.
South African health officials estimated that as many as 25 percent of all maternaldeaths are from infectious miscarriages caused by illegal abortions. More than half of all abortions in the country are performed by unregistered providers. Yet all government hospitals offer the operation for free.
Precious was fearful that her neighbors would learn she had an abortion. So she chose to travel to the town of Rustenburg, where aid agency Doctors Without Borders operates a medical center that performs abortions for free.
'We give women a choice'
Whitney Chinogwenya works at Marie Stopes, one of South Africa’s best-known private abortion providers. She says the company recently launched a campaign to reduce the stigma around abortion.
“When a woman wants to terminate a pregnancy, they’re going to terminate the pregnancy,” she told VOA from the company’s office in Johannesburg.
She added that South Africa offers safe, legal and free abortions, but few women know that abortion is legal. They think they must go to an illegal provider.
Medical experts told VOA many stories of poor medical care, including giving patients the wrong medication.
'Somebody has to do it'
Nurse Kgaladi Mphahlele is the head of the Doctors Without Borders project in Rustenburg. He says demand for the group’s services is high. He estimates he performs as many as 100 first-trimester abortions each month. He sees women from as far away as Botswana, where abortion is illegal.
He says he is proud of his decision to perform abortions.
“I look back, ‘why did I get myself into this profession?’” he said. He also said his friends and family support his decision.
Nurse Christa Tsomele has been performing abortions for 10 years. She is also satisfied with her work. She says she thinks some of her coworkers are adding to the stigma of abortion.
“If you can’t help a patient as a nurse… don’t just tell her, ‘no, I can’t do that, or ‘I can’t help you,’ and leave the patient,” she said. She added that patients should be told where to go to get an abortion.
She also says she does not care if people agree with her work. Abortion is legal and she is saving lives, she says.
I’m Susan Shand.
VOA’s Anita Powell reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.
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Words in This Story
nurse – n. someone who cares for the sick
maternal – adj. of a mother
miscarriage – n. the ending of pregnancy naturally
stigma – n. something that is thought of as very bad
trimester – n. a three-month period in a woman’s pregnancy
proud – adj. feeling extremely pleased
profession – n. a job or occupation
AS IT IS
Sandhill Cranes Rest on Their Long Voyage
March 31, 2019
Sandhill cranes fill the skies at sunset, descending to their roost on the river where they are protected from predators.
Every year in the month of March, one of the world's greatest wildlife migrationsstops in central Nebraska.
For a short time, sandhill cranes fill the state’s wide, flat fields. The land provides these long-legged, playful birds with the perfect place to rest and eat.
Last year, a record 1 million sandhill cranes stopped in the area during their northward migration. That is about 85 percent of the world’s sandhill crane population.
In recent years, more and more people have discovered the migration. Visitors crowd into river blinds – special structures that help keep the birdwatchers hidden. They look through their cameras or binoculars in wonder.
Only one other migration on Earth is as concentrated and wondrous, local scientists say. That is the wildebeest migration in Africa.
Getting close to the cranes
One cold morning in the middle of March, travelers gathered before 6 in the morning at Audubon's Rowe Sanctuary here. They walked carefully down a dark path. As the group got closer to the river blind, they began to hear the birds’ sounds, or calls.
Naseem Munshi traveled to Nebraska from her home in Colorado to see the cranes. She described the sound the birds make as “such a moving, ancient sound.” She added, “If I could just live and breathe that sound, I would be a very happy person.”
Munshi and the tens of thousands of other visitors help support the local economy. Last year, people from more than 60 countries came to see the migration.
The cranes -- among the oldest-known bird species -- are worth the trip.
Sandhill cranes are generally a little over a meter tall. They have long legs, necks and beaks. Their wings stretch over two meters.
Sandhill cranes have soft, grey feathers. They are known for having a bright red area on the top of their heads. They are also known for their playful movements. Some call it the cranes’ “dance.”
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The birds stop in Nebraska as they make their way from their winter homes in Mexico and parts of the southern United States. The birds usually spend two to three weeks at this place.
They arrive in waves, at times as many as 400,000 in one day. They eat in the nearby cornfields and grass lands. Leftover grain, insects and small creatures give them the energy they need as they continue their trip north, toward Canada and Siberia.
The cranes appear to float gently through the air. They do not follow any special flying pattern, unlike the ducks and geese that also fill the skies here.
Chris Helzer is science director of the Nature Conservancy in Nebraska. The center gives tours to see the cranes for its members and donors. He describes the way the cranes come down to land as a “dandelion seed falling gently.”
For visitors, the most memorable part of their trip happens at sunrise. They gather in the blinds and quietly wait.
As light comes to the river, the birds begin throwing weeds and sticks in the air. They hop, bow to each other and then leap. The movements – or “dancing” -- are all part of pair bonding. Sandhill cranes mate for life.
Helzer said, “You see them waking up after all night on the river; it’s gotta be cold. You see them hopping a bit. Then all of a sudden they are jumping in full height and spreading their wings and the morning has started.”
Later, thousands of cranes burst into flight. Their collective movement creates a loud, impressive sound.
“It’s a very emotional experience for everybody,” Munshi said. “Some people cry.”
I’m Jill Robbins.
Mike Kilen reported on this story for VOA News. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.
See a photo gallery of the cranes here. A live stream from the Audubon sanctuary is here.
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Words in This Story
migration - n. to move from one area to another at different times of the year
perfect – adj. having all the qualities you want in that kind of person, situation
binoculars - n. a device that you hold up to your eyes and look through to see things that are far away
trip – n. a journey to a place
leftover – adj. a thing that remains after something is finished or ended
dandelion – n. a very common wild plant that has bright yellow flowers; when its seeds form, they fly away like tiny parachutes
bond - v. to form a close relationship with someone
all of a sudden – adj. suddenly
collective – adj. involving all members of a group
Have you ever seen birds migrating? Where were they going? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.