VOA慢速英語:Liberia Education Program Targets Illiterate Women

From VOA Learning English, this is the Education Report.

這里是美國之音慢速英語教育報道。

A United Nations agency estimates that 516 million of the world's women can not read and write. The U.N. Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization -- UNESCO says programs are needed to help illiterate women learn, although they are passed school age.

聯(lián)合國教科文組織預(yù)計全球有5.16億婦女不會讀寫。該組織表示，雖然她們都已經(jīng)過了上學(xué)年齡，但還是需要推出一些項目來幫助文盲婦女學(xué)習(xí)。

Women make up two-thirds of all illiterate adults. The majority of these women live in West Africa, many girls in that area never go to school. But in Liberia, a new education program is giving women in their 30s, 40s and 50s another chance to learn to read and write.

婦女占到了所有成年文盲的2/3，這些婦女中的大部分人居住在西非，該地區(qū)很多女孩沒上過學(xué)。但在利比里亞，一項新的教育計劃給了三十到五十多歲的婦女第二次機會來學(xué)習(xí)讀寫。

Pauline Rose heads UNESCO's worldwide monitoring report on Education for All, she says being illiterate causes huge problems in daily life. She notes situations like not being able to read directions on a medicine bottle, or the number on a bus.

寶琳·羅絲(Pauline Rose)負責(zé)聯(lián)合國教科文組織的全民教育全球監(jiān)測報告。她表示，在日常生活中，作為文盲會造成巨大的問題。她指出了一些狀況，例如不能閱讀藥瓶上的說明或公交車上的數(shù)字。

"So there are real practical concerns about when women are illiterate."

她說，“因此當(dāng)婦女是文盲時就會有實際的擔(dān)憂。”

Miss Rose says illiterate affects not only the women but also their families, because women are often the main caregivers of children. She says when women are illiterate, they are less likely to use health services.

羅絲表示，文盲影響的不僅是婦女，還包括他們的家庭。因為婦女通常是兒童的主要照顧著。她說，當(dāng)婦女是文盲時，她們就不太可能使用醫(yī)療服務(wù)。

Some countries, like Senegal, have improved women's literacy rates through government efforts. They tell more girls in primary school and community programs about the importance of education. But there are still many nations where less than one in four women can read and write. They include Niger, Benin, Mali and Burkina Faso.

一些國家，像塞內(nèi)加爾已經(jīng)通過政府的努力提高了婦女的識字率。他們告訴小學(xué)和社區(qū)項目中更多女孩關(guān)于教育的重要性。但仍然有許多國家只有不到1/4的婦女會讀寫。這些國家包括尼日爾、貝寧、馬里和布基納法索。

Miss Rose says these countries need literacy programs that target women. She says there is a huge need for illiterate young women and adults to have a second-chance to read and write.

羅絲表示，這些國家需要針對婦女的掃盲項目。她表示，青年和成人文盲婦女在獲得學(xué)習(xí)讀寫機會方面有巨大的需求。

Liberia for example, has launched a second-chance literacy campaign to teach women. The students never went to school, or they were forced to leave school because of ten years of civil war in the country.

例如利比里亞已經(jīng)推出了教育婦女的二次掃盲運動。由于該國十來年的內(nèi)戰(zhàn)，這些學(xué)生沒上過學(xué)，或者被迫離開了學(xué)校。

Lonee Smith is 35 years old, she is a student at the adult literacy school at the Firestone Liberia Natural Rubber Company in Margibi County. Her parents did not sent her to school, and she could not read or write.

斯密斯(Lonee Smith)現(xiàn)年35歲，她是馬吉比州費爾斯通利比里亞天然橡膠公司成年掃盲學(xué)校的一名學(xué)生。她父母沒有送她上學(xué)，她不會讀和寫。

Now she is in the first grade and has those skills. She sells her goods at the market and can now count her profit without help. She says having a second chance at education has changed her life.

現(xiàn)在她在讀一年級，學(xué)會了讀和寫。她在超市售貨，現(xiàn)在她可以在無人幫助的情況下自己計算利潤。

"Today, I am a happy woman. I'm very proud."

她說，“今天我是個快樂的女人，我非常驕傲。”

Liberia's Ministry of Education says 5,000 women currently study in adult literacy programs across the country.

利比里亞教育部表示，目前有5千名婦女在全國各地的掃盲項目中學(xué)習(xí)。