環(huán)球英語 — 682：Hope in El Salvador

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Voice 1

Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Mike Procter.

Voice 2

And I'm Bruce Gulland. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1

It was a hot day in February 2001. Three men were travelling together in El Salvador, Central America. As they were driving along a dusty mountain road, they suddenly felt the car move from side to side. It was as if some unseen but insane person was driving. But the men knew immediately that they were experiencing an earthquake. The ground was shaking. Everything was shaking.

Voice 2

The men were in El Salvador because of an earlier earthquake. That had happened just one month before. It had killed hundreds of people and destroyed thousands of homes. The men had come to help the victims of that earthquake. But now they themselves were at the very centre of a second earthquake. The terrible experience was now their own. However, they were unhurt. They already had medical equipment with them, so they were able to start treating victims of the new earthquake immediately.

Voice 1

The men's leader was a doctor from England named Chris Jagger. The second man was another British medical worker - Steve Snelling. The third was Hector Hernandez. Hector is a Salvadorian man now living in the United States. Hector was acting as their guide. He had taken them to his home village - San Carlos.

Voice 2

What Dr Jagger and his team did in the second earthquake was an example of 'rapid response'. They were in San Carlos very soon after the earthquake happened, and were able to provide the right kind of help. 'Rapid response' simply means that help is brought to the victims of a disaster very quickly - because quick action saves lives. 'Rapid response' is an important concern for aid organisations around the world. Many of them are seeking ways to improve their aid methods to act faster. Doctor Jagger was studying rapid response so that he could offer expert advice in that subject. That was part of the reason he was in El Salvador after the first earthquake. However, the second earthquake made him part of a living example of rapid response!

Voice 1

After the earthquake, the men decided that they would continue to help the village of San Carlos. Many of the people of the village had become their friends. And so, two years later, Dr Chris Jagger and Steve Snelling returned to San Carlos. With them were Chris's wife Maggie and their daughter Natalie. They brought many boxes of clothes, school equipment and medical equipment. They gave tools to people who needed the tools for work. This helped the people to grow crops, make clothes, and start small businesses. They also provided eyeglasses for people who could not see very well, and they taught people how to remain healthy. Chris and Steve travelled all over the country with an organisation called 'Compassion'. They met local doctors who were able to advise them how they could best help. They also met government ministers and discussed rapid responses for future earthquakes. El Salvador is a country where there are many earthquakes, as well as severe storms and flooding. It is a beautiful country, but a very poor one.

Voice 2

Dr Jagger and his friends started a small organisation to continue their work. It is called SALCET [sal-set]. SALCET is short for the 'Salvadorian Children's Earthquake Trust'. Year after year the team went back to El Salvador. People from churches in the United Kingdom provided money, and hospitals provided medical equipment. With the help of skilled eye doctors the team helped many blind people to see again. More reading glasses were provided. The team helped injured people to walk again, and taught them to do exercises to keep their bodies working well. There is a plan to buy special three-wheeled machines for children who cannot walk. Machines like these have already been a success in other countries, such as India and Chad.

Voice 1

In El Salvador the game of football is very popular. But some of the children in the village had no sports clothes or equipment. So the SALCET team also brought football clothes and balls. The team watched the children in San Carlos as they happily played the game they love so much.

Voice 2

But the team was particularly concerned with health. They wanted to find out why many people in that part of El Salvador had health problems. So in February 2010, they organised a visit from a group of health workers. The health workers were from a large hospital in Guildford, England. They took with them some endoscopes - special tubes with cameras which can look inside people's bodies to find out what is happening. Some of this equipment was delayed at the airport, but it was returned to the team after a few days. There is not enough of this kind of equipment in some parts of El Salvador. The visiting doctors used it to discover why people were sick and were able to treat them.

Voice 1

A special event also took place in February 2010. This was exactly nine years after the terrible earthquake had hit the village. A school in the United Kingdom had raised money to build a community centre for San Carlos. The building is designed to survive earthquakes. It was built by the people living in San Carlos. And now it was ready. Everyone in the village came to a big celebration. They sang the national anthems of the United Kingdom and of El Salvador. Many people spoke, and gave thanks. There was also singing. Everyone was very happy.

A few days later the team used the building to help sick people - like a small hospital for the day. This was much better than the small room where they had held these clinics before. The team now had a large modern room.

Voice 2

Dr Chris Jagger's daughter Natalie was one of the team. She likes to write poems. We end this programme with a poem that Natalie wrote called 'Something New'. The poem tells of people in great need - but it also speaks of hope - coming through prayer, action and change.

Voice 3

I have been here eight times

And still every time

We see and learn

Something new.

Like fruit that I've never heard of

And sugar cane harvesting

With yoked oxen

And still

We share

Your sad stories

The pastor's daughter