环球英语 — 364：Oxfam in Cambodia
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Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight program. I’m Joshua Leo.
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And I’m Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no matter where in the world they live.
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Pim Ranh lives in a small village in Cambodia. She works hard to plant and harvest rice for her family. And she uses the river near her house to wash. But the river water is bad. Once, after washing, Pim developed a painful skin condition - a rash. At the time, she was pregnant. She worried that her skin problem would hurt her baby. So she travelled to a doctor for help. She learned that it was the water from the river that caused the problem. But Pim feels like there is nothing she can do. She told the aid group Oxfam,
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“I do not have a well at home. Even if the river water looks dirty, I have to wash.”
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Pim lives down the river from a dam. Many people in her area have similar problems. They experience stomach problems and skin problems.
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Governments built these dams in the countries of Laos and Vietnam. But when people built the dams, they did not consider the effects on the people further down the river.
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These dams change the quality of the water in the river. Because of the dams, many kinds of fish have died. And the river floods more often. These floods also destroy fields of rice.
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But it is not just the rivers that are affecting people’s lives. The villagers also depend on the forests. But the forests are also being damaged and stolen. The villagers have lived on this land for many years. They use the forest to live. But the government has sold this land. Guards with guns threaten the villagers if they return to it. Thousands of villagers must find new places to find food.
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The people who live in these hills feel alone - they feel that they do not have any power over their lives. But this is not true. And international aid group Oxfam is working to change this opinion.
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In Cambodia, Oxfam works with local groups, including the group 3 S Rivers Protection Network. This group teaches the villagers to keep records. The people keep records of which kinds of fish are dying. They record how quickly the waters rise, and which plants are being killed.
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Then, with the aid groups, the villagers use this information for change. The villagers can write to the government and to businesses. They can show the damage to their area. And they can influence policy decisions. Because of the villagers’ work, both the Vietnam and Cambodian governments have agreed to reduce the effects of development on rivers and forests.
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But Oxfam does more than just teach villagers to keep records. This is part of a larger goal, called sustainable livelihood.
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Sustainable livelihood means helping the villagers to continue living a good life. Villagers in Cambodia depend on the natural resources of the country. They depend on the land for growing rice. They depend on the rivers for fish. And they depend on the forests for many other products. Oxfam works to protect these natural resources so people can continue to use them.
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Oxfam makes sure that there are laws to protect the needs of poor people. It makes sure that villagers can use these natural resources. And the group teaches the villagers how to best use these resources. They look for ways to protect the environment together.
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Finally, sustainable livelihood also means good farming practices. Oxfam helps the villagers get enough money for the rice they grow and the products they sell. And they share new farming methods too. Oxfam trains some local people. Then these local people work with their communities to teach the new methods.
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Yorn Yee is one of these workers. She is also a rice farmer. She travels to Keok Duong village to teach other farmers new ways of growing rice.
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Before, the farmers used harmful chemicals to help the rice grow. These chemicals cost money. But Yorn Yee teaches the farmers how to make natural, safe fertilizers and pesticides. The farmers can make these products without spending money.
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Neang Veach learned many new farming skills from Yorn. Mr. Veach used to throw rice seeds across the land. Some of these seeds would then grow into rice plants. But some did not. And this method did not always work well. Today, he uses a new method that he learned from Yorn.
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Mr. Veach grows each plant individually. He plants the seeds very carefully. Once the rice plants start to grow, he moves them to his field. He is very careful. He does not want to damage the plant roots. The small rice plant splits off into many branches as it grows. It produces much more rice.
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This method of rice farming requires more work, but it uses much less seed. Mr. Veach’s old method of growing used about five kilograms of seeds, but this new method uses only two hundred grams! Teack Voeut is another farmer in the area. She told Oxfam,
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“At first I did not believe that a single rice plant could split into so many branches, but we tried it anyway. The result is amazing! We made enough profit from selling our rice to pay off our debt.”
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This is just one story of success from the work of Oxfam. Oxfam works in many areas to help people. They work for good laws in Cambodia, and around the world. They work for better trade policies between countries. They work to reduce guns and violence. They work to encourage equality between men and women. They work to protect people from natural disasters, and they work to help people after natural disasters. They work for education for all children. They work to build and encourage communities. But why does Oxfam do all this work to fight poverty? The answer is on the group’s website. It says:
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‘Belief - belief that in a wealthy world, poverty is inexcusable and it can be prevented. Belief that injustice and unfairness must be challenged. And belief that with the right help, poor people themselves can change their lives for the better, forever.’
