环球英语 — 165：SurfAid International
Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight. I’m Liz Waid.
Voice 2
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.
Voice 1
Waves of ocean water move along the coast. In the distance people swim out into the water. They are on long flat boards. The surfers stand on these long flat boards to ride on the top of these large waves of water. They love the feeling of riding the waves.
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Surfing is a popular sport all over the world. And many surfers travel far distances to find the perfect wave. Doctor Dave Jenkins is one of these surfers. He loved to travel around the world to find good places to surf. In 1999, he travelled to the Mentawai Islands in Indonesia. There, he became concerned. The people living on the islands were not healthy. Doctor Jenkins decided to do something about this problem.
Today’s Spotlight is on Surfaid International. Through this group, Doctor Jenkins works to improve the health of people in Indonesia.
Voice 1
Like many surfers, Doctor Jenkins enjoyed surfing in Indonesia. There were very few other surfers. And there were great waves. But he worried about the health of the people living there. Many of the people suffered from malaria, and other preventable diseases.
Voice 2
The Mentawai Islands are on the west coast of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. The warm wet weather is perfect for mosquitos. These insects carry the malaria virus from person to person. According to Surfaid, malaria affects every family in the Mentawai Islands. And in the most affected villages, twenty-five percent [25%] of the children die from preventable diseases, before they are twelve years old. These villages did not have doctors or good medicines. The people wanted to have better health. But they did not have a way to get the help they wanted.
Voice 1
But Doctor Jenkins saw a way to help. When he returned to his home in New Zealand, he made a plan. He wanted to provide health care to the island communities. So he formed the aid group, SurfAid International.
Voice 2
Another surfer named Andrew Griffiths heard of Doctor Jenkins’ project. He also wanted to help. The two men asked their surfing friends and local business people to help the aid group with money. Together the two men collected a few thousand dollars.
Voice 1
Doctor Jenkins and Mr. Griffiths knew that malaria was a big concern for the island communities. The men used the money to purchase mosquito nets. These are large thin pieces of cloth. People sleep under them. A person can see through a mosquito net. But insects can not get through it. The two men also purchased permethrin to put on the nets. This chemical kills insects. The men gave these items to the people living near their favorite surfing place.
Voice 2
Their first trip went very well. Mr. Griffiths became very excited about the project. He wanted to do more. So he left his job in the United Kingdom and moved to Sumatra. Doctor Jenkins also moved. They built an office close to the Mentawai Islands. From their office in Padang Sumatra, Doctor Jenkins and Mr Griffiths expanded SurfAid.
Voice 1
Surfers and surfing companies still support SurfAid. They want to help the communities they see. This support is very important to SurfAid. But there is a group whose support is even more important - the Mentawai Island communities!
Voice 2
That’s right. SurfAid works with these communities. The Mentawai Island communities tell SurfAid what they need. And then, SurfAid works with them to meet these needs. Without the help of the communities, SurfAid would not work. With the communities, SurfAid can help many people.
Voice 1
In 2004, a tsunami destroyed many villages in Indonesia. This very large wave damaged the Mentawai Islands. Many people lost their homes. But SurfAid was there. It worked with the villagers to provide health care and safe drinking water. Today, SurfAid is working with communities to prepare for disasters in the future.
Voice 2
And SurfAid is still helping these communities with health care. Sylvie is a young girl. She was born after the tsunami. She is the youngest child in a family of seven [7] children. Her parents noticed that she had stopped growing at eight [8] months old. Sylvie was smaller and less active than other children her age.
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Jati Kumoro, a SurfAid worker, noticed Sylvie at one of the movable health stations.
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“As soon as I saw Silvie I knew she was very under-weight. I was very afraid she was going to die. She weighed only five point five [5.5] kilograms when a child her age should weigh ten [10] kilograms. Her weight was at a dangerous level.”
Voice 2
Jati talked to Sylvie’s parents. He learned that her diet was usually only a porridge made of rice, water, and salt. She was not getting the vitamins and minerals she needed to be healthy. Jati explained that it was important for Sylvie to eat fresh fruit and vegetables every day.
Voice 1
Jati asked local health officials to visit with the family often to observe her growth. Today Sylvie is on a better diet this will help her to grow like a normal, healthy child.
Sylvie’s father is happy that Surfaid is helping his daughter. He says:
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“Our greatest fear was that she would die. We are grateful to Jati for telling us how to help her gain weight... We want her to be healthy like all the other children in the village. Happy and healthy and full of energy.”
Voice 2
Sylvie is just one of the many people SurfAid serves. Today, the group has expanded to serve fifty three villages on the Mentawai islands and the island of Nias. They hope that soon, villagers can operate their own health programs in their communities.
Voice 1
When Doctor Jenkins went to the Mentawai Islands, he went to surf. He did not expect that this trip would change his life. He suddenly felt responsible to the communities on the Mentawai Islands.
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Christians believe that God wants us to feel this responsibility. God wants the rich to care for the poor, the strong to care for the weak, and the healthy care for the unhealthy. The Bible says “There will always be poor people in the land. So, I’m commanding you to give freely to those who are poor and needy in your land. Open your hands to them.” What ways can you care for people in your community? How can you help those in need?
