Build a School in Burma

在缅甸兴建学校

From VOA Learning English, this is the Education Report.

这里是美国之音慢速英语教育报道。

Burma also known as Myanmar, is one of the poorest countries in the world. United Nations says people there earn an average of about $460 a year.

缅甸是世界上最穷的国家之一。联合国表示，该国人民的年平均收入约为460美元。

For more than twenty years, the military ruled the country leading to international economic sanctions. The country now has an elected government and international aid has begun to arrive, but there are few resources for education in rural villages.

二十多年来，军方统治缅甸引来了国际经济制裁。该国现在有了民选政府，国际援助也开始抵达。但农村的教育资源非常少。

Bob Cornwell and the group called Build a School in Burma are trying to change that. Three years ago, he was a financial advisor to several foreign government. Today, he is building schools in Burma.

鲍勃·康威尔（Bob Cornwell）和Build a School in Burma组织正试图改变这一情况。3年前，康威尔曾是几个外国政府的财务顾问。如今，他正在缅甸修建学校。

"We're really trying to help kids on the margin who wouldn't otherwise get an education, and kids not having an education is just a recipe for every kind of personal disaster."

他说，“我们真的想帮助身处边缘的孩子，否则他们就上不了学。所有的个人灾难都离不开儿童不接受教育这个因素。”

He met some of those children in 2010. He and a friend were travelling from village to village in the northwestern province of Burma.

2010年他见到了这些儿童中的一些人。他和一个朋友当时正在缅甸西北省份挨个村的旅行。

"None of these villages had electricity. Many of them are not really accessible even by road. And lots of kids. Maybe like five on average per family. No school."

他说，“这些村庄都没有电。其中许多村庄甚至不通公路。这些村庄有很多孩子，平均每个家庭可能有5个孩子。但这些村庄都没有学校。”

Bob Cornwell returned to his home in California. Back home, he learned that the cost of building a primary school in Burma was just $15,000 to $20,000. So he sold his interest in the financial consulting company that he had started 25 years earlier, and returned to Burma.

康威尔回到了加州的家中。在家里他了解到，在缅甸兴建一所小学只需要花费1.5万到2万美元。于是他卖掉了自己25年前开办的财务咨询公司的股份，回到了缅甸。

He looked for villages that would give land and construction help in exchange for school.

他开始寻找愿意用土地和施工援助换取学校的村庄。

Rick Heizman, an expert on Burmese music volunteers to help. He had been working on humanitarian and education projects in Burma for more than twenty years.

缅甸音乐专家Rick Heizman志愿提供帮助。他曾在缅甸的人道和教育项目上工作了20多年。

(Music) 音乐

Rick Heizman is married to a well-known Burmese harpist Su Wei. They live in San Francisco, California. But they return to Burma often to visit the school projects.

Rick Heizman娶了缅甸著名的竖琴手苏薇（Su Wei，音译）。他们住在加州的旧金山市。但他们经常回到缅甸去巡查学校项目。

Su Wei says the children are excited to learn to read and write, and she says their parents are happy that their children can getting an education without having to leave their village.

苏薇表示，孩子们对学习读写都很兴奋，他们的父母也很高兴，自己的孩子不用离开村子就能接受到教育。

"You know, The school is inside their village, nearby, so, at least, they don't have to worry about taking the kids to the school in faraway places. You know like that."

她说，“学校就在他们的村子里，所以至少他们不用担心将孩子送到远处的学校去。”

Build a School in Burma has built two schools, and a third one is almost completed. In June, construction or renovation began on two more. Bob Cornwell says the group works with community leaders.

Build a School in Burma组织已经兴建了两所学校，第三所也几近完工。6月份又开始对两所以上的学校进行建造和翻新。康威尔表示，该组织和社区领导一起合作。

"They have a very good connection to the local people. They understand what the needs are. So having someone who really understands the local situation is crucial. They are underground there all the time, so we really focused on those groups."

他说，“他们（指社区领导）和当地人民紧密联系，他们知道需求是什么。所以有人真正了解当地情况是关键。他们一直在那，所以我们非常关注这些组织。”

Bob Cornwell is applying for grants and asking for donations, so he can build more schools. He says spending his retirement years this way has made him happier than he ever imagined he would be.

康威尔正在申请补助和寻求捐助，这样他就能修建更多学校。他说，这样利用自己的退休时间比自己想象得更加快乐。

And that's the Education Report from VOA Learning English, I'm Jerilyn Watson.