一起聽英語 166 世界上最貧窮的地方

世界上最貧窮的地方，他們的生活令人難以想象，一些我們平日里唾手可得的東西對他們來說都是奢侈品.....

Rob: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm

Rob.

Vera: And hello, I'm Vera.

Rob: In today's programme, we have news of a pioneering scheme to help

families in one of the World's poorest countries.

Vera: Yes, that country is Nepal, where it is estimated 40% of the population

live in poverty. So they have poor living standards and do not have access

to facilities that some of us take for granted. But how bad do things have

to be to live in poverty?

Rob: It's a good question. The government in Nepal has launched a new

scheme to assess the extent of poverty in the country – in other words,

to find out how bad it really is.

Vera: It's very keen to find out exactly how many people are living below the

poverty line, or in other words, to work out who the poorest people are.

Rob: We'll find out more about this scheme shortly but, as always, we like to

start the programme with a question to think about. So here is the

question. According to the International Monetary Fund, the IMF, which is

the poorest country in the world? Is it:

a) The Democratic Republic of Congo

b) Malawi

c) Burkina Faso

Vera: I would take a guess that it's Malawi.

Rob: Malawi, b. Well, we will find out if you're right at the end of the

programme. But before then, let's talk more about this new scheme by

the Nepalese government to assess the extent of poverty in the country.

Vera: It's a massive undertaking because officials will be going from house to

house across the country gathering data.

Rob: It could take some time. But once this data – or information – is collected,

what are the government going to do with it?

Vera: Let's hear from the BBC's Jill McGivering, who can tell us a bit more about

what is going on.

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BBC correspondent, Jill McGivering:

Officials in Nepal are starting a massive task: going from house to house across the

country, gathering data about each family's income, assets and how much food they

have to eat. They're trying to identify those living in extreme poverty - people who go

hungry for either three, six or nine months of each year. They'll later allocate new

'poverty cards' which will make these families eligible in the future for government

subsidies - cheaper food, education and health care. Officials expect about a quarter of

the population to be issued with them.

Rob: So, we heard that the government is trying to identify those living in

extreme poverty – so the worst kind of poverty.

Vera: It will be finding out about people's income, their assets - so what they

own – and how much food they have to eat. Those who are in extreme

poverty have been defined as people who go without food for between

three and nine months each year.

Rob: Those people who fall into this category will later be allocated 'poverty

cards' which give these families subsidies – or financial support – for food,

education and health care.

Vera: And the scheme could help a quarter of the population, so it sounds like a

good idea.

Rob: It does. Many people have welcomed the idea but there are challenges too

in running such a big scheme. Let's hear from the BBC's Jill McGivering

again. See if you can hear what the challenges are.

BBC correspondent, Jill McGivering:

The government's been talking for years about introducing a scheme like this. Those

involved are delighted that the process has finally started, although this is only the first

phase and no-one's sure how many months it will take just to survey the whole country.

They describe it as pioneering but also admit there will be challenges. Making sure

people give accurate information, for example, preventing bias against different ethnic

groups and protecting the programme from fraud and corruption. The best judges, of

course, will be Nepal's most poor - whose burden this new national programme is

supposed to ease.

Vera: So there are a number of challenges in running this scheme. They include

relying on people to give accurate information and preventing bias – or

prejudice – against different ethnic groups.

Rob: Yes, there are many different ethnic groups in Nepal, so it's important to

make sure that one isn't favoured over another. Finally, there's a risk that

there could be fraud and corruption because of the economic advantages

on offer to the poorest families.

Vera: Of course, the other challenge is how many months it will take and no-one

is really sure, especially because of the mountainous terrain that some

people live in.

Rob: But people seem delighted – or happy – that after years of talking,

something is finally being done to tackle poverty in Nepal.

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Vera: But who can really tell if it's successful or not?

Rob: Well, the best judges – as we heard – are Nepal's poor, whose lives may

be made a little easier.

Vera: Well, something that isn't easy is your quiz question Rob.

Rob: Really?! Well, earlier I asked you, according to the IMF, which is the

world's poorest country?

a) The Democratic Republic of Congo

b) Malawi

c) Burkina Faso

Vera: And I said Malawi. Was I right?

Rob: I'm afraid you were wrong. The answer is actually The Democratic

Republic of Congo. OK, it's almost time to go now but before we do, Vera,

please can you remind us of some of the vocabulary we heard today?

Vera: Yes, of course. We heard:

pioneering

the extent

data

allocated

subsidies

bias

corruption

terrain

Rob: Thanks Vera. We hope you've enjoyed today's programme. Please join us

again soon for more 6 Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com. Bye

for now!

Vera: Bye!