环球英语 — 309：Homeless International
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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 Liz Waid. 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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In Malawi, they are getting land and building houses.
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In a slum in India, they are building a community toilet.
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In Sri Lanka, they are offering small loans to build houses and a community.
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In Namibia they are organizing savings groups. These groups will help communities gain property rights.
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Today’s Spotlight is on the group doing all these great things, Homeless International.
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All around the world people live without homes. They sleep on the streets, or in temporary homes. They do not have enough to eat. They do not have a safe place to stay.
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No one knows exactly how many people are homeless in the world today. But we do know that every country struggles with the problem of homelessness. And the number of homeless people in the world has grown in recent years.
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Homelessness usually starts with poverty. Owning and caring for a house can cost a lot of money. And even renting a home or room may cost too much. If a person does not have enough money, he or she may become homeless.
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But many other things can make a person become homeless too. Drug abuse or mental problems can make it difficult for a person to care for a home. Natural disasters like storms, earthquakes or fire can destroy homes. And wars and other physical danger can cause people to leave their existing homes. They often do not have new homes to go to. To solve the problem of homelessness, people must face these problems too.
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Living on the streets can cause many problems for a person. Many of these problems are problems of health. A homeless person may not be able to get enough food to live a healthy life. And the food that they do get may not be very healthy. If a person does not get enough, or the right kind of food, they are more likely to become sick. Living in wet dirty areas can also increase chances of becoming sick. The problem only gets worse if the person does not seek medical help.
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So can anything be done to help people who have no place to live? Many groups around the world would answer YES to this question. Local groups work with local governments to find solutions. They build and repair houses. They offer small loans to homeowners. And they provide temporary shelters. And Homeless International works with these groups to support their work.
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Homeless International works to help homeless people live healthy, safe, lives. Here are some of their beliefs, from their website.
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Every person in the world has the right to safe, secure shelter. If someone is denied this right, they are homeless.
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Shelter is more than a house. It is a place for privacy, activity, and happiness.
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Building a shelter is more than just building a house. Building a shelter means building communities.
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Homelessness is an important part of poverty. To stop poverty, people must work to create shelter. This shelter must fit with the environment and the community.
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Success depends on homeless people having access to different services - the chance to have land, money, information. The chance to use technology and organize together.
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And sharing information about solving problems is very important.
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So how does Homeless International follow these beliefs? Homeless International takes an interesting approach to solve problems. They form long-lasting relationships with local aid groups. Then, they work with these groups in four ways. First, they provide grants, or gifts of money for particular projects. These grants help to build homes and purchase land.
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Second, they help create financial services. These services support larger projects like housing and waste removal projects. For example, in Pakistan, the group supports sanitation and health education projects. These big projects cost a lot of money.
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Third, the group works with banks to provide loans for poor people. In Bolivia the group helped a community get a four year loan. The money from this loan will be used to help fight the causes of Chagas disease in the community. Chagas is a serious disease in Latin America. It is carried by mosquitoes, small biting insects. There is no cure for Chagas, but preventing the spread of mosquitoes can make a big difference. Homeless International believes this is important, because a house should be a safe place. It should not be a place that causes disease!
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And fourth, the group helps pay for very large projects through a system called Community-Led Infrastructure Finance Facility, or CLIFF. This system helps organized communities pay for large projects to improve their villages. In Kenya, the group is using this method to help poor families. These families save their money with many other people. Then, the whole community has money to help each other, and their community. By saving together, they can do more to build a safe, strong community.
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Homeless International believes that building community is an important part of ending homelessness. They work to get individuals involved in solving the problems in their own communities. And they work to make sure that these communities are able to succeed. This is a big part of fighting poverty and homelessness.
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But why is this so important? Creating safe homes helps whole communities become safer and stronger. It helps everyone in the community. And all people are important in a community, including the poor and homeless. This is an idea that Christians share. Caring for the poor and homeless is a very important idea in the Christian Bible. Caring for the poor is mentioned over 150 times in the Bible.
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While Jesus was on earth, he made sure to care for people’s physical and spiritual needs. He cared for their body and their spirit. He fed people, he healed people who were sick and blind. God wants US to also care for the poor. There are many ways that we can help homeless people all over the world. Supporting Homeless International is just one way of helping. In most cities, groups exist that assist the poor and homeless. People like you and me can volunteer, or work for free to help these groups. Together we can fight poverty and homelessness in the world.
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