VOA慢速英语：世界银行承诺为女孩教育拨款

世界银行承诺为女孩教育拨款

The World Bank Group plans to invest close to $2.5billion over five years in education projects to help girls between the ages of 12 and 17.

世界银行将在未来5年拨款约25亿美元投入帮助12至17岁的青春期少女上学的项目。

The bank says that about 75 percent of these investments are expected to come from its program for the world’s poorest countries. Most of the countries are in South Asia and in Africa, south of the Sahara. Those areas reportedly have the highest number of out-of-school girls.

世行表示约75%的投资将来自其帮助世界上最贫困国家的计划。这些国家大多位于南亚，撒哈拉以南的非洲。据报道这些地区女孩的失学率最高。

The investments were announced by Jim Yong Kim, president of the World Bank Group.

世界银行行长金墉(Jim Yong Kim)宣布该投资计划。

“Empowering and educating adolescent girls is one of the best ways to stop poverty from being passed from generation to generation,” Kim said.

“教育青年女孩使其强大是阻止贫穷一代又一代传下去的最有效的方法之一。”金墉表示。

He spoke Wednesday at the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The meetings are taking place through Sunday in Washington, D.C.

本周三在国际货币基金组织和世界银行的春季会议上，金墉发表讲话。该会议在华盛顿召开，并将持续到周日。

Michelle Obama, the wife of U.S. President Barack Obama, also spoke at the announcement.

美国第一夫人米歇尔·奥巴马也发表讲话。

She said the investments in education will benefit millions of girls. The First Lady also said it will help build the workforce in each country.

她说对教育的投资将造福数百万女孩。第一夫人还表示，这将帮助各国增加劳动力。

The World Bank says a total of almost 62 million girls around the world are not in school. A World Bank study found that a woman’s lifetime earnings increased by 18 percent for every year she attended school.

世界银行表示全球共有约6200万女孩失学。世行的一份研究表明，女孩每接受一年教育，她的终身收入就会增长18%。

The bank said its investments will support efforts to provide a quality education in secondary school and financial assistance to adolescent girls. The money will help to finance clean drinking water and toilets in schools.

世行表示其投资将帮助中等学校提供素质教育，并在经济上帮助青少女。该资金同样用于帮助学校提供清洁用水和修建厕所。

I’m Marsha James.

我是玛莎·詹姆斯。