斯里兰卡裔美国人回报祖国

    From VOA Learning English, this is the Health and Lifestyle report.
    这里是美国之音慢速英语健康和生活方式报道。

    Many people around the world leave their home country for a better education and better job in another country.
    世界各地很多人离开自己的祖国到另一个国家寻求更好的教育和工作。

    A woman from Sri Lanka named Ashanthi Mathai has a story like that.
    来自斯里兰卡的一位名为Ashanthi Mathai的女性就有着这样一个故事。

    Ms. Mathai came to the United States from Sri Lanka in the early 1990s. She had a clear idea of what she wanted -- a good education. Ms. Mathai went to Princeton University in New Jersey and got a degree in chemical engineering. She continued her education at Stanford Business School in California. Then, she began her career in the health care industry.
    Mathai女士于20世纪90年代初从斯里兰卡来到美国。她对自己的目标有着清晰认识,那就是接受更好的教育。Mathai女士来到了新泽西州的普林斯顿大学,并获得了化学工程学位。她进入了加州斯坦福商学院继续深造,然后在医疗保健行业开始了自己的职业生涯。

    Now, Ms. Mathai has another goal -- helping Sri Lanka.
    现在,Mathai女士有了另一个目标,那就是帮助斯里兰卡。

    Four years ago, Ashanthi Mathai was visiting Sri Lanka for her job. During the trip, someone asked her if she would be willing to collect used eye glasses in the United States. The donated glasses were to be used for a Sri Lankan program on preventing blindness.
    四年前,Mathai女士因工作原因访问了斯里兰卡。访问期间有人问她是否愿意在美国收集旧眼镜。这些捐赠的眼镜被用于斯里兰卡一个预防失明的项目。

    "When I got that request, given I have a background in healthcare consulting in the U.S., I decided to take a look at the problem."
    “鉴于我具备在美国医疗保健咨询行业工作的背景,当我听到这个请求时我决定去了解一下这个问题。”

    She learned there was a great need in Sri Lanka. She says many people in the country have vision problems that go untreated because of the high cost of eye care services.
    她了解到斯里兰卡对此存在巨大需求。她说,该国许多人存在视力问题未得到治疗,因为眼科服务价格昂贵。

    Ms. Mathai notes a 2012 study.
    Mathai女士提到了2012年的一项研究。

    "In Sri Lanka 50 percent of the population lives on less than (one) dollar 82 cents a day, on average."
    她说,“斯里兰卡50%的人口平均每天的生活费用低于1美元82美分。”

    Eye glasses can cost between 50 and 100 U.S. dollars. So, they are out-of-reach to most of the population. But instead of recycling used glasses, Ms. Mathai took a different approach.
    眼镜价格在50到100美元之间,所以它超出了大多数人的能力范围。但是Mathai女士采用了不同的方法,而不是回收废旧眼镜。

    "I realized that it is actually possible to source new custom made eye glasses for just six US dollars."
    她说,“我认识到事实上可能能够以区区6美元的价格采购到全新定制眼镜。”

    A non-profit company gives the gift of eye care
    一家赠送眼科护理的非营利性公司

    Ashanthi Mathai founded So Others May See or SOMS. The non-profit company helps people who need eye care in Sri Lanka. To date, SOMS has helped about 24,000 adults with eye exams and new eye glasses.
    Mathai女士创建了So Others May See公司,简称SOMS。这家非营利性公司为斯里兰卡需要眼科护理的人们提供帮助。迄今为止,SOMS公司已经帮助大约2.4万人进行眼科检查并提供新的眼镜。

    So Others May See also partners with Sri Lanka's Ministry of Health to provide free eye care for children.
    So Others May See公司还联合斯里兰卡卫生部为儿童提供免费眼科护理。

    Dr. Asela Abeydeera is the Ministry's spokesperson. He says the three-year-old partnership has created many successful programs. One program sends mobile health centers to schools across Sri Lanka to carry out eye examinations. The service has changed the lives of the 900,000 students examined so far. He says some children are able to see the world again.
    Asela Abeydeera博士是该国卫生部发言人。他说,历时三年的合作伙伴关系已经创造了很多成功的项目。其中一个项目派遣移动医疗中心到斯里兰卡各地学校进行眼科检查。至今为止该服务已经改变了90万名接受过检查的学生的人生。他说,一些孩子能够重新看到世界。

    Ashanti Mathai says there is still more that needs to be done. She says she wants her non-profit, SOMS, to treat more complex cases and to prevent vision problems. She says she is also planning to expand the service to another part of the population. She says she wants to include people who may not be very poor but who still cannot afford to buy glasses.
    Mathai女士表示还有更多工作要做。她说,她希望她的非营利公司SMOS治疗更多复杂的病例并预防视力问题。她说,她还计划将此服务扩大到另一部分人口。她说,她希望将那些可能不是很穷但还是买不起眼镜的人囊括进来。

    Ms. Mathai understands how poor eyesight can affect a person's life. She has used reading glasses from an early age. That poor eyesight has given her clearer insight on a world where everyone can see.
    Mathai女士知道视力不佳会如何影响人的一生。她很早就开始戴阅读眼镜。这一视力不佳的情况让她对人人皆可看到这样一个世界具备更清晰的洞察力。

    I'm Anna Matteo.
    我是安娜·马特奥(Anna Matteo)。(51VOA.COM对本文翻译保留全部权利,未经授权请勿转载,违者必究!)