VOA慢速英語:印度的媽媽們參加同伴支持組織后她們的小孩受益良多

New research in India shows that children eat better when their mothers have more power, more education and are able to move about freely in the communities.

最新研究證明在印度媽媽們?nèi)绻懈嗟臋嗬?，受更好的教育并且可以自由在社區(qū)活動，這樣她們的孩子吃的會相對好一點。

Researchers found that women who joined a job skills training program sought more in control at home and in their families, and children of these women ate more rice and dairy foods.

研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)參加過相關工作技能培訓的女人在家里會尋求更多的權利，這些人的孩子會吃更多的米飯和奶制品。

A program in southern India is called Mahila Samakhya. It brings women together to form local support groups. Researchers at the University of Illinois questioned if and how these groups effected the women's sense of themselves and their positions in the family.

印度南部有個組織叫做Mahila Samakhya。它組織女人團結(jié)起來建立了相互支持團隊。伊利諾伊大學的研究人員們質(zhì)疑是否這些團隊會影響女性自身的意識和在她們家庭中的地位，如果是的話，那又如何影響。

Kathy Baylis is an economist at the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois. She led the study.

凱蒂貝麗思是伊利諾伊大學，農(nóng)業(yè)，消費與環(huán)境科學學院的一位經(jīng)濟學家，她領導這次研究。

Ms Baylis says that before joining the peer groups, the women knew fewer than five other women who they were not related to. Ms Baylis adds that many of them did not know the possibilities for women in work and in family life.

貝麗思女士表示在加入這個同伴組織之前，這些女性認識的不相關女性少于5人。另外很多人對于工作和生活中許多的可能性也知之甚少。

She reads some of the comments from these women that show this way of thinking: "Before I was in the peer group, I didn't know I could stand up to my husband. I didn't know I could work outside the home or work outside the farm. I didn't know women were doctors and lawyers, etc., etc."

她讀了一些女人的評論，她們是這樣想的：“在我參加同伴組織之前，我不知道我還可以挺起腰板來面對我的丈夫。我不知道我可以離開家庭離開農(nóng)場去參加工作。我不知道女人還可以做醫(yī)生，做律師等等。”

Experts say 40 percent of Indian children under age five suffer from underfeeding. But Ms Baylis says, involvement in the support groups, led the women to provide better foods for their children.

專家稱40%5歲以下的印度兒童都營養(yǎng)不良。但是貝麗思女士表示參加同伴組織使得女性可以為她們的孩子提供更好的食物。

Researchers visited the homes of those involved in the groups. They created a simple measuring process. They brought different size food bowls, and asked the mothers which size bowls they were using.

研究人員拜訪了一些參加同伴組織的女性。他們創(chuàng)造了一種簡單的測量方法。他們帶來不同大小的餐具并且詢問媽媽們她們在用哪種。

"And instead of trying to get people to recall exact number of cups or etc. that they were feeding their kids, we went and asked how many of these size bowls did your different kids get fed of rice and of dal and of various dairy products," said Baylis.

“我們并不是想讓媽媽們回憶她們孩子在用的餐具確切的型號，而是想知道不同孩子用相關型號的餐具會吃幾碗米飯，喝幾碗湯，吃多少奶制品。”

Researchers confirmed that the children were eating better based on the size of bowl the mothers used. They found that girls especially started eating more.

研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)孩子們吃的更好是基于媽媽們使用碗的規(guī)格。他們發(fā)現(xiàn)尤其女孩們吃的更多了。

Ms Baylis says the women also began to resist physical abuse from their husbands. The women threatened to report the violence of these men unless they stopped.

貝麗思女士說這些女性開始抵抗來自丈夫的家庭暴力。她們威脅會舉報丈夫的暴力，除非他們停手。

The study is one of the first to show the effectiveness of Mahila Samakhya on female empowerment. The Indian central government established the program in 1995.

這次研究是Mahila Samakhya對女性賦予權利有效性的第一步。印度中央政府在1995年建立的這個組織。

A similar program in Bangladesh - SHOUHARDO has also had success. SHOUHARDO is the Bangla word for friendship. The non-profit organization CARE administer SHOUHARDO along with the Bangla government and US government's Food For Peace program.

在孟加拉國也有個類似的組織叫SHOUHARDO。也取得一定勝利。SHOUHARDO孟加拉語的意思是友誼。美國援外合作組織(簡稱CARE)，孟加拉國政府和美國糧食換和平計劃署共同管理SHOUHARDO。

That's all from the Health Report. Stay tuned for more programme from VOA Learning English.

這就是健康報道的全部內(nèi)容。歡迎繼續(xù)收聽美國之音英語教學的更多相關報道。
（本文由chinavoa.com翻譯整理）