Doing Well By Doing Good　行善得福

Working together to overcome prejudice.
與愛滋病患並肩工作，克服偏見。

This time last year a young Thai woman called Narissarat was living in poverty, struggling to think of a reason to live. She was sick from HIV and nobody would give her a job because of her illness. Worse still, the other people in her village shunned her. They were so afraid of her disease that Narissarat thought she would die from loneliness.

去年的這個時候，有位名叫娜莉莎瑞特的年輕泰國女性活在貧困中，努力地想找出活下去的理由。她得了愛滋病，因為她的病，沒有人願意給他工作。更糟的是，她村子裡的其他人都躲著她，他們非常害怕她的疾病，娜莉莎瑞特認為自己會因為寂寞而死。

Just one year later, it's hard to believe that this is the same woman. Narissarat has a thriving picture framing business and is a picture of health. She says that many of the people who once shunned her are now her best customers. All thanks to a deceptively simple government program called "positive partnership".

過了一年後，簡直讓人不敢相信這是同一個女人，娜莉莎瑞特經營蓬勃發展的裱框事業，她的樣子非常健康。她說很多曾經閃躲她的人現在是她最好的顧客，這全都是因為一個讓人以為很簡單的政府計劃，名稱叫「積極的夥伴」﹙也有「愛滋帶原的夥伴」之意﹚。

This cleverly designed program offered Narissarat a $250 loan to start her own business. But she had to go into business with someone else in order to qualify for the loan. Also, her partner had to be someone who wasn't infected with HIV.

這個設計得很聰明的計劃，提供娜莉莎瑞特美金兩百五十元的貸款以開創她自己的事業，但是她必須和另一個人一起創業，才能獲得貸款資格。還有，她的合夥人必須是沒有感染愛滋的人。

Money is tight in Thailand and Narissarat had little problem finding a partner for her new picture framing business. The young man who became her business partner put aside his fears about HIV and began working alongside her. As the two worked together, he learned that many of his concerns about catching the disease were groundless.

在泰國很難貸到錢，娜莉莎瑞特輕易地為她的圖片裱框生意找到合夥人，成為她生意夥伴的這個年輕人把他對愛滋的恐懼放一邊，開始和她一起工作。當這兩個人一起工作時，他得知他對感染這種疾病的種種擔憂其實毫無根據。

In Thailand, people living with HIV/AIDS receive free medical care so they can lead long, healthy lives. But many of them suffer in isolation because of the stigma that comes with the disease. The 'positive partnership' program builds bridges for people with HIV, which allow them to live happily and healthily in their own communities.

在泰國，愛滋帶原者得到免費醫療，所以他們可以過長久、健康的人生，但是他們之中有很多人因為這種疾病的污名，受孤立之苦。「積極的夥伴」計劃為愛滋帶原者建立﹙人際關係的﹚橋樑，讓他們可以在自己的社區過著快樂、健康的生活。 ▲TOP
Focus    
be a picture of s/th …的樣子
The country cottage was a picture of peace and quiet.

all thanks to s/th 由於…的緣故
Our reunion was cancelled all thanks to someone forgetting to send out invitations. ▲TOP 熱門焦點   ‧ 糖也想要甜耶!!   各位網友大大覺得牛奶糖夠甜嗎?喜歡她就多來幫她推推吧!

Column    
1. prejudice [`prAPKdIs] n. 偏見
Prejudice was cited as the cause for the vandalism of a nearby religious school.

2. poverty [`pZvXtI] n. 貧困
Patty volunteered in neighborhoods affected by poverty and neglect.

3. struggle [`strOgT] v. 努力奮鬥
Her grandparents arrived in this country with nothing and struggled to succeed.

4. shun [BOn] v. 避開；迴避
Conservative groups shunned all movie theaters that showed the controversial film.

5. thriving [`LraIvIE] adj. 繁茂的；茁壯的
The children are thriving in the new school program due to the greater number of teachers working with them.

6. deceptively [dI`sAptIvlI] adj. 讓人誤以為…地
The pool is deceptively shallow despite its appearance. Don't dive in before testing how deep the water is.

7. positive [`pZzKtIv] adj. 陽性的；積極的
The driver tested positive for drinking alcohol and was charged with drunk driving.

8. qualify [`kwZlKˊfaI] v. 具備合格條件
In order to qualify for the contest, you must be a resident of England.

9. put aside v. chk. 放一邊
They put aside their differences so that they could work together more harmoniously.

10. groundless [`graUndlIs] adj. 無根據的；無理由的
The court threw out the case. His accusations against her were groundless.

11. isolation [ˊaIsT`eBKn] n. 孤獨；孤立
He worked in a remote lighthouse and often felt the isolation was too much for him.

12. stigma [`stIgmK] n. 污名
Children from mixed-race marriages sometimes face the stigma that comes from being different.