CRI英语听力2012年03月合辑（文本）：CHILDREN-OF-MIGRANT-WORKERS-TO-BENEFIT-FROM-FOOD-INITIATIVE.doc

1、Children of migrant workers have long been the focus of public attention in China, due to this groups embarrassingly vulnerable state and their disadvantaged position within society. As they migrate with their parents into the cities, they often encounter problems entering the citys kindergartens an

2、d schools. But for those who are left behind in rural areas, there are many other issues, including that of food, which have aroused the concern of nutrition experts, relevant school authorities and corporations that want to give a helping hand. CRIs Xu Fei has more.A forum that discussed ways in wh

3、ich to improve the nutrition of migrant workers children living in the countryside was held in Beijing on Wednesday.At the forum, one particular initiative, referred to as the spring sprout nutrition project, sponsored jointly by the China National Committee for the Wellbeing of the Youth and the Am

4、way Charity Foundation, is widely believed to be one of the nations model projects for improving the food situation of those children who are left behind by migrant worker parents in the poverty-stricken countryside of central and western parts of the country.As part of the project, hundreds of well

5、-equipped school kitchens have been built, with kitchen managers and professionals providing students with safe and nutritional food.Ma Jun, a researcher on childrens and teenagers health from Peking Universitys School of Public Health, believes that the project will exert a far-reaching influence.T

6、hrough the management and operation of such kitchens, particularly in relation to the establishment of relevant rules, a specific model for managing school dining halls will be established which will effectively prevent students from having to consume inferior-quality food or even worse, suffer from

7、 food poisoning.Since the project was launched in June last year, a total of 300 kitchens have been built in boarding schools located in relatively impoverished areas within Chongqing municipality, the provinces of Shaanxi, Hebei, Hubei and Anhui, and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.According to Li

8、n Wei, an official with the Shaanxi provincial level committee for the wellbeing of the youth, around 43,000 students from 95 schools located across six impoverished counties have benefited from the project so far. Lin drew specific attention to the case of a primary school in Zhulinguan Town, Danfe

9、ng County.The school had been flooded before the aid project was carried out, and the school kitchen had been destroyed as a result. At this crucial moment, as the school came under immense strain, the Amway Charity Foundation helped build a new kitchen for the school and donated all the necessary k

10、itchen facilities, enabling the children to enjoy a rich variety of food choices.Li Yvjiang is a student from a middle school in Fuping County, in central Shaanxi province, which has benefited from the scheme. He is excited about the changes that have taken place following the construction of a new

11、kitchen in his school.In the past, without a school kitchen, we had to go to town to buy food and take it back to school to eat. Its more convenient now, as we have a kitchen on the campus, and we are more than satisfied with the quality of meals provided to us. And the best thing about it all, once

12、 we tell the school authorities what we want to eat, the students requests are always granted. Now, we can even eat Jiaozi dumplings in our school!As China undergoes rapid economic and social development, reports on the condition of migrant workers children who have to suffer from tainted food sourc

13、es or tedious food choices as a result of their being left behind are still common within todays press. In a bid to solve this issue, the Amway Charity Foundation announced another 20 million yuan worth of investment during the forum, which will go towards the construction of 400 school kitchens in the provinces of Hubei and Henan and the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region during 2012.To date, there are 58 million children of migrant workers living in Chinas rural areas.For CRI, Im Xu Fei.