師尊呼籲：請繼續支持盧勝彥佈施基金會的善行
<2018年9月8日西雅圖雷藏寺秋季大法會貴賓盧勝彥佈施基金會總裁盧佛青博士致詞>
（文接第1232期第4版）
《Lotus Scholarship蓮花獎學金》
As many of you know, SYL Foundation began its Lotus scholarship program in 2015 to help immigrant and refugee students attend college. I’m pleased to introduce you to the 2018 Lotus Scholarship recipients that you are helping to turn dreams into reality. I’d like to share with you just one of the students’ journeys to America. Asha wrote this in her essay:
在場許多人應該都知道，盧勝彥佈施基金會從2015年開始實施蓮花獎學金計畫，以幫助移民和難民學生上大學。我很高興向您介紹2018年蓮花獎學金的受益者，您們大家正在幫助他們，將夢想實現。我想和你們分享一位非洲Kenya學生前來美國就讀的故事。Asha在她的文章中寫了以下的經歷．讓我來讀給大家聽：
I was born and raised in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, but my family originally came from Ethiopia. Life was not easy in Kakuma. The whole area is a desert, and most of the time people don’t have anything to eat. We slept on mats on the ground, leaving us exposed to snakes and scorpions. Nobody had strong homes with locking doors, so thieves could easily come inside our hut to ask for money. My uncle was killed in front of my eyes when he could not give a thief the money he asked for.
我在Kenya的Kakuma難民營出生長大。在Kakuma難民營的生活極為辛苦；整個地區都是沙漠，人們常常都沒有東西吃；我們睡在地面的墊子上，使我們時時暴露在蛇和蠍子的威脅中。這裡的房屋都不堅固，門也都沒有鎖，因此小偷可以任意地進入我們的房子索取物品。我目睹了我的叔叔，因無法給小偷所要求的錢，而被殺害。
Once, I was bit on my knee by a scorpion. I almost died, but I was lucky, because someone took me to the hospital. Even after taking medicine, I was not able to walk straight, but the doctors didn’t give up on me. They kept trying until I was able to move my leg. The patience and determination of the doctors inspired me deeply.
曾經有一次我的膝蓋被蠍子螫了一下，我差點死去。但我很幸運，因為有人帶我去醫院，但即使在服藥後，我還是無法正常行走，但醫生們一直努力，直到我能夠移動我的腿，醫生的耐心和決心深深地感動與激勵著我。
Though we didn’t have a good life, I never gave up on my education. I went to school on an empty stomach. More than once on the way to school, I was assaulted and beaten up by people who didn’t believe that girls should be allowed to attend school. Most of the girls I knew were raped and beaten if they were seen going to school. Every day when I left home, all I could think about was whether or not I would make it back safely. Some of my friends decided to drop out of school and get married off, but I knew I should stay and continue my education.
雖然我沒有好日子過，但我從未放棄我的教育。我空著肚子去上學，在上學的路上不止一次，遭到那些反對女生上學的人的毆打和攻擊；我所認識的大多數女孩如果被看到上學，就會被強姦或毆打。我每天擔心我是否能安全地回家。有些同學因此決定輟學並結婚，但我內心知道我應該繼續上學讀書。
In 2015, my family found out we would have a chance to come to the United States. I started going to Franklin High School and participated in many activities, like the Youth Job Readiness Training program at ReWA. As a member of College Access Now and ReWA’s Post-Secondary Success Program, I am learning how to be prepared for college. My dream is to pursue a career in health care. When I was bit by the scorpion in Kakuma, I wasn’t sure if I would ever walk properly again. The doctors who saved my life went above and beyond to make sure I could walk. Their determination has stuck with me and drives me to pursue a healthcare education. I hope to become a nurse one day.
2015年，我的家人得知我們有機會來美國。我開始去Franklin高中上學，並參加了很多活動，身為College Access Now和ReWA機構的成員，我正在學習如何為上大學做好準備。我追求的夢想是以醫療照顧做為我的事業，原因是，當我在Kakuma被蠍子螫到時挽救我生命的醫生堅持治療到我可以走路，他們對我不放棄的決心，一直驅動著我，去就讀醫學教育，希望有一天，我能成為一名護士！
（未完待續）
