The Desert Flower: Waris Dirie

Goats cabras
Sheep oveja
Harmed perjudicados
Dirty sucio
Rusty oxidado
Knife cuchillo
Blade hoja
Struggle lucha
partners socios
circumcision circuncision
The program talked about the life of Waris Dirie
When she was young she was part of a nomad tribe in Somalia. Her father wanted
forcing her to marry an old man. But Waris did not want marry, she wanted to travel,
she wanted to be famous.
Waris means "desert flower". A desert flower can live and grow where nothing else can.
This name describes Waris Dirie well. She has survived many bad times and situations.
Waris achieved escape with the help of her mother for no marry, his father followed her
but she ran very fast. She escapes as her sister. She traveled to Mogadishu to her sister
s house, and then she traveled to London. She started to work in M.C. Donalds
restaurant. Then a photographer ask her to be a model and she accepted, prompt very
famous brands as LOreal, Levis, Revlon, and Chanel wanted to work with her.
She was very famous and she decided to talk about the female circumcision.
The World Health Organization estimates 150 million women are affected by female
circumcision. This is most common in 23 African countries. But it also happens in other
parts of the world, including Western countries.
These women have had their external sex organs removed. These are the sex organs
on the outside of the body. After they are removed, the opening is sewn closed.
The instruments are not clean and these women have problems during the menstruation,
they can have sons but it is dangerous, usually these women die.
Waris was circumcised when she was only five years old. She felt pain. The families of
Africa believe which they prevent the girls from having sexual partners before marriage
with the circumcised.
People all around the world heard about female circumcision because of Waris Dirie.
Waris also started The Desert Flower Foundation. The foundation concentrates on
telling people about the dangers of female circumcision. In 1998, Waris wrote a book
called Desert Flower. She told her story of struggle, success, and help. Her book
Desert Flower was a bestseller. Millions of people bought the book. It was also made
into a movie
Blue Heart Against Slavery
Slavery esclavitud
built up

encourage fomentar
witnesses testigos
among entre
shaming vergenza
property propiedad
damages daos
frightened asustado
laws leyes
The program talked about the Blue Heart Campaign.
This movement teaches people about the problem human trafficking and modern
slavery. The organizers chose the symbol of Blue Heart. Blue is often the color of
sadness. So the blue heart represents the sadness of the slaves. The Campaign reports
that more than 80 percent of slaves are girls and women. And more than 25 percent
are children. Some slaves work in homes caring for children and cleaning. Other slaves
are forced to work in factories or on farms as the story of Kevin and Peter. They were
poor, they had no a home and one day they met with Edgar. They traveled to other
country and they met to Jim. But in the new country things did not go well. The men
worked at people homes doing building jobs. Edga
r did not pay the men enough money. They worked for many hours every day. They
lived in poor conditions. They achieved escape and Edgar went to the jail. Now they live
with the protection of police. But there are worse ways of slavery: the sexual slavery.
These women are treated as property or sex objects as the story of Maria, Maria
became friend to Sofia and she decided travel with Sofia for make much money but
Sofia took to Maria and gave her to a man who forced her to have sex. Then, she
worked in a restaurant where the men forced her to have sex. Then, Maria went to
dance in a dancing house and her fathers brother visited the house and recognized
Maria.
They rescued to Maria. Sofia went to the jail but the police did not charge Sofias
partner, the man who forced Maria to have sex. The organizers of the Blue Heart
Campaign shared Marias story on their website. The Blue Heart Campaign is organizing
for better laws against slavery. But they are also encouraging normal people to learn
about slavery in their own countries. They encourage all people to protect the victims,
and future victims of this crime. Wearing a blue heart symbol is only the beginning. We
have to work for eliminate the slavery.
Building Better Food
Field campo
looks out over
A farmer stands at the edge of his field. He looks out over the growing corn. This
farm has belonged to his family for years. His grandfather grew corn on this land.

But the farmer is not at peace. His corn is not healthy. There are insects eating the
corn before it is ready for harvest. The farmer might not have much corn to sell this
year. This farmer must make a choice. He must decide whether or not he will grow
a different kind of corn next year. It is a special kind of corn. Insects will not eat it.
It will grow stronger, faster, and produce more corn.
Voice 1
The farmer decides to grow the new corn. This may seem like a simple choice.
However, this new kind of corn has problems too. Todays Spotlight is on these new
kinds of crops. They are called GMOs.
Voice 2
A GMO is a genetically modified organism. GMOs are plants that have been
changed, using science. Scientists change the genetics of the plant to try to fix
problems or make it a better crop.
Voice 1
GMOs often are resistant to diseases and insects. Scientists change the plants so
that common insects will not eat the plants. And the plants can also resist common
diseases. Sometimes more of the desired crop will come from one seed.
Voice 2
For example, in India, scientists planted two pieces of land with cotton. They
planted one field with seeds of traditional cotton. They planted the other field with
seeds of GMO cotton. The land and the care for the plants were exactly the same.
At harvest time, the GMO cotton produced 87 percent more cotton than the
traditional seeds.
Voice 1
They had also changed the GMO cotton to resist bollworms. Bollworms often eat
cotton crops in India. Farmers need to treat GMO cotton plants for bollworm much
less often. This means that farmers need fewer chemicals to grow the GMO cotton.
These chemicals are very strong and sometimes dangerous. When farmers use
fewer chemicals, it is better for the environment. It is also better for the farmers
health.
Voice 2
GMOs also need less fertilizer. Fertilizer helps plants grow bigger and produce
more. But using too much fertilizer is also bad for the environment. The extra
fertilizer goes into the rivers and lakes near the farms. This can cause damage to
fish and water environments.

Voice 1
There is one more good thing about GMO crops. Scientists can design them to have
higher nutrition. The crops can have more healthy substances than traditional
crops. Sometimes, they can also grow in worse conditions, in places where
traditional crops would not grow. Increasing the food value of crops is important to
poor nations. People in nations suffering from hunger could grow healthier grains or
better vegetables. This would mean better health for the people living there.
Voice 2
Each kind of GMO crop is created for a particular need. For example, scientists in
Switzerland created golden rice. It prevents Vitamin A deficiency. When people do
not get enough Vitamin A, they become blind. Golden rice is cooked and eaten like
regular white rice. However it provides people with vitamin A not found in white
rice.
Voice 1
There are many reasons that large companies and small organizations are
developing GMOs. However, many other experts do not think that GMOs will help
solve hunger and environmental problems. Greenpeace is a global environmental
organization. It says on its website,
Lack of food is not the cause of hunger around the world. Political problems and
failures are the cause. World hunger has an estimated one billion victims. In other
words, more food does not always mean fewer hungry people.
Voice 2
Just as GMOs have many good things, there are also serious concerns about them.
For example, farmers in the United States often grow GMO corn and soybeans.
However the GMO plants do not always produce more corn and soybeans.
Sometimes they even produce less than traditional crops. The GMO seeds cost
farmers a lot more money. This means that the farmer pays more for seeds with no
improvement in his harvest.
Voice 1
Another reason experts are concerned about GMOs is the companies that make the
seeds. The largest GMO seed company is Monsanto. They engineer 90 percent of
all GMO seeds. This means that Monsanto owns these seeds. Monsanto sells them
at any price they decide. This also means that a farmer cannot save his seeds.
Saving seeds is a traditional way of preparing for next years planting. But
Monsanto does not permit this tradition. Farmers have to buy new seeds each year
from them.

Voice 2
Sometimes a farmer growing traditional seeds has a farm next to a farm growing
GMO seeds. The two crops are growing side by side. In the growing season the
plants release their pollen. This powder comes from the plants to help them create
new seeds. Sometimes the wind will blow pollen from one farm to the other. This
means that the GMO pollen will affect the traditional farmers plants. Some of his
traditional plants might change to be more like the GMO plants.
Voice 1
In the past, Monsanto has taken these traditional farmers to court. They want the
farmer to pay because some of his plants are like the GMO plants. The farmer has
done nothing to cause this change. The wind simply blew the pollen across the
fields. Monsanto is a big, powerful company. They often win this battle. The small
farmer must pay a lot of money to Monsanto. Sometimes it is all the money they
have.
Voice 2
GMO plants can sometimes help farmers. They can be healthier, and better for the
environment. But there are many concerns. Nature has not created GMO plants.
They could create environmental problems in the future. This is especially true
when big companies like Monsanto are selling them.
Voice 1
Farmers must decide what they think is the best choice for them, the environment,
and the world. Do you support the use of traditional crops, or GMO crops? What do
you choose to eat? Share your ideas on our website at http://www.radioenglish.net.