How to turn your dissatisfaction into action | Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Judy Huang

Sometimes,

有時，

you have a negative feeling about things.

你會對事物有負面的感受。

You're not happy about the way things are going.

你會對事情的發展感到不悅。

You feel frustrated and dissatisfied,

你覺得很挫折、不滿，

and so often, we choose to live with it.

而我們通常都會選擇接受它。

It's a negative that we tell ourselves we have to endure.

告訴自己必須要忍耐 其實是很負面的。

And yet, I passionately believe

但，我非常堅信，

that we all have the ability

我們每個人都有能力

to turn that negative feeling

可以將那種負面的感受

into a positive

轉為正面，

by allowing our dissatisfaction

只要我們能讓我們的不滿

to give birth to change.

促成改變。

On January 6, 1999,

1999 年一月六日，

I was working in London

我在倫敦工作，

when the news channels began to report

新聞台開始報導

the rebel invasion of my hometown,

叛軍入侵我的家鄉，

Freetown, Sierra Leone.

獅子山共和國的自由城。

Thousands of people lost their lives,

數以千計的人喪生，

and there were bodies littering the streets of Freetown.

自由城的街上屍橫遍野。

My husband's elderly aunt was burned alive,

我丈夫的年長姑姑被活活燒死。

and I thought of my own two-year old

當我看到孩子被截肢的影像時，

as I saw images of little children with amputated limbs.

我的心掛念著我自己的兩歲孩子。

Colleagues said to me,

同事對我說：

"How could we help?"

「我們能如何幫忙？」

I didn't know,

我不知道，

so I began to call the telephone numbers that came up on my screen

於是我開始撥打 我螢幕上的電話號碼，

as international aid agencies started to make appeals

因為國際援助機構開始求助，

to raise money to address the tragedy.

希望能募款來處理這個悲劇。

The vagueness of those telephone conversations disappointed me.

通話內容十分模糊， 讓我感到很失望。

It felt like the people who were raising the money

感覺起來，那些在募款的人

seemed so far removed from the crisis,

似乎離危機很遙遠，

and understandably so,

這是可理解的。

but I wasn't satisfied

但我並不滿意，

and I wasn't convinced

也沒有被說服，

that the interventions they would eventually implement

他們最終會實施的干預方式

would actually have the level of impact that was so clearly needed.

能夠真正產生出 大家明顯需要的影響。

There were butterflies in my stomach for days

好幾天我都一直感到神經緊張，

as I continued to watch horrors unfold on television,

因為我持續在電視上 看到恐怖不斷散佈，

and I continuously asked myself,

我也持續問我自己：

what could I be doing?

我能做什麼？

What should I be doing?

我應該做什麼？

What I wanted to do was to help children affected by the war.

我想要做的是協助 被戰爭影響到的兒童。

So that's what we did.

所以我們就去做了。

Myself, my sister and some friends

我和我的姐妹及一些朋友

started the Sierra Leone War Trust For Children, SLWT.

創立了獅子山共和國 兒童戰爭信託基金，SLWT。

We decided to focus on the thousands of displaced people

我們決定把焦點放在 數以千計被迫遷離的人，

that fled the fighting

他們逃離了戰爭，

and were now living in really poor, difficult conditions

現在在自由城難民營的生活條件

in camps in Freetown.

非常貧窮、艱苦。

Our work started with the Ross Road Camp

我們的工作從羅斯路難民營開始，

at the east end of the city.

那是在城市的東邊。

Working with a local health organization,

我們和當地的健康組織合作，

we identified about 130 of the most vulnerable single mothers

找出了大約一百三十名 最弱勢的單親媽媽，

with children under the age of five,

孩子在五歲以下。

supporting them by providing business skills,

我們支援她們的方式 包括提供商業技能、

microcredit,

小額貸款，

whatever they asked us.

及她們的其他請求。

Working in those difficult conditions,

在那些艱困的條件下工作，

just getting the basics right, was no small task,

光是要把最基本的做好就不容易，

but our collective sense of dissatisfaction

但我們無法接受現狀，

at an unacceptable status quo

這種集體的不滿意感，

kept us focused on getting things done.

讓我們能一直專注在把事情完成。

Some of those women went on to open small businesses,

這些女子當中有一些 後來去做小生意，

repaid their loans

償還了她們的貸款，

and allowed other mothers and their children

讓其他母親和她們的孩子

to have the same opportunity they did.

能得到和她們一樣的機會。

And we, we kept on going.

而我們，我們繼續走下去。

In 2004, we opened an agricultural training center

2004 年，我們開了一間農業訓練中心，

for ex-child soldiers,

對象是前兒童兵，

and when the war was behind us,

已經度過了戰爭之後，

we started a scholarship program for disadvantaged girls

我們設立了一個獎學金方案，

對象是若沒有這個方案 就無法繼續上學的弱勢女孩。

who would otherwise not be able to continue in school.

Today, Stella, one of those girls,

現在，其中一位女孩，史黛拉，

is about to qualify as a medical doctor.

即將要取得醫生的資格。

It's amazing what a dose of dissatisfaction can birth.

一劑「不滿」能夠 孕育出的結果很驚人。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Ten years later, in 2014,

十年後，2014 年，

Sierra Leone was struck by Ebola.

獅子山共和國被伊波拉襲擊。

I was working in Freetown at the time on a hotel construction project on May 25

五月二十五日，我在自由城

參與一項飯店建造計畫時，

when the first cases were announced,

第一個病例被宣佈了，

but I was back in London on July 30

但七月三十日宣佈緊急狀態時，

when the state of emergency was announced,

我人則是在倫敦，

the same day that many airlines stopped their flights to Sierra Leone.

同一天，許多航空公司取消了 前往獅子山共和國的班機。

I remember crying for hours,

我記得我哭了好幾個小時，

asking God, why this? Why us?

我問上帝，為什麼發生這種事？

為什麼是我們？

But beyond the tears,

但在淚水之外，

I began to feel again

我開始再次感受到

that profound sense of dissatisfaction.

深深的不滿意感。

So when, six months after those first cases had been confirmed,

所以，在第一個確診案例 出現之後六個月，

the disease was still spreading rapidly in Sierra Leone

疾病仍然在獅子山 共和國內快速擴散，

and the number of people infected and dying continued to rise,

感染人數及死亡人數不斷攀升，

my level of frustration and anger

我的挫折感和怒火強到 讓我清楚知道

got so much that I knew I could not stay

我無法在獅子山外面坐視這場危機。

and watch the crisis from outside Sierra Leone.

So, in mid-November,

所以，十一月中，

I said goodbye to my much loved

我向深愛且很諒解我的 丈夫及孩子道別，

and very understanding husband and children,

and boarded a rather empty plane

登上空盪盪的飛機，前往自由城。

to Freetown.

Freetown was now the epicenter of the outbreak.

自由城現在是疫情爆發的中心。

There were hundreds of new cases every week.

每週都有數百個新增確診案例。

I spoke to many medical experts,

我每天都和許多醫療專家、

epidemiologists

流行病學家，以及一般人談。

and ordinary people every day.

Everyone was really scared.

每個人都很害怕。

"We won't succeed until we're talking to people under the mango tree."

尤提醫生說：「在我們 還沒有到芒果樹下

和人民談這件事之前， 我們不可能成功。」

So said Dr. Yoti,

a Ugandan doctor who worked for WHO

他是為世界衛生組織 工作的烏干達醫生，

and who had been involved in pretty much every Ebola outbreak

他幾乎參與了非洲過去 每一次伊波拉疫情爆發。

in Africa previously.

He was right,

他說的沒錯，

and yet there was no plan to make that happen.

但卻沒有任何能實現 這一點的相關計畫。

So during a weekend in early December,

所以，在十二月初的一個週末，

I developed a plan that became known as the Western Area Surge plan.

我想出了一個計畫，就是後來 大家所知的「西區湧浪」計畫。

We needed to talk with people,

我們必須要和人民交談，

not at people.

而不是對他們說。

We needed to work with the community influencers

我們必須要和社區中 有影響力的人合作，

so people believed our message.

大家才會相信我們的訊息。

We needed to be talking under the mango tree,

我們必須要能夠在芒果樹下談，

not through loudspeakers.

而不是透過擴音器來談。

And we needed more beds.

且我們需要更多床。

The National Ebola Response Center, NERC,

全國伊波拉疫情應變中心（NERC）

built on and implemented that plan,

把那個計畫發揚光大並實際推動，

and by the third week of January,

到了一月的第三週，

the number of cases had fallen dramatically.

確診病例數大大下降。

I was asked to serve

我被邀請接任 NERC 的計畫主任，

as a new Director of Planning for NERC,

which took me right across the country,

這份差事讓我橫越整個國家，

trying to stay ahead of the outbreak

試圖搶先疫情一步，

but also following it

同時也要跟隨疫情，

to remote villages in the provinces

我到過各省的偏遠村落，

as well as to urban slum communities.

也到過都市的貧民社區。

On one occasion, I got out of my car

有一次，我離開我的車

to call for help for a man who had collapsed on the road.

為一個倒在路邊的男子求救。

I accidentally stepped in liquid

我不小心踩踏到

從他躺著的地方流到路上的液體。

that was coming down the road from where he lay.

I rushed to my parents' house,

我趕到我父母家中，

washed my feet in chlorine.

用氯清洗我的腳。

I'll never forget waiting for that man's test results

我永遠無法忘記等候 那名男子檢測結果的經歷，

as I constantly checked my temperature then and throughout the outbreak.

那時以及整個疫情期間 我都不斷在量體溫。

The Ebola fight was probably the most challenging

這場對抗伊波拉之戰 可能是我人生中

最困難也最有收穫的經歷，

but rewarding experience of my life,

and I'm really grateful

我真的很感激

for the dissatisfaction

因為不滿意而讓我找到了

that opened up the space

可以去付出、去服務的空間。

for me to serve.

Dissatisfaction can be a constant presence in the background,

不滿意的感覺有可能 經常一直藏在背景中，

or it can be sudden,

也可能突然出現，由事件觸發。

triggered by events.

Sometimes it's both.

有時，兩者皆是。

With my hometown, that's the way it was.

我家鄉的情況就是如此。

For years, our city had changed,

這些年來，我們的城市已改變了，

and it had caused me great pain.

讓我感到相當痛苦。

I remember a childhood

我記得童年時，

growing up climbing trees,

我在成長過程會爬樹，

picking mangoes and plums

去採芒果和李子，

on the university campus where my father was a lecturer.

我爸爸在大學當講師， 那些樹就在那校園中。

Went fishing in the streams deep in the botanical gardens.

去植物園深處的小溪釣魚。

The hillsides around Freetown were covered with lush green vegetation,

自由城的山坡上

佈滿蒼翠繁茂的植被，

and the beaches were clean and pristine.

海灘很乾淨清新未受污染。

The doubling of the population of Freetown in the years that followed the civil war,

在內戰之後的幾年 自由城人口增加了一倍，

and the lack of planning and building control

再加上缺乏規劃和建築管制，

resulted in massive deforestation.

導致森林被大量砍伐。

The trees, the natural beauty, were destroyed as space was made

樹木、自然之美都被摧毀，

為正式及非正式的新社區創造出空間，

for new communities, formal or informal,

and for the cutting down of firewood.

砍下的樹木也用作生火木柴。

I was deeply troubled and dissatisfied.

我深感煩擾及不滿意。

It wasn't just the destruction of the trees and the hillsides

讓我不舒服的不僅是 樹木和山坡被摧毀。

that bothered me.

還有人的影響，

It was also the impact of people,

as infrastructure failed to keep up with the growth of the population:

因為基礎設施跟不上人口的成長：

no sanitation systems to speak of,

比如，沒有衛生系統，

a dirty city with typhoid, malaria and dysentery.

城市很骯髒，有傷寒、 瘧疾，以及痢疾。

I didn't know the statistics at the time,

我當時不知道統計數據，

but it turned out that by 2017,

但結果發現，到 2017 年，

only six percent of liquid waste and 21 percent of solid waste

只有 6% 的液態廢物 和 21% 的固態廢物

被收集起來處理。

was being collected.

The rest was right there with us,

其他的都和我們在一起，

in backyards, in fields, rivers

在後院、在田中、在河裡，

and deposited in the sea.

沉積在海洋裡。

The steps to address that deep sense of anger and frustration I felt

處理我心中深刻憤怒 和挫折感的步驟

didn't unfold magically or clearly.

並沒有神奇或清楚地自行浮現。

That's not how the power of dissatisfaction works.

不滿意的力量並不是這麼運作的。

It works when you know that things can be done better,

要讓它發揮作用，你必須要 知道事情可以做得更好，

and it works when you decide to take the risks to bring about that change.

且你必須要下決心 去承擔風險以帶來改變。

And so it was that in 2017

所以，2017 年，

I ended up running for mayor,

我最後決定去參選市長，

because I knew things could be better.

因為我知道情況可以更好。

It seemed the people agreed with me, because I won the election.

人民似乎認同我，因為我當選了。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Today, we are implementing an ambitious plan

現今，我們正在進行一項大膽計畫，

to transform our city,

要轉變我們的城市，

and when I say we,

讓我很興奮的一點是，

what gets me really excited

當我說「我們」，

is that I mean the whole Freetown community,

我指的是整個自由城的人， 同心協力一起參與，

whether it's being part of competitions like rewarding the neighborhood

不論是參與有獎賞的

鄰里整體清潔改善競賽，

that makes the most improvement in overall cleanliness,

or whether it's our programs

或者用我們的方案，

that are leading and joining people and waste collectors

讓人民和廢棄物收集商

透過我們的應用程式連結起來。

through our apps.

In Freetown today,

現今的自由城

it's a much cleaner city,

是個更乾淨許多的城市，

and those trees that we're so well known for,

我們的樹木也很出名，

we planted 23,000 of them last rainy season.

我們在上次雨季時種了 兩萬三千棵樹木。

(Applause)

2020 年（掌聲），

And in 2020,

我們計畫要種植一百萬棵樹木，

we plan to plant a million trees as part of our "Freetown the Tree Town" campaign.

這是「自由城樹木城」 活動的一部分。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Sometimes, sometimes we have a negative feeling about things.

有時我們對事物會有負面的感受。

We're not happy about the way things are going.

我們對事情的發展感到不悅。

We feel dissatisfied,

我們覺得不滿意，

and we feel frustrated.

覺得很挫折。

We can change that negative into a positive.

我們可能把那種 負面的感覺轉為正面。

If you believe that things can be better,

如果你相信情況可以變得更好，

then you have the option to do something rather than to do nothing.

那麼你就可以選擇做點什麼，

而不是什麼都不做。

The scale and circumstances of our situations will differ,

我們可能會遇到 不同的規模和不同的情況，

but for each of us,

但我們每個人

we all have one thing in common.

都有一個共通點。

We can take risks to make a difference,

我們可以承擔風險，造成不同，

and I will close in saying,

最後，我要說：

step out,

站出來，

take a risk.

承擔風險，

If we can unite behind the power of dissatisfaction,

如果在不滿意的力量之下 我們能夠團結起來，

the world will be a better place.

世界會變得更美好。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）