ENGLISH LISTENING MATERIALS

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Title: Papua New Guinea Makes Gains in AIDS Battle but Faces Challenges
(News, report)
Source: www.voanews.com, re-upload by @2011_www.haarrr.wordpress.com;
intended to use for English learners in Indonesia.
A. Transcripts:
PAPUA NEW GUINEA MAKES GAINS IN AIDS BATTLE BUT FACES
CHALLENGES
Papua New Guinea, facing a general AIDS epidemic, has slowed the virus spread as
education programs and a marked increase in health facilities conducting HIV tests
among pregnant women have had an impact.
The stepped up surveillance has allowed for a downward revision in new AIDS cases to
around one per cent of the population, or about 35,000, with most cases in urban areas of
this country which occupies the eastern half of the Pacific island of New Guinea.
In 2009 the AIDS death toll stood at 1,300. A combination of drug and alcohol abuse as
well as multiple sex partners and gender-based violence has contributed to the diseases
spread.
UNAIDS, a joint United Nations program on HIV/AIDS, says the evidence points to a
leveling off in new cases in Papua New Guinea, marking substantial progress over recent
years.
But Murray Proctor, HIV/AIDS ambassador from the Australian Agency for International
Development, says the challenge for Papua New Guinea is ensuring prevention programs
are sustained.
"The challenge is still though to get the prevention message across to high risk groups and
differently in different places. In Papua New Guinea you have 1.0 per cent prevalence and
its mainly heterosexual," said Proctor. "In other parts of East Asia its injecting drug
users and increasingly men who have sex with men."
But concerns remain. Rising numbers of babies are being born HIV positive. Linda John,
an AIDS advocate diagnosed with HIV in 2004, says too many pregnant women refuse to
take prenatal HIV tests. A woman found to be HIV positive can access antiretroviral
medications and prevent mother to child transmission.

"Mothers are given choices to do the HIV test or not,' she said. "Some mothers refuse to
do the test. But its important to consider the child that is in the mothers womb because
the child also has the right. What if the mother is infected and if she doesnt want to hear
her status? This is a high risk in transmitting the virus to the child and thats one of the
challenges seen in Papua New Guinea. After the delivery mothers are rushing the baby to
the clinic and they are diagnosed as HIV positive, and its too late."
But fewer than three per cent of HIV-positive pregnant women in Papua New Guinea
receive anti-retroviral medications.
John says more women need to have greater access to legal rights and there have to be
steps to end domestic violence.
Papua New Guineas churches and faith-based organizations are also involved in
HIV/AIDS programs aimed at reducing stigmatization and discrimination.
Eddie Kekea, an AIDS counselor at the Anglican Church division of Education, based in
the Papua New Guinea capital of Port Moresby, says a challenge is changing male
behavior to curb domestic violence and promote safe sex.
"We have one strategic plan through a framework by UNAIDS. But as far as I am
concerned the behavior change in men is progressing at a slower rate; and its a challenge
not only to the churches but to other civil societies as well," said Kekea.
Kekea says the churches themselves have succeeded in dealing with stigma and
discrimination within their own organizations and have integrated HIV programs that
have led to a better understanding of the impact of AIDS on both individuals and
communities.
***
(Link to download audio-mp3:
http://www.ziddu.com/download/14485879/audio_Papua_New_Guinea_Makes_Gains_in_AIDS_Battle_bu
t_Faces_Challenges_from_voanews_02Apr11.mp3.html)

B. Sample of Exercises (for Indonesian students)

Pronunciation Drills:
1. Papua New Guinea
2. gender-based violence
3. United Nations
4. UNAIDS
5. HIV/AIDS
6. (added by teacher)

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