In April, Jackline Oyamo, 31, was laid off from her job as an electronic sales assistant at a shop in Kibera, one of the world’s largest slums (贫民窟) of Nairobi, Kenya. The measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic meant fewer customers and staff cutbacks. “After losing my job, it was extremely difficult to keep feeding myself after I exhausted my small savings,” she says.

But Oyamo is able to get fresh produce for free from Victor Edalia, a 30-year-old urban farmer in her neighborhood. Last November, Edalia, who works.as a driver by day, changed a trash dump site in the slum into an urban garden. He signed an agreement with a local chief to use the land. Now, the plot, about a quarter of an acre, grows vegetables such as tomatoes, onions and spinach.

Edalia originally started the farm to increase his income. The idea was to sell vegetables to hotels. But once the pandemic hit, he changed the plan. He wanted to find a way to “give back,” he says.

So throughout the pandemic, Edalia has been providing free supplies of vegetables to 10 needy families and individuals in Kibera. They include young people who lost their jobs in the pandemic, like Oyamo, as well as single mothers and families with households of more than seven people. They can drop by the farm up to three times a week to pick up a supply of vegetables.

Moses Omondi, team leader of Adopt a Family, a local nonprofit that’s been providing dry food donations like maize flour to 500 families in Kibera, thinks Edalia’s program is promising. “I think it’s a pretty smart approach,” he says. “In addition to supporting struggling families during these tough times that face starvation while at home, it helps to reduce anxiety and helplessness of a Kibera family.”

You know that old saying that laughter is the best medicine. Well, studies have long shown that laughter can have a positive effect both physically and emotionally. In South Korea, a nation more used to holding back its emotions, at least one hospital is encouraging patients to let loose on their regular basis.

Laughing, for those cancer patients and their families, is a weekly exercise at Seoul National University hospital. It is something that does not come easy for them, but an hour of laughter therapy (疗法） is all it takes to fight depression that often follows chemical treatment. Lim Song Li, a therapist at the hospital, was once a depression patient herself. She now is a laughter therapist and says when you laugh, blood vessels expand,and sugar levels drop, producing an abundance of hormones (激素）linked with happiness and pleasure. But in Korean culture, where Confucian tradition dominates(主导）social behavior,laughing is not a nature thing. Korean men are taught not to cry more than three times in their lifetime. And the sound of a Korean woman's laughter should not be heard outside the fence of her home. But inside this hospital,they are letting it out. By the end of the session, they make belief laughs somehow become their own.

If laughing requires effort,more natural to Koreans, it is singing. The sing-song star therapist, famous for her therapy sessions to fight housewife depression,Jeong Ji Song says singing is an easier way to express inner feelings,especially for Korean women brought up in the conservative background. For some,these classes can be a stress-management tool,but for many more who suffer from depression, learning to sing out their heart can be a healing process.

It not only helped Ying Seung Woo come out of severe depression, but also presented her with a new career. After taking up singing therapy, she found a talent in herself-cheer-leading. And now she is taking courses to become a certified therapist.

A team of scientists says that playing sounds underwater can get fish to return to areas with severely damaged coral reefs(珊瑚礁）.

In an experiment, they found fish returned after hearing recordings of the sounds of a healthy ocean reef. The scientists placed underwater speakers in areas where coral had been dying in Australia’s northern Great Barrier Reef. They played the sounds over a period of about six weeks in 2017 and studied the results. The team reported that twice as many fish arrived in areas where the sounds of healthy coral were played.The sounds also led to a 50 percent increase in the number of species present in the area, the researchers found. Among the arriving fish were species that feed on all major food sources.

The researchers noted the importance of having many different kinds of fish return to the area. Different species of fish perform many activities that support the ocean environment and sea life. “Damaged reefs have a higher chance of recovery if they have healthy fish populations,” the scientists wrote in the report.

Steve Simpson is a professor at the University of Exeter who helped lead the research. He said in a statement that “healthy coral reefs are remarkably noisy places. ” They contain the sounds of many kinds of shrimp, fish and other sea creatures. Young fish listen for these sounds when they are looking for a place to settle, Simpson said.

He added that reefs “become ghostly quiet” when they suffer destruction that is usually related to human-caused pollution. Coral damage can cause unappealing smells and sounds that drive shrimp and fish away. But the experiment suggested that the use of underwater loudspeakers was an effective way to get young fish to come back.

Andy Radford, a professor at University of Bristol,said the underwater sounds are a promising way to fight coral reef damage at the local community level. But he noted that other threats need to be, reduced as well. These include climate change, pollution and overfishing.

Research shows that growing fruits, vegetables and other plants can make us happier and relieve tension. Working with dirt and plants can be fun. Also, when we garden, we are outside, getting sunshine, fresh air and exercise. But not all of us have space, time or money for a large garden. Well, you can garden in small spaces with containers.     11    

Research your location

    12    How much sunlight will it get? Do you have safe access to a rooftop? Is it protected from the wind? Are you able to easily water the plants? All these things are important.

    13    

In your containers, you can control the soil and the amount of water, but not the sunlight. So, find out which plants can grow in the light conditions you have. The website Gardeners.com says that most vegetables need at least six hours of sunlight every day or full sun. However, some plants can grow in partial shade.

Grouping

With container gardening, you can grow different plants in the same pot. This saves room.     14     Some compete for the same nutrients. Also, do not grow plants in the same pot if they have very different water and soil needs.

Water

Your garden will need a regular supply of water. 'So, try to water your plants at the same time each day unless there is rain. It is best to water early in the morning. Watering at night can cause problems.     15     The water may evaporate(蒸发）too fast.

Gardening is fun! And we hope you can grow some tasty and healthy food for your meals.