Millennium Villages Blog

Dr. Jeffrey Sachs visiting a health clinic in Mayange, Rwanda

In a recent entry in the Huffington Post, Josh Ruxin discusses why we must keep our promise to end global poverty, even during the worst economic recession of the last several decades. He explains that achieving the Millennium Development Goals is one of the most cost-effective investments we can make: meeting the MDGs will help combat the far-reaching aspects of global poverty, including the deterioration of global health, the rise of pandemics, the loss of markets and prosperity and the negative impacts on global security.

In the article, Josh cites Millennium Promise and the Millennium Villages project as innovative models for development and the achievement of the MDGs:

The Millennium Villages are proving that rural Africa can achieve the MDGs through a comprehensive approach — one that is community-led; use advances in science and technology such as remote sensing, geographic information systems and internet connectivity; and includes simple, cost-effective solutions like providing high-yield seeds, fertilizers, drinking wells and materials to build schools and clinics. In Mayange, one of the poorest sectors in Rwanda, improvements in health service delivery have resulted in lower rates of TB, malaria, and deaths due to AIDS. Mortality of children under five has plummeted. The utilization rate of health services is nearly double that of the rest of Rwanda, and the rate of assisted births increased from 52% to 81%. In the wake of these health improvements, businesses and cooperatives are springing up throughout the community and prosperity is on the rise.

Yet, in spite of these successes, official development assistance to Africa has remained essentially unchanged since rich countries promised in 2005 to double it by 2010. If we continue with business as usual, we will not achieve the MDGs.

The full article is available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/josh-ruxin/meeting-the-millennium-de_b_214482.html

Josh Ruxin is Assistant Clinical Professor of Public Health at the Mailman School of Public Health and Director of the Access Project at the Center for Global Health and Economic Development at Columbia University.

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