Millennium Villages Blog

Achieving the Millennium Development Goals by 2015

Sauri looks back on five years of success

Located in Western Kenya, Sauri was the first Millennium Village (MV) to see the light in 2005. Five years on, the project area has grown to nearly 70,000 people and has registered numerous successes in its multi-sectoral approach. The MV team and the community celebrated this at the inauguration of new classrooms at the end of October 2010. [caption id="attachment_1457" align="alignright" width="150" caption="The Sauri . . . [more]

Evaluating the Millennium Villages: A response to Clemens and Demombynes

To download this article as a PDF, please click HERE. The discussion around evaluating large-scale development projects is an important one. Michael Clemens and Gabriel Demombynes offer a critique of the Millennium Village Project (MVP) and its research methods. Their paper misunderstands the MVP's aims and evaluation methods. We respond briefly here, to clarify some of those basic misunderstandings about the project's goals and approaches to evaluation. 1. Goals of the Millennium Villages Project The MVP is a ten-year project running through 2015, the deadline year for the Millennium Development . . . [more]

Ruhiira’s midwives, more than just medical workers

Maternal health has been one of the biggest success stories of the Ruhiira Millennium Village. As a result of the comprehensive midwife program package, institutional delivery has increased from 8% in 2006 to as high as 89% in 2009. Since the introduction of the Program in Ruhiira in 2007, not one mother delivering with the assistance of a midwife has died during childbirth; a wonderful example of progress . . . [more]

Marenyo community proud of its achievements, four years on

The first time that US Ambassador Earl N. Phillips heard about Marenyo, a community within Sauri Millennium Village (Western Kenya), was four years ago during a conference. Touched by the story, he decided to support the villagers to fulfill their objective of lifting themselves out of poverty and reaching the Millennium Development Goals. But little did he know then . . . [more]

WFP Director hails the “revolution of hope” in Ruhiira

'Welcome visitors, welcome today, we've all been waiting so long!' Coming over the crest of the hill into the Millennium Village of Ruhiira, Uganda, children's singing voices gradually become louder, intermingled with bursts of clapping and laughter. The long-awaited visitor, Jeffrey Sachs, is due to arrive at any moment, and the anticipation is palpable. Sachs, Head . . . [more]

Scaling Up the Millennium Villages Program in Mali

Initiative 166 Council Day, a special event organized by Mali’s Commission for Food Security and its partners, was celebrated on 14-16 April 2010 in Bamako and Segou. This event was part of the celebration of the National Association of Malian Municipalities and was chaired by Mr. Boubacar Sow, Secretary General of the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Local Government. The . . . [more]

Low-Cost Thrills in Millennium Village Data

Yesterday, May 30, the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited the Millennium Villages project (MVP) in Mwandama, Malawi. While there he had the opportunity to meet with local community members first hand and to see and hear about how they are pursuing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as a very practical day-to-day reality. On the occasion of his visit, Mr. Ban was also presented with the first major scientific report on progress after three years of MVP activity, in a publication entitled . . . [more]

Millennium Villages highlighted at the 3rd States General of Development Cooperation in Belgium

"The Millennium Development Goals: How to step up the efforts?" was the central theme of the 3rd "States General", which took place in Brussels on May 4, 2010. The opening session was presided by Her Royal Highness Princess Mathilde, who highlighted the importance of the achievement of the MDGs, Belgium's commitment to the Goals and her own experiences in the developing world. Belgium is expected to play an active role in the MDG summit in September this year, as it will be under Belgium’s rotating presidency of the European Union. In his introductory remarks, Mr. Charles Michel, Minister for Development . . . [more]

Millennium Promise Japan: Using sport to connect schoolchildren in Japan and Uganda

Through sports, we can connect without words, and it is upon this belief that Japan-based NGO Amitie was founded, and they use this idea as a means of realising their vision of promoting development and cross-cultural understanding. The main reason for Amitie's visit week was for them to inspect the Ryamiyonga Primary School which is due to soon be . . . [more]

Millennium Promise Japan: Connecting Japan and Uganda through Secondary Education Partnerships

Japan can feel like a very long way from Africa, and after 21 hours on a plane and a few delayed connections, this feeling certainly rung true for the delegation from Millennium Promise Japan who recently paid a visit to the Ruhiira Millennium Village in Uganda. And yet connection . . . [more]

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