Comments on: Laptops and MTV in Rural Kenyan School http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2009/03/17/computers-and-mtv-in-rural-kenyan-school/ Tapping experts in climate, geology, oceanography, ecology, sustainable development, global health, energy, food and water, State of the Planet captures stories of how the Earth works and how we can sustainably make our lives better. Mon, 20 May 2013 11:16:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: Henk J.Th. van Stokkom http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2009/03/17/computers-and-mtv-in-rural-kenyan-school/comment-page-1/#comment-92 Henk J.Th. van Stokkom Fri, 03 Apr 2009 19:40:40 +0000 http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/?p=155#comment-92 Although I agree with Jeffrey Sachs his views, I am not convinced that the Millennium Villages Project will be enough ‘proof of concept’.
It has been tried and failed before.
Just because of the enormous impact of all international attention, like the Angelina Jolie’s of this world visiting the millennium villages, it is becoming a kind of self fulfilling prophecy.

At least that is my view after my visit to Sauri in November 2006 (Sauri is the first MVP village in Kenya, west of Kisumu).
But yes, as said, I agree on Sachs’s view that; “…more direct aid can dramatically reduce poverty in just a few years.”
While in the end we know extreme poverty is the result of corruption, mismanagement and weak institutions i.e. problems that should be attacked by everybody but can only change with enough political forces behind it.

Examples of direct aid to reduce extreme poverty I do believe in?

http://www.oneacrefund.org
http://www.myc4.com
http://www.oudinarika.org

regards,
Henk J.Th. van Stokkom
http://www.vanstokkom.nl

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