Scientists and agronomists are racing to develop seeds that are higher yielding, more nutritious, and both drought and climate resilient to meet the challenge of feeding the world in the future.
Tag: Millennium Villages Project
Millennium City and Millennium Village Students ‘Stand Up for Girls’ on International Day of the Girl
In sub-Saharan Africa, only 63 percent of girls complete their schooling, according to the World Bank. Yet our own research in the Millennium Cities indicates that girls who continue their education will have far greater opportunities, and they will be in a better position to care for themselves and their families. To celebrate the United Nations’ International Day of the Girl, by “Standing Up for Girls” and their right to a quality education, a number of the Millennium Cities and Millennium Villages Project sites held rallies, marched and participated in debates on girls’ issues.
Millennium Villages Shed Light on Water Security
Water is essential to human well-being and economic development. Today, however, water stress caused by inadequate farming practices, demographic pressure and pollution is creating unprecedented problems. Nowhere is this more visible than in the rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa. As the world celebrates World Water Day on the 22nd of March to draw attention to these issues, lessons learned from the Millennium Villages Project can provide a way forward. The project’s success in improving both water and food security are just some of the practical, science-based solutions that rural communities all over the world can use to extract themselves from poverty.
Extraordinary Support for Unprecedented Global Challenges
The Earth Institute’s annual donor report for fiscal year 2011 is now available in an interactive digital format. We remain committed to finding extraordinary support to unprecedented global challenges, many of which are outlined in this report. We have highlighted some of our innovative projects in research, policy, and education, as well as the partnerships that are helping to support them.
Increasing Access to Health Care Using a Community-Based Approach
Community Health Workers (CHWs), health assistants or lay health workers who provide a fundamental level of health care for residents in the community in which they live, have been shown to make a tremendous contribution to public health and community development. In Kisumu, Kenya, residents of Manyatta, an informal settlement with nearly 90,000 people that currently lacks any sort of government-run health facility, will soon benefit from an ongoing, wide-ranging CHW training, led by the Municipal Council of Kisumu’s Health Department, in collaboration with Cordaid Urban Matters, a Dutch development agency, and MCI, ably led by MCI’s Public Health Specialist Beldina Opiyo-Omolo.
The Flow of Change: Piped Water Arrives in Ruhiira, Uganda
By Molly Powers
When the Millennium Villages Project (MVP) was first launched in Ruhiira, Uganda, in 2006, community members identified their most pressing problem as lack of access to water. Nearly all 6,500 residents of the mountainous parish of Ruhiira live on hilltops, and most water sources
Community Health Workers: Spokes of Change
Three years ago, Irene Gaundi was living with her parents in the Millennium Village of Bonsaaso, in Ghana. She had completed her last year of secondary school, moved home, and was helping her mother sell second hand clothes. Each day, Irene and her mother walked along the rust-colored roads, beneath the hot sun, balancing clothes [...]
A Community-based Approach to Combating Malnutrition: What It Looks Like and How to Evaluate It
In a world of increasing rates of obesity, it is sometimes hard to remember that another type of malnutrition—undernutrition—remains a major contributor to mortality. Although all ages may be affected by malnutrition, children are most vulnerable to death and long-term disabilities caused by this disease. As such, treating and preventing undernutrition in children contribute to [...]
Microsoft and the Earth Institute Launch Rural Technology Lab in Mali
By Matt Berg, ICT Director, Millennium Villages Project To demonstrate the critical role technology can play in achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals to reduce poverty, the Earth Institute, Columbia University has partnered with Microsoft’s Unlimited Potential Community Technology Skills program to establish a computer programmer training center at the Millennium Villages project (MVP) office [...]
The Rising Tide of Community Health Workers
In the past few weeks, there has been an steady rise in news about Community Health Workers (CHWs), domestically and abroad. The reason for enthusiasm is obvious: without replacing doctors and nurses, regular people can take an active role in the health of their community.
