Achieving the MDGs
A Millennium Village thrives in Uganda
Africa faces the greatest challenges of any region in tackling extreme poverty, which afflicts the lives of millions on the continent. Despite stronger economic growth, more than 40 per cent of the population of Africa still lives on less than $1 a day, and education and health systems are inadequate in many areas.
As part of the global campaign to achieve the MDGs by 2015, the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security is supporting the Millennium Villages project, which is implemented by UNDP in cooperation with the Earth Institute at Columbia University.
Working with national governments and local districts, Millennium Villages in 12 poor rural areas in different regions of Africa, comprising 79 villages with a total population of about 400,000 people have been established in cooperation with the local communities to serve as pilots for scaling up the fight against poverty. Plans to establish more villages are under way.
The Millennium Village in Ruhiira, Uganda shows how modest inputs can enable communities to improve their lives and livelihoods.
The village has set up 55 project committees and developed 9 community action plans. Overall, 1,500 people participated in community empowerment training events. Twenty-one people have been trained in business management, and 14 banana marketing groups (356 producers) have been formed with the aim of bulking, reducing the line of middlemen and enabling farmers to earn more income.
Also, 11 micro credit groups, many led by women, have been organized into a village bank with a capital base of $7,000. Women have been trained in making banana beads, enabling them to earn an additional $1.20 a day, and a women’s group built a 500-ton grain storage facility. The community has refurbished or built three schools, and the number of boys and girls enrolled has increased from 1,315 to 2,171, and all students now receive nutritious school meals. The number of girls in school increased from 608 to 1,095.
To control malaria, 3000 bed nets were distributed to all 1,054 households in Ruhiira, bringing down the proportion of people ill with the disease from 60 percent to 42 percent. At the health unit, a new out patient block was constructed, new staff recruited and essential medicines stocked. Average monthly attendance at clinic increased from 120 to 920 patients.
To improve diets and reduce malnutrition, the village is growing more corn and beans, as well as other fruits, leafy green vegetables and sweet potatoes. Corn production has increased from 43 to 316 tons, and surpluses are marketed. The village has also constructed 8 new water sources.
The project has revealed two important lessons. The first is that when the villagers feel ownership of the project, they are its drivers, and community contributions of resources, funds and time exceed expectations. The second lesson is that promoting community participation requires careful and consistent efforts to cultivate people’s self-confidence and leadership and to earn the community’s trust.