Alliance of Students Against Poverty

Millennium Promise

Millennium Promise was co-founded by the economist Jeffrey Sachs and the philanthropist Ray Chambers. The mission of Millennium Promise is to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - eight globally endorsed objectives that address the many aspects of extreme poverty - in Africa by 2015. To that end, Millennium Promise works with impoverished communities, national and local governments, and partner organizations to implement high-impact programs aimed at transforming lives on the continent and engaging donor nations, corporations, and the general public in the effort. Their work is premised on the belief that, for the first time in history, our generation has the opportunity to end extreme poverty, hunger, and disease.

Through its flagship initiative, the Millennium Villages, Millennium Promise takes a comprehensive approach to addressing extreme poverty. By combining the best scientific and local knowledge, Millennium Villages, now operating in 79 villages across 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, address all the major problems simultaneously -- hunger, disease, inadequate education, lack of safe drinking water and absence of essential infrastructure -- to assist communities on their way to self-sustainable development.

By investing in health, food production, education, access to clean water and essential infrastructure, these community-led interventions will enable impoverished villages to escape extreme poverty once and for all. Once these communities get a foothold on the bottom rung of the development ladder they can propel themselves on a path of self-sustaining economic growth.

The needs of each village—while unique—can be met by implementing solutions that are both practical and affordable. For example:

· Agricultural and agro-forestry techniques dramatically increase farm production while enhancing the environment.
· Vitamin and mineral supplements tackle malnutrition and make children stronger.
· Essential health services provide critical, life-saving medicines and raise productivity.
· Targeted investments relieve burdens on women: improved access to water and fuel wood, accessible clinics, mills for grain and trucking and ambulance services.
· Free, daily school lunches using locally produced food support children’s nutrition, learning capacity and school attendance while at the same time increase demand for locally produced food.
· Access to anti-retroviral medicines keeps people with HIV/AIDS alive in poor countries just as they do in rich ones.
· Sleeping under an insecticide-treated bed net prevents children from getting malaria, and immunizations lowers the incidence of common diseases, such as measles.
· Innovative off-grid energy, water, and information technologies bring not only safe water and energy, but save many hours spent each day collecting firewood and water.