HOW CAN I HELP ACHIEVE THE

Millennium Development Goals

 We live in a world dangerously out of balance, with 1.1 Billion people living on less than 1 dollar a day,
and 1.7 billion people on less than 2 dollars a day, 150 million children uneducated and over 40 million people
HIV positive, these numbers show the great misery that the inhabitants of the Earth encounter.
As the world was ushered into a new Century, a global community (UN) during her Millennium Summit in Sept.
2000 with her 192 Member States in collaboration and with 23 other International Organizations, reached a
consensus to reduce this great imbalance, by the invocation of the Millennium Declaration (a strategy to
increasing the world's standard of living in both developed and under-developed Nations) which was dead lined
to 2015. The MDGs are derived from the UN Millennium Declaration, signed in 2000 by these world leaders.

The MDGs which was formulated from the need to address the frequently violated Human Rights by the
Nations of the World, and was put forward and agreed upon by the International Community as the skeletal
plan to the attainment of an Ideal World which is free from these violations of the Human Rights.
These MDGs are:
MDG #1: Eradication of extreme poverty and hunger.
MDG #2: Achieve Universal Primary Education.
MDG #3: Promote gender equality and empower women.
MDG #4: Reduce Child mortality.
MDG #5: Improve maternal health
MDG #6: Combat HIV/AID, Malaria and other diseases.
MDG #7: Ensure environmental sustainability.
MDG #8: Develop a Global partnership for development.

The commitment of the International Community towards these goals was based on;
1. The Principle of Mercy: This not only requires us to be aware of the injustices around us but also to try
as much as possible to eradicate them.
2. Our inalienable rights to life.

CAN WE REALLY DO THIS OR ARE WE JUST BUILDING CASTLES IN THE AIR?

With little time left and little progress achieved by most countries of the world, can we really do this?
With the advent of major international setbacks e.g. food, economic crisis occurring almost simultaneously,
has the world lost its zeal to achieve these goals?
The progress towards the MDGs have been uneven, some countries have realised some of these goals like
China, whose poverty population has decreased from 452 million to 278 million, and India due to clear
internal & external factors of population and economic development. However areas such as Sub-Saharan
regions are yet to make drastic changes in their way of living, having their rate of poverty reduction at 1%.
Even with the great debt relief granted to the African Countries by the G-8 Summit Finance Ministers
the African Continent is still not on track and lagging behind on every goal. According to Dr. Wani Loke
(Sudanese Economist and participant in the ECA Conference),
''At Africa's current pace, it is unrealistic for African countries to imagine achieving the MDGs even in
100 years.''
But with the recently concluded 25 September 2010 summit in New York which was able to identify the
gaps in the MDG's attainment and also further strategized on how to accelerate the worlds’ progress
towards the MDGs; I believe that the world (especially Africa) still has a second chance to make a
difference.

WHERE DO I COME IN?

I consider the appropriate system necessary to be adopted for the attainment of the MDGs in Africa
would be for the masses to be empowered do the work, while the Government handles the funding,
thereby dividing the labour. My contribution to these Goals would center on the Empowerment Of The
Masses. The achievement of the MDGs is possible, there are range of tried and tested policies which
ensure progress, if backed by strong global partnership, we can achieve the MDGs.

PROJECT TRANSFORMATION
ACHIEVING THE MDGS
 For my success in achieving the MDGs there are several steps to take:
Step #1: Platform: A platform of Change is necessary, in order to amplify my cry for change in
an organised manner. The platform I would use to attain these goals would be in the form of a club having
numerous subsidiaries. This club would be based on Transformation & the Attainment of the MDGs, with her
members comprising of youths eager to make a difference, grouped into the different MDGs based in their
areas of interest.
Step #2: FUNDERS: I would write proposals to philanthropists and voluntary funders and set up
other schemes of fund raising, in order to assist me in the area of funding and networking in the project.

MDG #1: ERADICATION OF EXTREME POVERTY

The proportion of people living below the poverty line has fallen from 42% in 1990 to 25% in 2005.
Based on this trend, the developing countries as a whole is on track to meet this MDG target. But the sub-
Saharan Africa remains off track, falling from 57% in 1990 to 51% in 2005, on this trend, the region will
not meet the 2015 target.
Poverty entrenches social, economic and gender disparities and undermines protective family
environments, poverty is much more than the scarcity of money but the scarcity of resourcefulness (law of
correspondence
SOLUTIONS:
1. I would eliminate the ‘’ignorance’ factor by holding series of comprehensive training programs,
skill acquisition and skill development programs both in the rural and urban areas.
2. I would educate the public on improving their nutritional status through the use of pamphlets.
3. I would make available, free and cheap nutritional supplements eg. Nutri- C, to the rural
inhabitants.
4. I would create an awareness of the usefulness of Education in the war against Poverty,
a. by writing articles, presenting speeches in the various mass communication mediums,
b. Distributing free anti-poverty articles to the general public, in order to re-create the
passion for education in people.

MDG #2: ACHIEVING UNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATION

With 115,000,000 of children of primary school age, (majority of which are girls) do not attend school,
its no wonder the world is in chaos. Meeting the education goal should be the topmost priority because
it would speed the progress to other gaols. The only survival method of this age is summed up to one
word ‘’ËDUCATION’’. The MDGs were formed as a result of the consequences due to the absence of
education/enlightenment.
SOLUTION:
1. I will create the awareness of the availability of free and quality education in different communities
through rallies and other means of mass communication.
5. I will introduce several voluntary organizations e.g. The Boys Scout, Girls Brigade etc which serve
as useful sources of informal education.
6. I would advocate for the building of schools which practice free and quality education in the rural
areas (if none), in accordance with the Human Rights of education.
MDG #3: PROMOTE GENDER EQUALITY AND EMPOWER WOMEN
The gender gap is slowly closing in school enrolment in the developing world, sharply contrasting this
remarkable progress is the large gender gaps found in West Asia, Oceania and sub-Saharan Africa.
Girls still account for 54% of out-of-school population. Violence affects at leats one in three women
worldwide and one in five women will suffer from rape or attempted rape in the course of their
lifetime.
SOLUTION:
1. n order to showcase the usefulness of the female gender most of the Community Development
Projects of my club would be headed by girls.
2. I would organise empowerment programmes e.g. skill acquisition, career development etc, for
the empowerment of young girls in both rural and urban areas.
3. I would incessantly bombard the general public with gender equality and undeniable
significance of women to the world through the various available mediums of mass
communication.
4. I would participate in campaigns in schools, churches etc for the prevention and the response
to gender-based violence.
5. Through the Mass Medias, I would define ways through which men can engag in gender equality

MDG # 4: REDUCE CHILD MORTALITY

About 20,000 children under the age of 5, die every day, with more than 70% of almost eleven million
deaths every year are attributes to 6 causes; diarrhoea, malaria, neonatal infection, pneumonia and
lack of oxygen during birth and measles. Research also says that 6 million of the 11 million that die
could be saved by cost-effective measure such as vaccines, antibiotics etc. With these stated
statistics its evident that it is risky being a child in this world.
SOLUTIONS:
1. Through several mass awareness techniques, I would enlighten the rural mothers on the causes
and preventions of these common diseases.
2. In the course of our enlightenment programme, mosquito nets would be presented to several
mothers, especially, the nursing mothers.
3. I will create the awareness of the dangers of female mutilation both in rural and urban areas
through excessive article writing, speech making and Health campaigns.
4. I would protest for the improvement of the Hospital facilities and for the provision of
pregnancy counselling to the Govt.
5. I would write to the Government to make available free immunization at regular periods for
the rural inhabitants.

MDG # 5: IMPROVE MATERNAL HEALTH

Although most maternal deaths are preventable, MDG 5 is proving hard to reach. Every year more
than a million women die due to complications of pregnancy and childbirth – 99% of these women live in
developing countries. Half of all maternal deaths occurring in sub-Saharan Africa and another third in
Southern Asia, and together these 2 regions account for 85% of all maternal deaths
SOLUTIONS:
1. From the funds from our Funders, essential maternal products would be made available to the
women in the rural areas during my awareness programmes.
2. I would create an awareness supporting the doctor-patient relationship both in urban and rural
areas through the mass media.
3. I would create a public awareness against the evil religious practices that encourages maternal
health deterioration e.g. female mutilation.
4. I would write to the Government to pass on a policy for a certain level of education and
training to be attained by every Health personnel.
 5. I would advocate for the investment in maternal and newborn healthy, by highlighting the
social and economic benefits.

MDG # 6: COMBAT HIV/AIDS, MALARIA AND OTHER DISEASES.

There is nothing that affects the progress of a Nation than ignorance and diseases. though
several countries report success in reducing HIV infection rates, however, rates of infection are
still growing. As of 2008, 33.4 million people worldwide were living with HIV and 60% of them
were women, and nearly a million people died of malaria in 2006, with 95% of these people living
in sub-Saharan Africa its obvious that the major war of the sub-Saharan Africa is the war of
DISEASES.
SOLUTIONS:
1. I would ensure the availability of free or cheap health products by writing to the Govt.
2. I would partake in periodic Health campaigns in schools, Churches, NGOs etc.
3. I would hold and invite Health specialists to hold Health programmes on any available
means of mass communication.
4. I would print and paste General Health Laws on every strategically on every street, to
help enlighten the public.
5. I would advocate for the expansion of access to HIV testing and counselling to the
Government, so that people can learn about their HIV status

MDG # 7: ENSURE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTANABILITY

The world, except sub-Saharan Africa is on track to meet the MDG target on water, but at the
current rate will miss the sanitation by over 700 million people. In sub-Saharan Africa, 28% of
the population does not have access to any form of sanitation and has the largest population
using unimproved water sources. A child dies every 20 seconds from diarrhoea, with about 90%
of those deaths preventable.
SOLUTIONS:
1. I would create awareness on the importance of sanitation and hygiene practices, through
the distribution of pamphlets.
2. I would create awareness in the rural areas through.
3. I would provide as many waste bins as I can afford in different streets for the easy
disposal of refuse.
4. I would ensure the strict adherence to the stipulated days for general sanitation by
writing to the Govt. to reinforce the strict observation of such days.
5. I would ensure afforestation around industrial zones by planting trees to avoid further
environmental degradation.
6. Through the distribution of pamphlets I would educate people on the dangers of bush
burning, and deforestation.

MDG # 8: DEVELOP A GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR DEVELOMENT

Thirty five countries are currently receiving debt relief with 5 still able to qualify when they
meet the necessary conditions. Over $117 billion of unpayable debt has been written off through
the HIPC and MDRI Initiative. 26 HIPCs have received 100% debt cancellation at the World
Bank, IMF, African Development Bank through MDRI.
SOLUTIONS:
1. I would write to International Voluntary Organizations to be introduced in my locality for
further development.
 'We must not fail the billions which look to the International community to fulfil the promise of the
Millennium Declaration''- Banki Moon.