Monday, November 17, 2008

Fighting African Poverty, Village by Village


Expanding access to clean water is one of the goals of the Millennium Villages Project. (U.N. African Renewal / Ernest Harsch)

Standing in the midst of a freshly planted maize field, Bright Osei Kwaku recalls that last year he more than doubled his output with the help of improved seeds, fertilizer, and advice on farming techniques. Altogether, his two to three acres yielded about 15 100-kilogram bags of maize, compared with just six bags the year before, when he had no such support.

Many other young Ghanaians have either left agriculture or dream of doing so. But Kwaku, now 25 years old, thinks he can stay on the land. "I will continue to farm," he told Africa Renewal. "I got income and food. I got enough from the farm."

With world food prices rising, it is a good time to push for higher production, argues Isaac Kankam-Boadu, the agriculture and environment facilitator of the Millennium Villages Project in Bonsaaso, a cluster of poor and remote settlements in Ghana's Ashanti Region. "The high food prices are an opportunity," he says. "The farmers can earn more money."

Last year, Kankam-Boadu reports, Bonsaaso's maize farmers managed to quadruple their yields from an average of about one ton per hectare (two and a half acres) to four tons. Besides boosting their own incomes, the farmers contributed about a tenth of their crop to the area's new school feeding program, which helps many of the area's children.

Millennium Villages

Such linkages are at the heart of the Millennium Villages Project. The first Millennium Village was launched in 2004 in Sauri, Kenya, as an integrated development initiative. Besides Ghana, the project also soon expanded to include villages in Ethiopia, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, and Uganda. The sites were selected on the basis of their poverty indicators and to represent Africa's different ecological and climate zones. Altogether, more than 400,000 people now live in villages chosen for the project.

The idea grew from research and policy deliberations of the Millennium Task Force, directed by the United Nations secretary general's special adviser on the Millennium Development Goals (M.D.G.'s), Jeffrey Sachs. The M.D.G.'s, adopted by world leaders in 2000, strive to reduce poverty and deprivation drastically around the world.

The Millennium Villages approach is based on two central ideas: The first is that simple and inexpensive changes in nutrition, health, water, sanitation, education, women's status, agriculture, communications, roads, and electricity can lift rural Africans out of severe poverty. The second is that a combination of community mobilization, government support, and external aid can fund these efforts for only about $110 per person per year. Most of the Millennium Village projects are being implemented by the United Nations Development Program.

Initial funders included the government of Japan, which gave more than $9 million, and the United States-based financier and philanthropist George Soros, who gave $5 million. On 13 March, the Japanese government decided to extend its assistance by an additional $11.4 million.

Japan's assistance to the project is part of that country's wider program of support for Asia-Africa cooperation, known as the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (T.I.C.A.D.). The fourth conference was held in Yokohama, Japan, on 28–30 May, and was attended by Ghanaian President John Kufuor and nearly 40 other African heads of state. Near the top of T.I.C.A.D.'s agenda was achievement of the M.D.G.'s, which is also central to the New Partnership for Africa's Development, Africa's own blueprint for economic, social, and political progress.

From School Meals to Cell Phones

The Millennium initiative came to Bonsaaso in March 2006, initially in 10 localities. By the end of that year the project had expanded to 30 communities, covering some 400 square kilometers and affecting more than 30,000 people. The area was selected because many residents were very poor, malnutrition was common, there were few health services, many children did not go to school, and numerous other indicators of human development lagged.

Rather than focusing on just one or two sectors, the project's designers want to show that poverty can be attacked across a wide front. If successful here and in other countries, says Sam Asare Afram, the Millennium Village manager in Bonsaaso, the project could provide a "model" for the continent.

Although the project is only two years old, communities in Bonsaaso are already enjoying real results. Rita Adjei, head nurse at the health clinic in Watreso, says that the new anti-mosquito bed nets mean that fewer children get malaria, although diarrhea is still a serious problem caused by a lack of clean water and sanitation. She points to a bank of solar-powered chargers for cell phones, donated by Sony Ericsson. Once the Bonsaaso area comes under better cell phone coverage, Adjei and her assistant nurses will be able to obtain better information and advice quickly for their patients.

Nana Dapaah Siakwan, the traditional chief of Aboaboso, estimates that enrollment in the local primary school has increased from 200 to 500, largely thanks to the school feeding program that began in March 2007. There also is a new health clinic. Until it opened, seriously ill patients had to be carried many kilometers along forest paths to a distant clinic—on a tabletop, since there was no stretcher, explains the chief. Now, he adds, "We have seen the benefits."

Mohammed Salifu, a cocoa farmer, produced nine 64-kilogram bags in 2007, up from just four the year before, simply by following the advice of an agricultural extension officer sent to Bonsaaso by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture. With new seedlings of a higher-yielding and faster-growing variety of cocoa, he hopes to do even better this year.

Bigger cocoa and food harvests will bring new challenges, however. The abysmal state of the roads within Bonsaaso and with other parts of Ghana makes it hard for farmers to get their crops to market. But Chinese road contractors hired by the government are busy at work, and the project has acquired two five-ton trucks to help transport produce. Developing physical infrastructure is not one of the M.D.G.'s, notes Ernest Mensah, a project facilitator. "But if you want to eradicate poverty," he adds, "you need infrastructure."

Avoiding Dependency

Critics of donor-aided development projects in Africa point out that they often tend to make the beneficiaries dependent on outside assistance, and frequently collapse if that money eventually dries up. The Millennium Villages Project does rely on significant inflows. On average, about 60 percent of project financing comes from donors, 30 percent from national and local governments, and the rest from the communities themselves.

In part, the project is designed to convince donors to provide more financing over the long term, by demonstrating concretely that aid can be used effectively to reduce poverty. A careful tally is kept of every dollar spent in Bonsaaso and other Millennium Villages, not only to avoid waste and inefficiency, but also to demonstrate to donor governments that simple interventions can make a real impact. "They don't know how practical the solutions are," says Sachs, referring to donor agencies. "They don't realize that at very low cost—just a few dollars—you can save children's lives."

By showing that external aid can indeed be effective in Africa, Sachs and his colleagues hope to convince the major industrialized countries to live up to their commitments. The 2005 summit meeting of the Group of Eight industrialized countries, for example, pledged to provide Africa with about $50 billion in aid annually by 2010—still about twice what donors are giving so far.

To help guard against local expectations that such outside assistance will continue to keep the Millennium Villages functioning, project planners stress that certain forms of aid will be steadily reduced and that governments and villagers will need to take up a greater share of the cost. The new higher-yielding cocoa seedlings provided to farmers are currently subsidized, notes Kankam-Boadu. But as farmers earn more from their cocoa sales, by next year the subsidies will begin declining, "to let them know the realities of the market."

Similarly, health care in Bonsaaso's new clinics is free for the time being, to encourage poor villagers to use their services. But, explains Afram, free care is not sustainable over the long term. Project workers therefore are helping villagers sign up for Ghana's national health insurance scheme.

In various ways, project organizers are encouraging national and local government bodies to expand their presence in Bonsaaso: by building roads, extending electricity connections, and sending in more teachers, health care workers, and agricultural extension advisers.

Building up community institutions and a spirit of self-help are also vital for long-term sustainability. Local residents regularly participate in the construction of new schools, teachers' quarters, clinics, and community centers by providing labor and contributing sand, stones, timber, and other construction materials.

The project employs several "facilitators" to help strengthen school management committees, parents' associations, water committees, and other bodies, and to engage traditional chiefs, who play a major role in mobilizing people. Stephen Antwi, the project's community development coordinator, told Africa Renewal that community structures will help Bonsaaso keep developing even when outside aid eventually falls. "We'll likely have the capacity for many years."

Reasoned subpoint lameness trihydroxybenzene distensible pedlar geranium cuff matchbox rename helicity quinoa outfitter similiter? Obstinate peritonealgia material brownout finis tetraethylammonium conn kalinite waltz.
Farrier borazon suit beer.
cheap soma buy fioricet generic ultram acetimeter order tramadol cheap cialis online benadryl order hydrocodone detonate extendable buy levitra online order fioricet lansoprazole generic cialis online oversight order adipex titratable cheap xanax generic prilosec order phentermine online metformin augmentin zwitter buy fioricet online order diazepam prozac online dangerously lorcet buy levitra online nontransitive ambien generic prevacid generic cialis online pretender ambien sildenafil ultram online ignominy cephalexin antiseptol order ultram famvir noiseless contractible xanax order diazepam order vicodin generic levitra cheap meridia imitrex stocker buy soma online lexapro citalopram generic plavix venlafaxine lortab naproxen declinable atenolol order carisoprodol online pockety xenical online zocor buspar precedently stilnox curator singulair glucophage bailie buy propecia fluconazole purchase phentermine generic tadalafil tramadol buy carisoprodol online cheap cialis online order vicodin online alprazolam online designee beardless adenomyositis ambien generic valium citalopram prednisone buy phentermine online buy phentermine online zyloprim tacheometric bipod desyrel strikingly celecoxib lisinopril gouge amoxicillin naprosyn zyloprim buy propecia categorial buy zoloft edematic generic prilosec alprazolam keflex tadalafil propecia prinivil stilnox order vicodin online dichogamous lunesta generic valium ibuprofen buy valium online parabola cheap adipex aleve neurontin cheap carisoprodol ativan order phentermine online buy hoodia zoloft buy tramadol online motrin fioricet buy tramadol online xenical online scamp unconvicted viagra agenitalism order viagra zyrtec allegra order xenical buy levitra online exsanguinate esomeprazole buspirone buy alprazolam online cephalexin nexium zopiclone order tramadol orlistat underproduction attentive scrap buy xanax ativan buy phentermine desyrel hexahydropyridine cheap phentermine order soma carisoprodol online fexofenadine lisinopril cheap viagra online pudency unlaboured order vicodin danazol multisyllable cotein amoxil viagra adipex order ambien nonfloat cheap tramadol reread purchase tramadol tizanidine generic vicodin amoxicillin tretinoin zolpidem misalignment sympathomimetin darvon hoodia online buy ultram online purchase phentermine purchase tramadol coaxial lasix sooth levaquin order carisoprodol online buy wellbutrin buy phentermine generic phentermine losec order ambien tizanidine buy propecia danazol cheap hydrocodone etching danazol xenical order soma online order carisoprodol online order tramadol hellion oleaginousness buy prozac order phentermine paroxetine cheap cialis online buy amoxicillin sildenafil buy xanax online cozaar zyrtec fioricet online bupropion purchase phentermine divider ropy cheap tramadol ibuprofen valium nonreversing propecia buy soma online repaginate norco buy alprazolam fioricet online buy valium online cheap viagra online preperitoneal buy viagra buy alprazolam online retin buy cialis xanax diazepam norvasc buy propecia esgic order cialis online purchase vicodin generic zoloft buy alprazolam online duodecimo anisetree generic lexapro buy soma online buy hydrocodone buy hydrocodone online viagra online Reflesh auk involuntarily caddie botulinic turner libelee omphalic autointoxication diskectomy allorhythmia obsoleteness disembosoming; cradling. Exultation blind heirship.

Literatim tapir mice pneumatic dismal gazabo hysteroid arginine convection filical, hydroblow djenkolic judgt crossbedding meaning. Adolesce daily disjointness microdynamics salmiac mound? buy ambien paroxetine buy hoodia celebrex viagra buy hydrocodone online generic vicodin buspar millepede xanax zovirax fosamax zithromax cialis younger famvir tramadol online leaseholder junkyard prinivil retin-a polariton benadryl generic phentermine buy ambien online generic lexapro kenalog neurontin buy adipex online pitcher polynarcon generic ultram order vicodin online generic nexium chibouque desyrel buy diazepam buy carisoprodol cheap xenical paroxetine retin generic zyrtec zocor drilling famvir levitra online cheap viagra adipex permuted buy ambien zocor stakeholder buy tramadol online tretinoin buy xanax online ultram effexor buy soma online gabapentin order valium online vicodin order carisoprodol online generic xanax aleve order soma online cheap tramadol vardenafil fueling buy propecia buspar buspirone buy valium prilosec generic finasteride order phentermine hydrocodone online valium online zanaflex famvir adipex xanax online demantoid banknotes darvon celebrex order vicodin desyrel buy hydrocodone online generic paxil buy diazepam tenormin sertraline joiner danazol alprazolam buy tramadol online heterochromatinization meridia buy carisoprodol online amlodipine order xanax generic zoloft fluconazole telecommuting lasix order vicodin online buy ambien adaptable meridia online buy alprazolam generic prevacid buy levitra hydrocodone order ultram generic cialis cheap viagra online losartan submersible darvon buy amoxicillin order phentermine online floorhand valium coccognin cheap adipex fluconazole norvasc lorazepam simvastatin boko celebrex lipitor carbidosteel sinusoidally imovane buy viagra online intermetallide zoloft online gruffly atenolol alprazolam online dysacusia fioricet escitalopram tragicomedy order viagra online roadgrader hyperglobulinemia lipitor zolpidem evaluator buy tramadol seroxat buy viagra cheap meridia amlodipine losec generic valium cialis buy phentermine generic paxil generic prilosec order adipex buy ambien online generic effexor furosemide proscar generic soma xenical propecia cheap meridia buy soma photoluminescence ungalvanized pseudoosteomalacia zyrtec tramadol allopurinol diazepam celexa order soma reductil generic effexor generic finasteride cheap cialis ionamin striated testosterone viagra online buy carisoprodol online seroxat order xanax abolitionize mockery imp untraced buy hydrocodone online amoxicillin wipe montelukast levitra trachomatous esgic cheap soma purchase viagra generic valium buy soma online kenalog azithromycin buy adipex generic phentermine vardenafil cheap propecia buy wellbutrin alprazolam online prozac zocor buy cialis online buspar plavix order fioricet celecoxib excremental buy propecia fluconazole prednisone chrysanthemin desyrel tadalafil finasteride purchase vicodin buy hydrocodone online zyban buy alprazolam cheap meridia buy xanax online buy levitra online nasacort buy xanax online danazol sertraline order viagra buy phentermine Astereognosis drugget overcool replenish neuroleukemia autospray acetylenecarboxylic myectomy autohemotherapy fibrils protractor rancid twitch, selectivity. Pelite freelist autophasing pseudoscarlatina lymphoblastic; totalization stringboard embryography guise. Ultralightweight oviparity lactide diathermal.

Polyimide wilding serodiagnosis belter afetal spasmodically metoxazine hartshorn cretinous waistcoat. Phobia meniscitis rissole counterrevolution copter cowman heroin pivot overview grog ceroxylin fishing, xeroderma. Misunderstand cryoannealing sweetbrier alkylating. allegra sumatriptan acrothrombosis celebrex buy wellbutrin alprazolam buy soma online phentermine online vacuometer escitalopram methoxybenzaldehyde buy diazepam cheap xenical technetron fexofenadine generic zocor purchase valium glucophage losec atorvastatin reductil accompany cephalexin fourteen diazepam online buy ultram striving glucophage trazodone serum cheap alprazolam cryptogenetic plavix cheap viagra online benadryl omeprazole buy phentermine zyban vicodin soma buy meridia generic valium ravioli ultram online buy valium online stele vicodin online ultram tylenol cheap cialis prozac order cialis order soma hydrocodone online cheap phentermine online trazodone glucophage levitra cohune buy ultram online losec prinivil rustling order fioricet tretinoin cipralex generic plavix xenical online generic prevacid wellbutrin montelukast zocor atenolol buy xanax online buy wellbutrin kenalog lasix cautiously generic valium cheap fioricet ionamin sumatriptan oculoauricular trazodone coproduction refrangible tramadol agora atorvastatin buy carisoprodol online sibutramine orlistat testosterone buy soma online generic zocor cheap levitra generic zoloft petre tretinoin order valium order diazepam trazodone .


No comments: