Millennium Villages:
A New Approach to
Fighting Poverty
Background and History
The first Millennium Village was started in Sauri, Kenya in August 2004 and saw remarkable results in just two years. For example, the villagers went from chronic hunger to a tripling of their crop production. Also, for the first time in years, they were able to sell their produce in nearby markets. The second Millennium Village was launched in Koraro, Ethiopia in February 2005 and also saw tremendous progress early on.
Slideshow of Sauri, Kenya
With the financial support from the Government of Japan, an additional ten villages were implemented in partnership with UNDP and the Earth Institute at Columbia University, creating a total of 12 Millennium Villages located in the following countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda. The areas were selected to represent each of the agro-ecological zones in Sub-Saharan Africa. These agro- ecological zones are representative of 93 percent of the agricultural land area in sub-Saharan Africa and the homes of 90 percent of the agriculture population. Each Millennium Village is located in a reasonably well-governed and stable country and in a hunger hotspot, an area with the highest rates of rural poverty and hunger as identified by the UN Millennium Project.
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As of Jan 1, 2007, the advisory work formerly carried out by the Millennium Project secretariat team is being continued by an MDG Support team integrated under the United Nations Development Program.
Millennium Promise
Millennium Promise works with leading companies, non-governmental organizations, philanthropies, and millions of interested citizens, to unite efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in the world's poorest countries. Click here to find out more
The Earth Institute Mobilizing the Sciences and Public Policy to Build a Prosperous and Substainable Future. Click here to find out more
