Stakeholders meet on USAID's project for MDGs

Ghana News Agency reports:

Stakeholders under the Behaviour Change Support Project (BCSP) that promotes the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals health targets, met in Accra on Tuesday to brainstorm among other issues on the implementation of the second year of the project. The BCSP, a four-year United States Agency for International Development (USAID) supported project, is managed by the Johns Hopkins Centre for Communication Programs (JHU/CCP) with CARE and PLAN International in partnership with the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service (GHS). It is being implemented basically in communities in the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in three regions, namely the Greater Accra, Central and Western regions The meeting created a platform that enabled the participants to devise means of jointly mobilising district support for the implementation of the project. Giving an overview of the BCSP, Mr George Baba Ajaligbong of Care Ghana International, one of the managers of the project, said the targets for first year, especially in the area of community mobilisation and education, were exceeded.

The project covers five thematic areas, which are: Maternal, Neonatal, Child Health and Family Planning; Malaria; Nutrition; Water and Sanitation and Infrastructure and Capacity Building.

Mr Ajaligbong said for year one, 490 communities in the three regions were reached during, which a number of activities were undertaken. The activities included organisation of baseline studies, strategic development workshop, development of core Community Action Kit and integrated materials, implementation of regional specific campaigns as well as family planning and malaria campaigns.

For year two, Mr Ajaligbong said, the work plan for the partners would include selection of 25 communities, organisation of district and sub district advocacy meetings, setting terms of reference for Non Governmental Organisations, carrying out Social Analysis and Action for partners and the formation of networks in sub districts The Hope for Future Generations (HFFG), is one of three selected health NGOs selected in the Greater Accra to implement the BCS project in the second year.

Mrs Cecilia Lodonu-Senoo, Executive Director of the HFFG, said the organisation was implementing the project as a sub recipient in partnership with Care International Ghana which is the principal recipient of the funds from USAIDS. She said HFFG has the capacity given its track record in implementing similar projects in the country and noted that it was currently working with the Ghana Health Service on the MDGs.

News roundup: MDG Summit

The MDG Summit is over, but the message of hope the Goals send is louder and clearer than ever. No doubt progress has been made, but there is still a long way to go. Reactions to the Summit have been largely positive, although some NGOs were dissatisfied; ActionAid's chief executive Joanna Kerr called it an "expensive side-show", stating that these summits will continue to fail so long as leaders continue to make empty promises.

Ghana was represented at the Summit by our Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Hon. Alhaji Mumuni. He described the progress that has made for each goal thus far and pointed out that while Ghana has seen some encouraging progress, work still needs to be done. Although he remarked that various changes needed to be made, no mention was made concerning how these changes would be implemented. You can read his speech in full here.

After preceding the Summit insisting the MDGs can be met with the right amount of work, Ban Ki-moon launched the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health (which Ghana and 40 other states have committed to) as a buffer for MDGs 4 and 5, arguably the furthest from being met. President Obama used the Summit as a platform to reveal the his new International Development Policy, and Nick Clegg pledged to increase UK spending on malaria by a third to £500m a year by 2014. To view the Summit's official outcome document, click here.

Many promises were made - and with only five years to go, now is the time has come to hold our leaders accountable. They have proven they can all talk the talk, now they must walk the walk. There will be an opportunity to do this early next month. World leaders will be meeting to confirm their support to the Global Fund, an organisation that works to combat malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS worldwide. We will be watching!

Ghana & Vietnam among top MDG peformers

An article from the Oversees Development Institute (ODI):

The first new ODI study, the MDG Report Card, provides a country-by-country analysis of progress toward meeting the MDGs.

A second new study, Development Progress Stories, showcases outstanding examples of national progress in eight major areas of development: economic conditions, health, water and sanitation, education, governance, environmental conditions, agriculture and rural development, and social protection. The first stories appear today on a new website.

"Both these projects grew out of a growing awareness that there was too little attention paid to progress being made in development," says ODI Director, Dr. Alison Evans. "We believe that by providing robust and accessible information on progress at national level, this project will offer lessons for policymakers and support the evidence base for continued international engagement."

MDG Report Card - Measuring progress across countries:

The MDG Report Card presents an analysis of progress on the MDGs and a set of league tables of selected indicators. It shows where substantial advances have been made, as well as inequities and uneven progress for seven MDGs. The eighth MDG on global partnerships was not included in the analysis.

The report makes a crucial distinction between absolute versus relative progress. Both measures are needed to tell the full story of progress over the past ten years. Relative progress measures a country's progress relative to initial conditions. This highlights the degree to which they have closed the gap on MDG targets. Absolute progress measures change regardless of initial conditions. Low-income countries, especially those in Africa, tend to rank top on absolute progress, whereas middle-income countries tend to do better at closing the gap.

The report reveals a number of high achievers. Vietnam made unprecedented progress in improving the lives of the poor. It featured in the top ten of several indicators, including halving the proportion of underweight children, and reducing the proportion of people living on less than $1 a day from nearly two-thirds to one-fifth in just 14 years. Ghana outperformed all other countries around the world by reducing hunger by nearly three-quarters, from 34 percent to 9 percent, between 1990 and 2004. It will achieve MDG 1 before 2015.

Many other African nations have made considerable progress. Ten African countries, including Ethiopia, Egypt, and post-conflict Angola, have already halved their absolute poverty levels. Angola and Niger have reduced their under-five mortality ratios by more than 100 per 1,000 deaths in less than two decades. The West African nation of Benin ranked in the top ten in education improvements with school enrolments increasing from 43 to 83 percent between 1992 and 2007.

MDG Summit: 20th-22nd Sep

In the year 2000, over 180 states agreed on a series of goals that, once achieved, would take a significant dent out of poverty and its effects worldwide. These goals have the potential to save millions of lives, reduce gender inequality, protect the environment and significantly improve the quality of life for all.

With the target date for these goals fast approaching, there is a need for world leaders to come together once again to discuss progress, share lessons and to go over the necessary action to be taken over the next five years. The MDG Report for 2010 shows mixed progress (read it here), so careful, deliberate leadership will be required to stay on track for 2015. From the 20th until the 22nd of September, the UN will be holding an MDG Summit in New York. You can follow the action with ONE*, the UN, or right here on the YLMP blog.

"The summit will be a crucially important opportunity to redouble our efforts to meet the Goals", says Ban Ki Moon, Secretary General of the UN. "Our world possesses the knowledge and the resources to achieve the MDGs. Our challenge today is to agree on an action agenda to achieve the MDGs." The Millennium Development Goals represent an unprecedented global effort and commitment; if successful, our leaders have the chance to re-write history and prove that they can indeed work together to facilitate positive change on a large scale.


*ONE has put together a playlist of MDG videos on YouTube. Check them out here.

Ghana leads the way on MGD 1!!!

Here's a fantastic post from the Gates Foundation blog by Melinda Gates. You might have already heard - news of this development made the front page of today's Daily Graphic. Hope you enjoy the read nonetheless:

"In the fight to reduce hunger and poverty around the world — part of the ambitious set of development targets known as the Millennium Development Goals — one country that really stands out for me is the West African nation of Ghana.

Ghana’s progress has been remarkable. Between 1990 and 2004, Ghana outperformed all countries globally in reducing hunger by 75 percent. It’s also making great strides to reduce the number of people living in poverty. In fact, Ghana is on track to become the first country in Africa to achieve the MDG goal for halving poverty and hunger from 1990 levels by 2015. That’s remarkable, especially when you consider the devastating drought, dwindling harvests and rising poverty that Ghana experienced in the mid-1980s.

How did they do it? In Ghana, as in many parts of the developing world, the poorest people get their income by farming small plots of land. So finding ways to help these farmers produce more food and get it to market is a critical element in reducing poverty and hunger. That’s also the goal of the foundation’s agricultural development initiative, which we launched in 2006.

And that’s just what Ghana has done. During the past 25 years, Ghana’s increased government investments in agriculture have led to some amazing results. Ghana commits nearly 10 percent of its budget to improving agriculture, putting it among the top investors in the sector in Africa. It’s experienced steady growth in agricultural productivity, almost 5 percent a year since 1985, making it one of the world’s top performers in agricultural growth. A dramatic increase in cocoa production has helped to increase exports. And child malnutrition in Ghana has almost been cut in half since the end of the 1980s.

There is still work to be done in Ghana – only half of the land suitable for agriculture is currently under cultivation and there are still complaints from farmers that the market for some crops is underdeveloped. But there is no disputing the fact that Ghana is on the right path: just two decades ago, Ghana was a country that struggled to feed its own people; now it has ambitions to become the breadbasket for West Africa.

I invite you to take a look at this photo gallery — featuring the story of Ghanaian cocoa farmer Peter Owoahene Acheampong — on Ghana’s progress."

This is fantastic news; hopefully progress in the seven remaining goals will follow soon!

For all US residents out there

I've recently noticed on our blog counter that we seem to been getting quite a few hits from the United States. I've got a little something for you guys:

Our friends over at ONE are running a petition to push Congress to pass a bill essential for the delivery of President Obama's promise of donating over a billion dollars to Haiti to help with reconstruction. You can add you name to show your support here.

Similarly, the Millennium Campus Network is pushing for Obama and Congress to make the necessary policy changes to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 (specifically, global education, global health and sustainable development in Haiti). You can sign their petition here.

Unfortunately, those of us outside the United States are unable to add our voices to these causes. We hope those of you who can will join us in holding leaders accountable for their promises in the fight against poverty. I'll be sharing any updates as I see them, so keep an eye out for those!

--Updates-->>
Great news! early this morning (last night for you Yanks), Congress voted to pass the bill that will make the promised funding to assist with Haiti's reconstruction and debt relief possible. More details here. Result! Now let's rally behind the Millennium Campus Network campaign to see those policy changes happen!!
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President Obama has released his MDG plans; you can check them out here! I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who supported these campaigns... little by little, we're all able to make a difference :)

ONE Africa Award

Do you own or work with a company that works to advance the Millennium Development Goals in Africa? If so, you might want to consider applying for the ONE Africa Award for a chance to win up to $100,000. From ONE's website:

"Throughout Africa, there is amazing progress to end extreme poverty and preventable disease. New ideas and exciting approaches are transforming lives one day at a time. The ONE Africa Award seeks to highlight the dynamism and achievements of African individuals and civil society organizations who are building a better future for their communities, countries and continent."

Applications must be submitted by Friday 24th September either via their online application form or an uploaded Microsoft Word or PDF document. Applications should be sent to oneaward@one.org. You can also send any questions you have to this address.

Click here for award criteria and here for eligibility requirements. Best of luck!

15th African Union Summit

The African Union's 15th Summit kicks off this coming Monday the 19th of July. It's being held in Kampala, Uganda. Similar to the G8 summit a few weeks ago, this year's theme will be "Maternal, Infant and Child Health and Development in Africa". You might have noticed that maternal and child health are a passion of mine, but I'm writing about this today not only because of that, but because this is a great opportunity for us to look at Africa's united body of leadership. With the first World Cup hosted in Africa successfully completed, this is Africa's next chance to show the world that we too are capable of great things. Unfortunately there isn't much information about the summit on the AU website at the moment, but keep checking back here if you're interested - I'll be adding more details as I find them.

Update
There is a little information here, on the African Development Bank Group website. You can also have a look at the schedule for the summit here.

Following up: G8 and maternal health

Some of you may have seen an earlier request to support ONE's G8 campaign. On the 26th of June, the G8 announced they would be contributing $5 billion towards maternal and child health through the 'Muskoka Initiative'. Donations from other nations such as the Republic of Korea, Spain and New Zealand, and organisations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation takes the ground total to $7.3 billion. Although it is definitely a step in the right direction, it comes as somewhat of a disappointment to groups like ONE who would have liked to see provision for 3.5 million healthcare workers to be trained by 2015.

The Muskoka Initiative will work with several global partners to achieve the targets for Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5. These are to reduce child mortality by two thirds, maternal mortality by three quarters, and to achieve universal access to reproductive health by 2015. The Muskoka Initiative has a strong focus on outcomes, and has set various targets to be reached between 2010 and 2015.

Addressing recent concerns about the accountability and trustworthiness of the G8 on coming through with promises, the Canadian prime minister has announced that the Muskoka Initiative includes an accountability mechanism to ensure the G8 follows through on its commitments.

You can read more about the Muskoka Initiative here, in an official statement from the G8 (also available in pdf).

Go Black Stars!!

Young Entrepreneurs Competition 2010

Morning all! Hope you've had a great weekend. I'd like to draw your attention to Sukuma Afrika's Young Entrepreneur's Competition. Here is some information about Sumuma Afrika from their website:

Sukuma Afrika (Zulu for “Stand Up”) is a forum to facilitate networking, dialogue, information, mentoring and access to finance for entrepreneurs with projects in Africa that impact the millennium development goals – the 8 UN goals to half poverty worldwide by 2015.

Sukuma Afrika, was established in support of the UN Stand Up Campaign in recognition of the critical role young entrepreneurs and the Diaspora will play in the fight against poverty as the generation that will be responsible for reaching the Millennium Development Goals in 2015.

Sukuma Afrika works with young entrepreneurs interested in Africa’s development and achieves this through partnerships with the United Nations’ Millennium Campaign, corporate partners and investors committed to supporting the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals in Africa.

The competition encourages African youth (up to 35 years of age) to come up with a for-profit business model that would contribute to achieving one of the Millennium Development Goals. The deadline for submissions is Monday the 28th, so you'll have to hurry if you want to enter. For more information, see here.

Thanks to David Agbenyega, one of our senior mentors, for the heads up.

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Don't forget to show your support for ONE's campaign and encourage the G8 leaders to commit to train 3.5 million health workers by 2015 in order to prevent maternal and child mortality. Click here to sign up!

Go Black Stars!!

April 25th: World Malaria Day

I know this is (for the most part) unrelated to the work we do at the YLMP, but I would like to draw your attention to the fact that this coming Sunday (the 25th of April) is World Malaria Day. Living in Ghana, malaria is something that is bound to have affected us all in one way or another at some point, and it would be good to recognise this day and reflect on the work so many people are doing in order to combat this disease.

There's a link below which will take you to the World Malaria Day website. This site is part of a year-round campaign that has been working tirelessly in the arduous fight against malaria. I'd like to encourage you to get involved in any way you can; and if you do, please let us know about it! Either way, try to spread the word about the day as much as possible. Together, we can do more to stamp malaria out.


Clicking on the right hand side of the link will take you to the Roll Back Malaria site. You'll be seeing this logo around on several sites addressing the issue of malaria. And for all you Twitter fans out there, ONE (listed on our 'Interesting Blogs' widget on the right hand side) has launched a twitter campaign to help put a stop to malaria. You can view their Twitter page here.