Village HopeCore and the Millenium Development Goals
The Millenium Development Goals were created in 2000 by the United Nations after 10 years of conferences and summits with world leaders to establish long-term strategic plans for the problems faced by the world’s poorest and most oppressed people. The eight broad-based goals to be reached by 2015 include ending poverty & hunger, universal education, gender equality, child health, maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS, environmental sustainability, and global partnership. Village HopeCore is working directly to meet six out of eight of these goals, and working indirectly to meet the remaining two—universal education and environmental sustainability.
One of the targets to end poverty is to provide full and productive employment and decent work for all – particularly women and youth who are generally excluded from the formal work sector. That is exactly what are doing with our microenterprise program. With small loans from VHI, our members are able to employ themselves, and often others, in order to engage in meaningful and fulfilling work. Women represent 75% of the people who benefit from our loans, largely because they are less likely to access work opportunities elsewhere.
One target within the maternal health goal is to provide universal access to reproductive health services. Reproductive health has long been a taboo subject in the developing world and is still often met with misunderstandings and traditional cultural attitudes that are harmful to the health of women, especially as they become mothers. Through home health visits, community outreach, and health education VHI is working to increase access to truth and knowledge about family planning, STI testing, breastfeeding, antenatal care, gestational diabetes, and partner involvement in child-rearing. Education is the foundation of change and will eventually lead to new cultural attitudes that value the health of women and mothers.
Finally, Village HopeCore has been actively involved in the struggle against HIV/AIDS since its inception, primarily by serving those living with HIV. Halting the transmission of HIV is the primary target of this goal, and educating, uplifting, and empowering people who are living with the disease is an important way of preventing transmission. People living with HIV are likely to experience depression and isolation, along with their concerns about health. By giving them a support network within their loan group and giving them hope for the future with the loan, these people are able to foresee a productive and fulfilling life, making them more likely to protect their health and avoid risky behaviors that would transmit the infection.
While the Millenium Development Goals represent only a broad framework for creating a more just world, we believe that maintaining a focus on the global picture is necessary to inspire the work on the ground that can often feel like only a drop in the bucket. By realizing that there are people all over the world who are working to achieve the same goals, we understand that the work of VHI is connected to a broad, global network of people envisioning and working for a better world.