The development sector is heavy with acronyms. This can sometimes make it difficult for us normal people to decipher language that basically just translates to, ‘We need to help lift each other up when we are down’ or WNTHLEOUWWAD.
Across governments and borders, religions and gender, we are all still people, living in one world, not 3, and those of us who get a good deal need to help those who get the dodgy deal.
We like to keep it simple here at aGahw!
This week there has been much in the media about the UN MDGs. The Millenium Development Goals that were put together by the United Nations in an effort to dramatically change certain development measures by 2015. There’s 8 of them;
1. Eradicate extreme hunger and poverty
2. Achieve universal primary education
3. Promote gender equality and empower women
4. Reduce childhood mortality
5. Improve maternal health
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases
7. Ensure environmental sustainability
8. Global partnership for development
In the Pacific, education is not compulsory in many islands, gender based violence and inequality are widespread and girls continue to be married off young as their families are poor and can’t see another way through. While some gains are being made against the MDGs across the Pacific, PNG is the only Pacific country to have not made any real progress. This is partly because it’s so hard to collect data in such a geographically diverse island but also because poverty, HIV/AIDS and gender based violence are rife.
Where we are based, in Fiji, much progress is being made but the rural girls that we serve continue to be disadvantaged in many ways, distance, poverty and lack of access to quality healthcare among them.
We are making our contribution to MDG number 2 and 3. We’d love you to join the journey!
Warmly,
Jane, for team ‘a Girl & her world’
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