About Us
The Millennium Villages project is led and executed by the communities on the ground in Africa. Throughout the continent, more than 400,000 people are leading this bold initiative, giving their time, skills, and resources to make the project a success and one that is relevant to local conditions. Because Millennium Villages are an investment toward a sustainable end to extreme poverty, Millennium Village communities strengthen their local governments and institutions and certify the preparation and implementation of the interventions in their community. This is necessary to ensure that their development will become sustainable and self-sufficient.
The Millennium Village project is based on the findings of the UN Millennium Project and is led by the science, policy and planning teams at The Earth Institute and Millennium Promise.
The Earth Institute, Columbia University | web +
The Earth Institute at Columbia University leads the research and development of cutting-edge science-based solutions, based on the UN Millennium Project findings, for the Millennium Villages. The Earth Institute’s integrated scientific expertise supports all of the interventions in the Villages and cuts across a broad range of disciplines including public health, nutrition, engineering, education, hydrology, ecology, and agronomy. Earth Institute scientists work closely with communities to understand particular challenges, adapt appropriate solutions, and ensure rigorous monitoring and evaluation. The Earth Institute provides on-going advice, scientific and technical analysis, and reporting of results.
Millennium Promise | web +
The mission of Millennium Promise is to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – eight globally endorsed objectives that address the many aspects of extreme poverty – in Africa by 2015. With regard to Millennium Villages, Millennium Promise, with guidance from the partners, leads the overall implementation of the Project. By 2015, responsibilities for operations in the Villages is expected to be fully transitioned to the host country governments and institutions so that the benefits of the Millennium Villages approach can be expanded and sustained at the local level. Millennium Promise’s core activities also include raising funds from the private sector, working with partner organizations to support the project and engaging the private sector in the development of markets around the Villages.
Our work is premised on the belief that, for the first time in history, our generation has the opportunity to end extreme poverty, hunger, and disease.
United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) | web +
Beginning July 1st, 2011, UNOPS (the United Nations Office for Project Services) will provide human resource management services to Millennium Promise for its operations in Africa. These services include all HR contract and payroll administration for the Millennium Village Project staff across the MVP clusters in sub-Saharan Africa. The arrangement is in accordance with a Memorandum of Agreement entered into between Millennium Promise and UNOPS dated 23 May 2011.
UNOPS implements more than $1 billion worth of projects for its partners every year, operating in more than 80 countries, often in the most challenging of environments. It provides administrative, operational, and other support services to governments, intergovernmental entities, international financial institutions, non-governmental organizations, the private sector and foundations as well as to the rest of the United Nations system.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) | web +
As an implementing partner of the Millennium Villages project UNDP has provided project management and operational support to the Millennium Villages project.
