Millennium Village
#6 Millennium Village
Do you agree to contribute $6.00 per academic year per full-time and part-time student to support a Millennium Village?
The “Vote YES” referendum committee’s platform
The Millennium Village Project is about providing people, many of whom would otherwise be dead, with the basic tools they need to lift themselves out of extreme poverty so that they can develop on their own terms. Through investments in health, education, agriculture, gender equality, environmental sustainability, biodiversity and infrastructure this holistic community led approach to development is lifting villages out of extreme poverty one community at a time. By agreeing to an annual levy of six dollars to support a Millennium Village in Sub-Saharan Africa, you are helping 5,000 human beings help themselves out of extreme poverty and get on the path to sustainable development.
That is seeds and fertilizer so people who are starving can grow more food. That is materials so a community can do small scale water management techniques so that they don’t have to walk for hours to collect contaminated dirty water that they have no choice but to drink. That is basic medicines so that people don’t have watch their children die from diarrhea which claimed two million lives this year alone and could be prevented by a ten cent oral dehydration kit. That is the basic necessities required for a decent survival.
{ 45 comments… read them below or add one }
As a student in international development, I would like to state that I do not support this initiative. It’s a nice idea for students to contribute to social causes, but just not this one. I do not support the millennium villages’ approach to development. I also dislike the campaign’s approach. Stating that if you don’t contribute to this cause, people will automatically die, is not appropriate in any way. I feel that this whole campaign lacks severely in cultural understanding.
The idea of Millennium villages takes a very “modernization theory” approach to development (that it is a singular, linear process).
For more info, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rostovian_take-off_model:
“The Rostovian take-off model (also called “Rostow’s Stages of Growth”) is one of the major historical models of economic growth. It was developed by W. W. Rostow. The model postulates that economic modernization occurs in five basic stages, of varying length.
1. Traditional society
2. Preconditions for take-off
3. Take-off
4. Drive to maturity
5. Age of High mass consumption”
This is the theoretical basis of millennium villages, and I do not agree with it.
The previous comment represents a dangerous trend. Categorizing the initiative as this or that without doing any research into what it is actually about. This has nothing to do with Rostow’s ’stages of development’. The previous comment also misses the point entirely. Aside from the groundless assertion that Rostow’s theory is the theoretical foundation of the millennium villages, we are not talking about ending all the worlds problems. If you asked fifty different experts about where the billion plus people living in extreme poverty should be in fifty years you would get as many answers and as many different ideas about how to get there. Development is hard. Stopping people from dying from stupid things, like diarrhea which killed two million people this year alone and could have been treated with a ten cent oral rehydration kit, is not. Many of these solutions did not exist a decade ago and now past development failures are being used to justify shortfalls in attempting to deal with extreme poverty when the landscape of possibilities has completely shifted.
None of this stuff is a secret. There have, literally, been thousands of pages of literature published on the millennium villages. Please do some research before putting forward blind assertions. Poverty is a touchy subject, stating if we do nothing people will die, however troublesome, is entirely factual. Poverty will kill more people this year than four centuries of slavery, more in the next three years than WWII, and more in the next decade than all the wars of the past century, yet there exist numerous practical steps that can be taken right now that will yield millions of lives saved. Eighteen million people will die this year of poverty, ending all poverty, achieving perfect equity, creating perfectly equal opportunities for all, and addressing all the structural and historical factors that gave rise to it in the first place would require massive structural reform and unfortunately will not happen overnight. Especially given current levels of involvement in structural (colonial legacies, the terms of trade, debt burdens, wasted aid, governance, draconian policies of the IMF and WB) issues. However, six diseases kill eight million people annually, each with a low cost existing health solution, few requiring hospitals, and none requiring structural reform. When the same number of people are dying every 4 months from poverty as were lost throughout the holocaust, I believe we have a moral obligation to speak truthfully and be blunt about such matters, because the simple truth is, doing nothing is leaving people to die.
Maxime, I think you are missing the point. Millennium Villages is providing people with basic tools, like fertilizer and seed, bednets, supplies for small scale water management, school supplies…the essential tools for survival, so that they can grow on their own terms; theses are basic human needs - it is not that complicated. If you would like more information on the MVs, I suggest you check out millenniumvillages.org
Maxime. I would like you to recommend to all of us what we should do.
Since you claim to be such an expert in the matter because of your
“international development” background, I welcome you to make some
suggestions. The point is we have the resources to help these people
without inconveniencing ourselves in the least. Three dollars a semester.
That’s the difference between drinking 7 beers in one night and drinking
six. These people are not claiming to change the underlying social issues
that are present in Africa. They are just trying to save a couple thousand
people so they get the chance to experience 1/100 of the privileges that
you get every day. Supporting this is not a major moral dilemma. Ignoring
it should be.
Firstly, I would like to clarify that I never once claimed to be an expert in matters of international development. I simply stated my field of study, as I thought it could be of interest that a student’s chosen field of study might influence their opinion on a topic related to that same field.I didn’t want students to assume that since this is an international development project, that students in international development automatically supported it. This is why I stated my program.
I also do not claim to have the one true solution to under development. There is no such thing. Basil, just because I don’t necessarily support this initiative also does not mean that I am responsible for giving the solution to the world’s problems.
Bryan, please do not assume that I don’t recognize the plight of so many in this world. Again, this is my chosen field of study. I am interested in this topic, actively researching it every day for every class that I take, for my coop work terms, for my general knowledge.
Of course these sorts of projects sound great, Nadine. They sound so simple, giving people what they need. But we’ve been doing this for years, ‘development work’. This project, in my opinion, is not a sustainable model for development. For one, it relies way too heavily on the influx of money. Theoretically, yes, it is very modernist in its approach, whether admitted or not.Bringing in solutions from the top down, rather than the bottom up, isn’t something I am in full support of. I could certainly go into the issues created by funding one single village. What happens to the surrounding villages? There are many social consequences to this project.
I encourage you all to read the critics of Sachs and Easterly. Their approach isn’t necessarily the right one. It looks really good, but there is much more to it.
So in conclusion, please do not assume my ignorance. I am grateful if we can have a thoughtful debate on this topic.
Question
Can we see a budget up of cost breakdowns? and How did you come up with the 6$?
Please ensure to include an entire breakdown of the project (How much is spent on flights, promotion, bureaucracy, equipment)
Lastly Please explain how this is a student fee? How does this improve university, what service will be offered to 29,000 undergrads, and what will all students represented by the SFUO will receive in return for their 6$
Question
Can we see a budget up of cost breakdowns? and How did you come up with the 6$?
Please ensure to include an entire breakdown of the project (How much is spent on flights, promotion, bureaucracy, equipment)
Lastly Please explain how this is a student fee? How does this improve university, what service will be offered to 29,000 undergrads, and what will all students represented by the SFUO will receive in return for their 6$
Maxime. Your last comment, while better than your first, still reflects a lack of research into and understanding of the millennium villages. Relies way to heavily on a large influx of money? First, if all the world’s poorest people were to be armed with similar tools to those provided for communities in the villages it would fall within the globally endorsed 0.7% of GNI in ODA. Second, I’m not sure how $60 per person when making the difference between struggling for survival and a dignified life is considered a large amount. Thirdly, the theoretical foundations of the millennium villages is that large parts of rural sub-Saharan Africa are caught in a poverty trap. That means sub-subsistence living leaves no room for savings and investment. In other words, when people do not have enough food to eat, safe water to drink, or basic medicines to keep them alive, they have literally no way to better their own situation. By being able to grow more food, by having safe water, by having opportunities for education, and by having basic medicines people can lift themselves out of sub-subsistence (extreme poverty, struggling for survival) and start providing for themselves and ‘developing’ on their own terms. That’s how they become sustainable. People get the tools they need to start making their own situation better.
Your assertion that this is top down rather than bottom up, while sounding great, again reflects a lack of knowledge about the project. I’m not sure in what capacity you think asking people what they need to lift themselves out of extreme poverty and then providing them with the tools to do so is top down, but your top down criticisms does not withstand practical scrutiny. Over simplistically, when a ‘millennium village’ starts, there is a big meeting with the villagers where they ask if they want some help. If they do, the community assembles themselves into a bunch of different committees dealing with different issues, agriculture, health, environmental sustainability, education, etc. Lots of the issues are inevitably the same, clean water, food, education… They get ‘help’ by way of resources, seeds and fertilizer so they can grow more food, materials so they can do small scale water management so that they don’t have to walk for hours to collect dirty contaminated water that they have to drink, materials so they can build a school, resources so that they can get the training needed to be community health workers, the list is long. The basic point is that the community does all the work themselves, the project facilitates it through resources and technical expertise when necessary.
What happens to the surrounding villages? Again if you did some more research into this, you would realize that, yes, there is an influx of population from surrounding villages. There is also sharing between the millennium villages and outside communities. But, most of the time, these communities are so far removed (very rural, in the middle of nowhere) that the closest neighbouring communities are hundreds of kilometers away, meaning that the horrible social consequences that you alluded to are a non issue. Examined to it’s core, that part of your last comment sounds a lot like; we can’t do everything to help everyone all at once so we should just let everyone continue to live in abject poverty.
Finally, I’m assuming that you meant to say look at Easterly’s criticisms of Sachs. The right wing economist William Easterly who makes his living preaching to market fundamentalist and justifying inaction on aid relying on half informed audiences makes blind assertions about the millennium villages that do not withstand practical scrutiny. And so, please read carefully. Two things, first, he’s an attention seeker. He criticizes the millennium villages, yet if he’s not lying through his teeth, he fundamentally misunderstands the project. Easterly himself says, as Sachs points out in Commonwealth, “Put the focus back where it belong: get the poorest people in the world such obvious goods as the vaccines, the antibiotics, the food supplements, the improved seeds, the fertilizer, the roads, the boreholes, the water pipes, the textbooks, and the nurses. This is not making the poor dependent on handouts; it is giving the poorest people the health, nutrition, education, and other inputs that raise the payoff to their own efforts to better their lives.” That is exactly what the millennium village project aims to do, not to give people aid, but to arm them with the basic tools needed for a decent survival, to reduce their time burdens and empower communities to escape their poverty traps. Easterly rightfully criticizes many aid policies of the past but fails to see that the millennium villages are not based on the shortfalls of past aid programs.
Another thing you might here people repeating from Easterly, is that a massive sum of 2.3 trillion has been wasted on aid. That is all aid, to all countries, over a 50 year period. Lots of it was wasted, but that also works out to $15 per person per year. That is not a ‘huge’ amount. You cannot hold money given for non development purposes to development outcomes. Most of the money was given for political reasons, many of which had nothing to do with development. aid has and continues to be spent in terribly inefficient ways. For example, when the US gives food aid, it is food produced in the US, shipped using US companies, and distributed using US workers, it costs around $600/ton. When that same food is purchased locally in Africa it costs an average of $225/ton. When seeds are fertilizer are purchased so that a farmer can produce a ton of food it costs $20. That is a matter of inefficiency of 30 to 1!!!! And that is typical of aid agencies. This is one of the reasons why the millennium villages were started. Also, many of these solutions did not exist a couple years ago, the landscape of possibilities has completely shifted. Again, please do some research. That’s what thinking critically is all about. It is not just repeating stuff you hear that you don’t have an answer to.
This has not been done before, if you had taken the time to read the website, I am sure that you would have come across this:
2. What makes Millennium Villages unique? Hasn’t this already been done before?
Millennium Villages offer a scalable model for fighting poverty at the village level and achieving the Millennium Development Goals. The approach can be expanded from the village to district level and eventually to countries across Africa.
Importantly, the Millennium Villages approach differs from integrated rural development programs of the 1970s and 1980s or traditional “model villages” in several ways:
• The Millennium Village effort is explicitly linked to achieving the Millennium Development Goals and addresses an integrated and scaled-up set of interventions covering food production, nutrition, education, health services, roads, energy, communications, water, sanitation, enterprise diversification and environmental management. This has never been done before.
• It focuses on participatory community decision-making. For example, at each village, specific committees and community members identify and evaluate possible interventions supported by a scientific team and local partners. Together they create a package of village-specific interventions that are deemed most appropriate and cost effective, as well as produce a community action plan for implementing and managing these interventions.
• The initiative uses improved science-based technologies and techniques that have only recently become available, such as agroforestry, insecticide-treated malaria bed nets, antiretroviral drugs, the Internet, remote sensing, and geographic information systems.
• The Millennium Villages initiative is linked to national–level processes to ensure that the success can be scaled up by governments.
Finally, the initiative can be taken to broad scale since the financing needs for the Millennium Villages are fully in line with global commitments to increased official development assistance (ODA). The per capita support to each village is fully consistent with the international target of 0.7% of rich countries’ GNI in official development assistance. This target was agreed at the 2002 Monterrey Conference on Financing for Development and has been reaffirmed at the 2005 World Summit. The EU-15 countries have all committed themselves to achieving the 0.7% target by no later than 2015. Moreover, the G8 countries committed at their 2005 Gleneagles Summit to provide $50 billion per year in ODA to Africa by 2010, which is equivalent to roughly $70 per African per year and again entirely consistent with the budget framework for the Millennium Villages.
Essentially, these communities, and large parts of those living in extreme poverty, are stuck in a poverty trap. That means sub-subsistence living leaves no room for savings and investment. In other words, when people do not have enough food to eat, safe water to drink, or basic medicines to keep them alive, they have literally no way to better their own situation. By being able to grow more food, by having safe water, by having opportunities for education, and by having basic medicines people can lift themselves out of sub-subsistence (extreme poverty, struggling for survival) and start providing for themselves and ‘developing’ on their own terms.
As for other villages, again, if you take the time to look at the MV website (millenniumvillages.org), you will find that the project operates in “clusters” of villages, where surrounding villages are all incorporated into the project.
Thanks for the open dialog!
In response to Ramy:
Budget breakdown:
5c/lecture x 12 lectures/class/semester = 60c/class/semester x 5 courses = $3.00/semester x 2 semesters/year = $6.00/year. 50,000 undergrads @ Carleton + UOttawa x 6.00$/year = $300,000 = Millennium Village.
Project breakdown:
The Millennium Villages are a joint project between the Earth Institute at Columbia, the United Nations Development Program, and a Non Governmental Organization called Millennium Promise. If this goes through we send the money to Millennium Promise who in turns deals with administering the funds. We will get a detailed list breaking down where every penny is spent. Every cent is auditable with 100% transparency. Because every village has unique needs and has differences, there is no one size fits all model that details where everything goes before it actually gets going. For previous village breakdowns please see millenniumvillages.org
Improving the University experience:
We will get numerous benefits from this. We will have an opportunity to do an exchange in the villages, several positions a semester it looks like, to learn about solutions based holistic community led development approaches first hand. This is creating a whole new dialogue around the way development happens, there is talk of courses and incorporating it into a global community services center. It is a platform for engagement in these issues that exists no where else. This will greatly enhance the learning experience for anyone interested in cross cultural perspectives on sustainable development, and chemistry, biology, agroforestry, a battery of sciences, development, political science, sociology, anthropology, environmental studies and sciences, policy administration, engineering, economics, and probably a whole bunch more I can’t think of right now. We will be one of the first, if not the first university in the world to do anything like this. This has already, and will continue to, generate a world of opportunities for students in myriad ways. On top of the internships, we already know that John McArthur (cochair of the International Commission on Education for Sustainable Development Practice and Deputy Director and Manager of the UN Millennium Project.) is coming to Ottawa to give a free lecture to us. He is a world leader, it usually costs over $20,000 plus two first class tickets for him to speak. There would most likely be many others. This would also thrust both schools into the international academic limelight leading to countless unforeseen opportunities.
I think that everytime Bryan and Nadine respond to comments that personally attack Maxime’s point is extremely irresponsible.
People first need to get off their righteous high-horse and stop telling other hard-working student what they should and should not support. You believe in Millennium Villages: EXCELLENT! I don’t. So you put in your $6 and I’ll give mine to another charity (which I do). Then you argue, we won’t have enough money to do what we want to accomplish. Well, to that I say, those are the breaks kid. I can’t afford to buy a new tv, I think I will force my fhousemates to chip in, whether they want a tv, or already own one. (And please don’t attack me for comparing Millenium Villages to buying a TV, respond to my point about forcing students to support something they might disagree with).
Millennium Villages is like putting on a band-aid instead of amputation. For years there has been a cycles of neo-imperialist exploitation in sub-saharan Africa, no question. There has also been a large influx of foreign aid. Anyone who studies in Politics and actually does so with open eyes, can easily see that foreign aid is nothing more thanthe poor people of one country giving money to the rich of another. First, that cycle need to stop beore any good can be done.
Second, why us? We are students who should be giving $6 to make sure every student on our own campus can afford food! Not taking money from them!
A word about the UN: Millennium Villages is just a quick fix response from an organization that realized it was going to fail in it Millennium goals to halve extreme poverty. Thus any money we spend on this project would have been better used elsewhere. Canada Food For the Hungry for instance, which does amazing work in Rwanda and Congo and many other countries in sub-Saharan Africa just the same as Millennium Villages contend to do. But with more success than millennium villages btw.
Thanks Ken.
Bryan: “Again, please do some research. That’s what thinking critically is all about. It is not just repeating stuff you hear that you don’t have an answer to.”
I am not sure how long I want to keep discussing this topic if you are going to be so condescending.
I do realise that I am skimming over the issues in a broad way, since this topic is really rich and we could write many dissertations on it.
Nadine, a website for the actual organization isn’t necessarily the most critical source.
If a project says “We gave food to everyone”, that doesn’t mean that everyone got food. Was it given to the male head of a family, or the female head? Was food rationed according to family size? There is much more to development than what the intentions are.
There are countless examples of projects with ‘empowerment’ components, gender equality components (and more) that looked great on paper, but in fact have exacerbated problems. Humanitarian assistance is great, but some programs have created significant problems in refugee camps, for not considering certain things.
Bryan: You do know that there are different approaches and theories to things in the world? In politics/international relations, there’s realism, there’s idealism, there’s marxism and many more. I would never say that one is wrong, one is not researched, and one does not have critical thought. Because they are simply DIFFERENT interpretations, different views using different scopes. None are inherently better than others, even though usually people will side with their preferred theory. When discussing development, I feel the same way. People have different views. It’s not about someone knowing more or knowing better. We are constantly re-inventing the wheel; in 5 years, what is ‘good’ now won’t necessarily be what is good then.
And yes, I put Easterly and Sachs into a same category, because there are similarities in their approaches and views of development. I have a great article printed at home that explains the problems with what they bring forth. I will try to find the title and author for you.
I will try to find more articles, but here is a first from ODI, the Official Development Institute in the UK. http://www.odi.org.uk.proxy.bib.uottawa.ca/resources/specialist/natural-resource-perspectives/101-millennium-villages-project.pdf
The first page highlights policy conclusions:
• The Millennium Villages Project (MVP) usefully draws attention to underinvestment in rural areas, where the majority of the poor are still located.
• Yet, conceptually, the MVP is characterised by a number of tensions – important among these is its claim to be ‘bottom up’, despite being underpinned by a blueprint.
• The blueprint is driven by a ‘campaign’ approach – easy enough on a pilot scale, but the longer the period and larger the scale, the greater will be the need to engage with markets, with policy prioritisation in economic, social and environmental spheres, and with issues of aid absorption.
• At any scale above that of a few villages, ‘big pushes’ generally have to be replaced by carefully sequenced initiatives which exploit complementarities and lie within local administrative capacity.
• As a number of earlier initiatives (such as Integrated Rural Development and Sasakawa Global 2000) have discovered, ‘big push’ is inappropriate where much local adaptation is needed (as e.g. in agriculture) if innovations are to be adopted widely and sustainably.
• How far the MVP will be integrated into larger African-owned initiatives such as the CAADP of NEPAD remains unclear.
You have to agree that there is no one true way to ‘do development’. Development in itself is a controversial word. There is no ‘perfect’ project; there are always considerations to be made and unintended impacts to these projects. No one can claim that a project is flawless. Structural adjustment programs probably looked pretty awesome to those that created them.
I’m not sure what is being considered as a personal attack, but my comments have been purely factual. First though let me say, it costs $38 per month or $456 dollars annually to ’sponsor’ a child through Canada Food For the Hungry, roughly 8 times what it costs for people in the Millennium Villages, and it imposes religious values. You’re claim that it has more success than the millennium villages; I would certainly hope so as costs are eight times higher. But whether or not Canada Food For Hungry has more successes is not straightforward.
Also, it does nothing to end, as you put it, the “cycles of neo-imperialist exploitation in sub-saharan Africa”. Why is this being held to a higher standard than other development projects? Or other initiatives for that matter? You say we should be giving $6 to making sure every student can afford food. But you’re not saying anything about why students can’t afford food, or how we can’t address all the reasons why students can’t afford food. Does that mean we shouldn’t try and help all students have enough food? Because we can’t do everything at once? Because that seems to be essentially what is being said in your criticisms about the millennium villages.
The comparasion of a tv and the millennium villages disguises numerous reasons why we should support this, but, to respond to your question. I don’t want to pay 20 times the amount of this levy for a gym pass. Nor do I particualarily like the idea of money being contributed to guerre des tuques, that benefits a small number of students at a similar cost as the millennium village levy. Also, there has been overwhelming support for this once people know about it. We will get numerous benefits from this. We will have an opportunity to do an exchange in the villages, several positions a semester it looks like, to learn about solutions based holistic community led development approaches first hand. This is creating a whole new dialogue around the way development happens, there is talk of courses and creating a partnership between the forthcoming global community services center. It is a platform for engagement in these issues that exists no where else. This will greatly enhance the learning experience for anyone interested in cross cultural perspectives on sustainable development, and chemistry, biology, agroforestry, a battery of sciences, development, political science, sociology, anthropology, environmental studies and sciences, policy administration, engineering, economics, and probably a whole bunch more I can’t think of right now. We will be one of the first, if not the first university in the world to do anything like this. This has already, and will continue to, generate a world of opportunities for students in myriad ways. On top of the internships, we already know that John McArthur (cochair of the International Commission on Education for Sustainable Development Practice and Deputy Director and Manager of the UN Millennium Project.) is coming to Ottawa to give a free lecture to us. He is a world leader, it usually costs over $20,000 plus two first class tickets for him to speak. Tickets for past events that McArthur has spoken at have gone for well over $20, there’s your $6 back times three right there. There would most likely be many others. This would also thrust both schools into the international academic limelight leading to countless unforeseen opportunities.
Finally let me say that I agree entirely that the way that the majority of foreign aid is spent right now is horrible and should be done away with entirely. The level of cooperation amongst ‘aid’ organizations is, simply put, pathetic. Lots of the solutions that exist today did not a decade or several decades ago. However, many people have been trying to deal with the problems for some time, this has institutionalized outdated frameworks for fighting poverty. Many of these organizations have now a large list of staff, whom they pay, and have begun to function similarly to any other profit maximizing organization. People are confused because there are a billion different organizations out there trying to do similar things, and by being splintered, self interested and wasteful (in money and hope, addressing symptoms opposed to the cause) everyone thinks that there are no real solutions. This is one of the reasons for the Millennium Villages, is to show how aid, when spent effectively can mitigate some of the worst effects of extreme poverty. We in no way shape or form are claiming that this will solve all the worlds problems.
No one is going to support an international trading system that robs poor countries of 700 billion dollars a year once they have an understanding of the issues. The problem is though, too many people are not aware of the issues. That’s why we have to focus on the quick easily solvable problems because it will generate the attention and knowledge needed to give rise to more difficult to understand long term structural reforms. Ending extreme poverty does not mean making everyone perfectly equitable. World equity, to some extent, is something we should strive towards, but it will take a very long time. If we wait until we can make everything perfectly equitable before moving forward in the fight against extreme poverty we will have left tens of millions more to their graves then we had to.
Dear Maxime, of course there is no one true way to development. This just seems like a much better strategy than doing nothing. In no way did I intend my comments to be condesending, it is just that they’re have been numerous criticisms about this that have been way off base, ie parrells between the IMF, WB, and SAPs, which of course, could not be further from the truth.
The Overseas Development Institute produced several reports on the villages, and for the most part they’re overwhelmingly positive. Again, we’re not trying to solve all the world’s problems here, or figure out how to lift every single person on the planet out of extreme poverty, or deceide for them how they should live in 50 years. We’re just trying to do something that is better than leaving people to die. I appreciate your taking the time to look into it. Below is a response for the millennium village project about the ODI report I thought you might find interesting.
http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/projects/background-papers/2008/11/millennium-villages-project-review-response.pdf
A program run by the UN, which is run by the US is much more inclined to have programs run in a manner of their choosing. Since you like poitnign out flaws in other arguments, I will do the same. With The money provided to sponsor children in Canada Food For the Hungry does not just go to one child, but their entire family. But that is one miniscule portion of the work they do. I brought that organization up because it provides another option to the fray. Perhaps instead of forcing students to support this project, force students to give to a charity of their choice (which I would also tend to disagree with, but less so than forcing us to support one specific charity we may or may not agree with). Because, as you say, it does nothing to change the world situation.
My point was, by giving student this false hope: if you give $6 thousands of people won’t die. I hate to break it to you, but they still will. By us giving $300 000 collectively (with Carleton) we will not even make a dent in the problem. And that $300 000 could do a heck of a lot of good here. Thats 60 $5000 scholarships for needy students (off the top of my head). Its not about giving money, its about changing people worldview. By throwing money at a problem you do not own up to the fact that only 8% of the world owns a car. almost a billion people won’t eat today. It was quoted a couple of years ago, but the amount of money it would take to fix a heck of a lot of our world problems is the same amount Americans spend on ice cream. All this to say, our $300 000 is not the answer.
As Maxime put it, as much as the rhetoric would lead us to believe, MVP is still a top-down approach. And that may have been the perferred approach at one time, and could possibly be in the future (heck, it could even be now), but thats all it is, an approach. If I disagree with a top-down approach of throwing money at a problem (whether or not it is to supply people with the tools) why should my rights as an individual be challenged.
I also feel that there is a sense of pride attached to support charities and projects that are close to your heart. And I do, both financially and with what little free time I have (I work full-time, I am a student Full-time, and also a volunteer youth pastor). If I consciously choose not to support MVP, is that not my right? This is not something that should be left to a vote, at least not one where all it takes is a majority of 15% of students to decide. You want MVP, go for it, but allow an opt-out option.
By their I meant the US, not the program in question.
Hi everyone, before starting, I would like to ask you to be a lit bit more…kind (every one of you) when you express yourselves, we are not in court.
I want to explain in the best way that I can (since my 1st language is French), why I support the Millennium Villages project. Both of my parents are Africans, most of my family is in Africa, my Dad (Ph. D in economy) is a devoted activist who created an association to reenforce African leadership here in Canada but also in Africa…he suffered from great poverty growing up, like losing his father when he was 14 from an easy preventable disease, having to become the main support for his family, having to walk 15km to go to school…My sister is doing her Ph.D in a field of International law and International development at American University. She just came back from a 4months long trip in Rwanda for researches, interviewing victims from the genocide. Briefly, from what I have learned from my background (from 2 great Masters in my totally subjective opinion :D), endless discussions, debates…won’t really be helpful. I, as an individual, won’t save the world, but if I can do something, anything, I’ll do it. I will not be naive thinking that the Millenium Villages project will eliminate every poverty issue, but it will help individuals, populations, maybe for only single generation, maybe for more to come. We are TRYING to find a way to bring sustainable development. For now, it is probably one of the best ideas I have heard about, if it doesn’t work as predicted, we will learn and come back with an improved idea. I am a little bit (tired, would be the good word) of people criticizing new ideas without providing any better one…I am open and I want to hear about anything good or better and I will join the cause…
The University of Ottawa will not give you more services for that 6$ donation, you will be 6$ away from being a millionaire, but you will be part of something great, because it is. Maybe not the best found yet, but it is great.
You do not want to pay 6$ for that, you vote “no”. You want to, vote “yes”.
I say:”Let’s just try to be part of something.”
Thank you for reading my comment, share your thoughts… Aimée (Sorry for my poor English)
We can argue theories until we are blue in the face but the truth is, the idea of universities supporting a Millennium Village is spreading across other Universities, including Carleton, Fraiser and Alberta, and I know many others will follow because they understand that this is a new, revolutionary way of dealing with poverty that is currently, actually showing outstanding results in over 80 villages across the sub-saharan region. This, as I see it, is the beginning of a movement and I want the University of Ottawa to be part of it so we can show other students, institutions, governemnts and the world that we care. Gone are the days of ‘Appathy U’. Universities are supposed to be on the fronteres of research and change. I say we take this opportunity to make that statement true. For 5 years, we should unite and raise the funds necessary to lift approximately 5,000 people out of extreme poverty. We should research ways into making an already successful project (the MVP) EVEN BETTER because we have the capacity and the brain power to do so as an academic institution! After that, just like any responsible donor, it will be our duty to assess the program, provide comments and evaluate any new information that may have changed the circumstances. As it stands now, however, the Millennium Village Project is one of the least expensive (both administratively - less than 10% of the costs go to administration - and per villager) and stands the most chances of success that I, personally have come accross.
Regardless of the results of this referendum I am happy at the amount of attantion this issue is getting, because I feel that extreme poverty, as a whole does not get enough of it. However, if students do vote in favour of the MVP, it can only generate more much-needed attention because Millennium Promise (the NGO that administers the MVP) and STEEP (Students To End Extreme Poverty - group administering the yes campaing) will be accountable to the students, which means conferences, press releases, debates, etc, etc! We should not see this as a simple ‘charitable donation after which we can brush our hands off afterwards’. This is much more than just $6.
Thank you for your time.
You do not want to pay 6$ for that, you vote “no”. You want to, vote “yes”.
But if 49% of students vote ‘no’ they will still have to pay.
I like this: “This is not going to solve all the world’s problems, but it is going to solve a world of problems for a community of 5,000 people.” Fantastic initiative guys!
Hello everyone,
Regardless of our opinions about the Millennium Villages project, it’s obvious that extreme poverty is an important issue for everyone on this forum. When we get involved, it’s easy to lose track of a common reality (Speculations/criticism/theory aside). I suggest we all take a step back for a second…
What is our common reality?
- Things are serious in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Many attempts have been made to improve conditions in Africa, few have left a notable impression.
- Millennium Villages has delivered positive results. (whereas you could define positive results as an improvement in human capital, knowledge capital, infrastructure, and business capital)
- Many other NGOs exist.
Ok so? Will The MVP really FIX things in sSA?
Maybe. The results on millenniumvillages.org look pretty good.
What are we investing?
- 6 bucks/year. Together, 1.5 million over 5 years.
My Opinion? It’s not a religious organization; We’re not forcing western values on these people, at least relatively to other NGOs or religiously affiliated Organizations.; If this works out, the life of thousands will dramatically improve.; It’s a 6$ investment a year for 5 years. thats a max of $30 over you’re University experience. That’s less than that cell phone plan you pay every month. (let’s not debate cell phones here.)
Most importantly, you’re doing something. Oh yeah, and my opinion revolves around this one guy,
“Evil flourishes when good men do nothing.” -Edmund Burke.
Cheers,
Frankly, it’s a shame to see so many negative criticisms about the Millennium Villages Initiative. Aimee mentioned earlier, “I am a little bit (tired, would be the good word) of people criticizing new ideas without providing any better one…I am open and I want to hear about anything good or better and I will join the cause..” and I couldn’t agree more!
Many UofO students share my frustration at the influx of pessimism brought out by people who are “anti-everything.” Why not be pro-something for once?! As far as I’m concerned, the fact that Millennium Villages offers 5,000 human beings a chance at a better life outweighs ANY “modernization theories” (as copied-and-pasted from Wikipedia earlier in the thread.) If there are any better projects out there that aim to eradicate extreme poverty, then LET ME KNOW, because I want to be part of it!
Ken, as a fellow charity donor and former volunteer youth pastor myself, I’m surprised that you didn’t rejoice at this wonderful opportunity to help! You bring up a good point however: I suppose that it is your right; Opt-out of this “top-down approach” and go congratulate yourself with a 6$ burger (lol, sorry I couldn’t help it).
I, personally, am PRO-Millennium Villages! And if it means me not having a 1/4 of a TV set for 5 years, then so be it! It’s not the “Rostovian take-off model” that lets people die guys, it’s indifference. As a student and global citizen, I feel that it is my duty to help others in need, whether they be students at uOttawa, or orphans in Sub-Saharan Africa. Why me/us? BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE WILL.
That’s why.
The question in this debate is not whether Millenium Villages is a valuable charity or not. The question is: Is THIS where student fees should be going? In this same election, there is a referendum for a $0.75 increase for student fees going toward Bon Appetit!, our on-campus food bank, because yes, there are students on our very own campus who do not have the basic resources to provide for themselves. Why should a fee 8 times larger than that proposed for our own Bon Appetit! be provided for a community on the other side of the planet, when our very own immediate community is suffering as well? This discrepancy is not even considering the fact that these same students who require the services of the food bank will actaully be giving money they they count on away to others. For some students, $3 a semester is not a question of having one less beer on a night out, it’s a question of having one less meal.
While the altruistic morals implied by this initiative are admirable, they have no place in student fees. Perhaps creating a Millenium Villages group, in which fundraising to support an MV were the goal, would be more appropriate.
I’ve only been eating twice a day (at most!) for the last couple weeks and have been living off of craft dinner, tuna, and the generosity of friends for weeks and it’s probably not going to get any better anytime soon. No one is saying we’re all rich. The $3 a semester might go to beer for someone, coffee for someone else, or food for others. I for one would gladly skip a meal once a semester so that a parent doesn’t have to watch their child die from diarrhea. Yes people need help here too, and we should help them! But that doesn’t mean we should ignore others who need our help so much more. It is not an either or situation. There are less than 1 billion people who live in the ‘first’ world. There are roughly 1.4 billion who live off in extreme poverty, characterized literally by fighting to stay alive. That means not even having enough food, safe water to drink, basic medicines (nearly 5 million children died this year alone because they lacked medicines that cost less than 12 cents!!), and a lot of other things that even us who are desperately poor by first world standards take for granted. Deaths from malaria, pneumonia and other respitory infections, diarrhea and several other diseases, deaths from chronic hunger, acute malnutrition, and starvation have all come down dramatically in the millennium villages. Again, I would lovingly skip a meal to be able to play a part in providing some sort of solution for these people. I believe that people are people no matter what, regardless of where they live, that we are all equal in inherent dignity and rights. When as many people will die in the next four months from poverty (outside our boarders) as were lost throughout the holocaust and I’m being asked to give up a couple boxes of kd a semester to make a difference (however small), I’m going to do it, and I hope most others will too. Please see Aimee’s comment.
Bon appetit can possibly help 30000 students for $1
MVP will help (arguably) 5000 people for $6
As students who are at every turn being told that our fees are too high and we must protest about it I don’t think we should be using guilt about far off poverty (that none of us created) in order to raise our fees (whether it’s altruistic or not)?
I am encouraged and inspired by the Millennium Villages initiative that is currently underway. As I see it, this project is not about forcing people into charity or dictating where they should give their money, it is about an opportunity for students to unite together and take a stand against extreme poverty. Individually, it can be difficult to imagine bringing about real world change because the problems seem overwhelming and far away. The Millennium Villages initiative allows us the opportunity to be part of a big solution, right here at home and help thousands of people who are part of our small world. This project inspires me that change can happen and together we CAN make a difference. For so long I have heard that poverty cannot be ended, that there is no hope and that nothing can be done. The Millennium Villages initiative challenges that view and gives hope to everyone who believes that no one should have to live in poverty.
As it has been argued above, there is no “perfect” solution to poverty. New theories on how to end poverty are emerging all the time and I hope they continue to as people keep working on new and better solutions. Because there is no “perfect” theory, we cannot afford to sit around waiting for one to appear. Certainly, a new theory may come along in 5 years that does even more to address extreme poverty, that would be wonderful and those people who were helped by the Millennium Villages initiative will be around to benefit from it.
I also do not believe that working to end poverty here in Canada or in other parts of the world must be an either/or decision. No one in this world should have to live in poverty. This intiative focuses on extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa, and other projects focus on poverty in Canada while others address issues of poverty in other parts of the world. I see this not as something negative, but as something very positive, with so many people working towards ending poverty the dream of a world without poverty does not seem so far away. Rather than being critical of why we are not helping this or that group of people, why don’t we take comfort and joy in the fact that people, somewhere in this small world, are being helped. This initiative creates awareness about poverty and the solutions to it and thus, helps people everywhere who live in poverty. If we can show people that extreme poverty can be ended in sub-Saharan Africa, where some of the poorest people live, the Canadian government will have no excuse to hide behind that poverty in Canada cannot be ended. Ending poverty anywhere benefits people everywhere.
While it is important to critically analyze development strategies, I think that we often forget that while we sit around in our comfortable universities, perhaps munching on a bag of chips before going to the doctor’s to get a quick immunization shot, there are people in this world who do not have homes, who will die of hunger and who do not have easy access to the medicine they need to prevent them from dying from diseases with simple solutions. I do not think I need to convince anyone here that poverty is a serious problem that needs to be addressed, we all obviously are aware of the seriousness of the issue and would like to see poverty ended. The Millennium Villages initiative allows us to take collective action to reach that goal. While it will not solve all problems for all people, for the children who get to go to school, for the farmers who can provide food for their families and for the mothers who will not have to bury their children, it will make a difference.
When I vote YES to the Millennium Villages question, it will be the happiest voting I have ever experienced because I know that my vote will make a difference in someone’s life, somewhere. This is not about “guilting” people into supporting this initiative, it is about taking pride in the fact that together, we can take a stand against poverty and break through the belief that poverty cannot be ended. Let’s stand together and make a change, vote yes!
Not everyone will use the foodbank, and the difference isn’t life or death. Tuition fees are high because in the last 20 years the government has slashed billions from funding for post secondary education and the universities in return have tripled their university fees – not because we are trying to get a $6 levy put on student fees.
As the CFS website says “In the past fifteen years, tuition fees in Canada have grown to become the single largest expense for most university and college students.
The dramatic tuition fee increases during this period were the direct result of cuts to public funding for post-secondary education by the federal government and, to a somewhat lesser extent, provincial governments.
Between the early 1980s and the early 1990s, average tuition fees at Canadian universities more than doubled. Average tuition fees at colleges, excluding those in Québec, more than tripled.
In 1995, the federal Liberal government announced a further cut of $7 billion in public funding to provincial programs, including post-secondary education, health-care, housing, and social assistance. These post-secondary education cuts were directly passed on to students, resulting in the largest tuition fee increases in Canadian history.
At the beginning of the 1990s, average undergraduate tuition fees in Canada were $1,464. Today, average fees are $4,524 for undergraduate arts and science, an increase approximately four times the rate of inflation.” I’m all for dropping fees, was at the protests for the last two years, most of the people I know from students to end extreme poverty are/were too, think there’s better ways to be fighting high fees than being against this levy though, especially given that it will make such a difference for those 5,000 people, and enrich campus life.
I think that this is a great project and that everyone should throw their weight behind it! Vote yes and save thousands of lives!
Food Bank wants $1
Millennium Villages wants $6
Total extra per year: $7
Collectively, to be part of the CFS in order to DROP tuition fees, we voted to pay an extra $14 a year.
And nobody is protesting that now that it’s all over…
The bottom line is, an extra $6 is not going to break the bank! Arguing that its going towards “fixing problems we didn’t create” is an awfully selfish and unrealistic way to look at things too.
So what? You and I were not part of the back room political deals that made post-apartheid economics into the corrupt mess they’re in now. We didn’t start the wars, kill the people, and rape the women. Does that make it any more justifiable for us to turn our backs when we now have the ability–the chance– to do so much good with what to us is so little? The excuse: “it wasn’t me…”
I think not.
You are right, it isn’t our mess… but let’s come together as an institution promoting critical thinking, intellectual development, and problem solving. Let’s work on this problem and set an example for the world about how we can get started on making things a little bit better for some of our most disadvantaged brothers and sisters.
If you want the money, start a campaign on campus and throw fundraisers. Don’t dip your hands into my pockets.
That’s why I’m voting NO: because I will support the charities of MY choosing, WHEN I choose. Don’t give me this “it’s ONLY $6″ bull; it’s the principle, and that same argument can be applied next time something like this comes up and they’re asking for $50 for some other charity, because it’s “ONLY” $25 a semester, which is ONLY 1 less case of beer.
Here is response I made to a comment on my blog, while it is out of context, it shoudl be able to provide at least some speakign points to the continuing discussion above:
“I’m not going to go into great length, but point out a few quick points. Generally when you try to prove a point using a source, you avoid using overly biased sources, such as the MVP website to try and prove MVP is successful. The CFS is also a very biased source :).
I’ve been to the MVP site BEFORE I made my decision. I am not some Ivory Tower ogre attempting to hoarde all my money. I believe I, and everyone else, should be able to make a truly conscious decision as to where their money goes. This is a clear infringement on our liberty. What happened to good old fashion fund-raising?”
I have no problem with the goal of the charity, I think it’s a great idea. My only problem is that being forced to donate to a charity kind of misses the point - it’s no longer a donation. I already donate to the charities of my choice, quite a bit more than the $6 annual cost of this one, and I don’t feel that it’s okay for the SFUO to decide on another charity for me when my money could be better spent on another charity, or whatever I might want.
I chose my charities after a great deal of research on my own. I don’t need an extra one forced on me.
This is so much more than just a charity… This is improving the opportunities for our educational institution to make a difference in the world. It goes beyond enhancing research in some lab, or building a school somewhere.
The millennium village project will create a partnership between the University of Ottawa and a community in Sub Saharan Africa. We will be able to send students from all areas of study there to learn about the international implications of their disciplines. We will be able to learn about development here and have a concrete example that we can study, criticize, and learn from, and know that it is our effort that is making it happen.
Eventually we might be able to sponsor students from the community to come and study here, and ultimately we will be setting a global example with this initiative. The benefits to us as students in having our school recognized for this incredible act of philanthropy will be far reaching, especially in a world where international work is becoming more and more common.
I am myself critical of some of the concepts behind the Millennium Village (no development project is perfect at this point), but that does not mean I will withhold my $6 to give it a chance. Imagine if us as starving students could scrape together the money from our pockets to fund an entire village for 5 years? We would be sending a message to our government about social responsibility, about global equity, and we would be demanding action by taking the first steps into our own hands.
I will pay my $6 to be part of that message.
Why does the University of Ottawa need to create a partnership with a community in Sub-Saharan Africa through the Millennium Village? According to Nadine (post 10), the $6 collected per semester will be given to the Millennium Promise to distribute the funds. Students at the University of Ottawa will have no say in where the money goes. In case you did not know already, the University of Ottawa receives funding from CIDA to send approximately 50 students overseas per semester to do development work; the MDV would merely add to this.
I would argue that a significant amount of change (reduction in poverty, medicine, food…) could be realized by removing endemic corruption in countries. According to Transparency International, just under 50% of people in African countries were required to pay a bribe to receive basic government services, with the poor being the most vulnerable. Reducing corruption would have the same effect and it would cost me nothing. Would my $6 donation go towards bribing a corrupt official? I hope not.
In response to the ‘No Campaign’
First, The MVP is in no way shape or form affiliated with the World Bank or IMF, Jeffrey Sachs chair of the UN Millennium Project has been one of the most vocal critics of the draconian callous policies of the World Bank and IMF.
Second, a ‘one size fits all approach’ is the opposite of what the MVP is about.
Third, Rostow’s theory of growth has absolutely nothing to do with the MVP, there is not one piece of academic literature supporting that.
Fourth, when talking about rural sub-Saharan Africa where around 80% of people depend on small stake holder agriculture, meaning they grow their own food, it is a food production problem.
Fifth, there is 100% transparency and accountability, and the small amount of administrative costs there are, are spent on monitoring of implementation and research.
Sixth, progress is measured by chronic hunger, acute hunger, malnutrition, infant mortality, maternal mortality, school enrolment attendence and quality, time burdens on women, food production, biodiversity, environmental sustainability, and a battery of other indicators, not on economic growth.
Seventh, students will be involved in the project in myriad ways, not the least of which through interships.
Eighth, the Millennium Villages are structured around the will of the community, they are structured around some shared goals like halving hunger and extreme poverty in the villages in 5 years, but aside from that it is community lead, if you ask starving people what they want it’s not suprising they want to eat.
http://www.monsanto.com/responsibility/our_pledge/stronger_society/partners.asp
See the Millenium Villages section.
Farmer in Africa will cultivate North american transgenic seeds?
While this may or may not be a worthy and efficient cause, I must ask the following question.
Why do individuals feel that they should vote in order to force others’ hands when it comes to spending/saving their own money? Why can you not make a personal donation of $6 if you feel it is worth while?
Why do I feel I should vote to force a hand? For the same reason I support taxation. This forced collection (and taxation is, very much, forced) allows a country that cares for its citizens to be established and maintained, without relying on the whims of individuals. Not only that, but a forced money collection ensures a steady and stable stream of income, which in many ways is just as important as the amount, allowing these organizations and villages to plan and organize long-term solutions, with the sure knowledge that they will have the means to bring their plans to fruition.
Imagine trying to plan a hospital budget for next year, when you’re relying on individual donations!
In response to the ‘helping people here’ argument: Have any of you been somewhere with brutal poverty? Yes, there are some rough times here; I myself am living completely off the generosity of the government, with all the budget-keeping that entails. I’m writing this from India, and am going to take advantage of the evote system, because let me tell you: ‘Poor’ means something completely different on the other side of the pond.
Technically, I live far, far under the Low Income Cut-Offs (popularly known as the Poverty Line) established by the government of Canada, but walking through the slums and villages here makes it seem like a joke to call myself poor. I have no seeping sores, no sunken eyes and weak bones caused by deficiencies, my stomach doesn’t bulge with parasites, and no matter how often I may get diarrhea, I certainly won’t die of it.
In the same way that states realized the huge advantages of taxing the wealthier citizens to improve life for the poorer citizens, even against their will (As I assure you, it often was), unless we’re going to make the argument that Canadians lives are worth vastly more than foreign lives, this same principal applies for global citizenry. Let’s be the change we want to see. Let’s up the ante. Let’s look out, instead of in.
I’ve got the facts, and I’m voting yes.
So Paul, are you saying that for the people who don’t vote yes, it’s only because they don’t have the facts, or that they choose to ignore the facts? That’s pretty condescending and arrogant for someone who’s so devoted to causes like the MV.
Yes it’s noble to donate to any charity, but if someone chooses to support a cause, they should do so willingly. There’s nothing worse than being forced to do something, even if it’s something good like charity. Money isn’t really a big issue because in this case it’s only six dollars, but it’s the intention and thought behind donating that counts.
No one should be forced to contribute that money if they don’t believe in it, or if they choose not to participate.
For example, and don’t say I’m comparing this to donations, but taxes are mandatory and enforced by the government to ensure that our economy and society have sufficient funds to ensure roads can be maintained, education can be free, that health care can be accessible for everyone, etc. There’s a reason why donations to hospitals, cancer research, and school fundraisers areas are TAX-DEDUCTIBLE. It’s because it’s a thoughtful GIFT that a family or individual CHOOSES on their own free will to give out of their own kindness and generosity.
Therefore, people who choose to vote no DOES NOT mean they don’t have the facts. No one should be forced to donate.
Finally we hear about some solutions to the seemingly-insurmountable problems. This is a wonderful initiative, and I am proud to vote yes!
Im Glad I voted No for this.
Im glad I am not recklessly spending student money on a pilot project.
I am glad I am forcing students into charity.
I am glad that I am going to enjoy donating 6$ to a charity of my choice that I have seen produce real results and does help people.
I am glad that I am not forcing a student fee that will have in no way shape or form benefit all 30 000 students on campus.
I am glad that by voting no to this, I am not raising the tuition for students (Something the SFUO just can’t do).
Imagine, we can do something more with our education. 6$ can help 5 000 lives. I think its amazing.
through simple interventions the MVP are making a difference:
-Agricultural and agro-forestry techniques dramatically increase farm production while enhancing the environment.
-Vitamin and mineral supplements tackle malnutrition and make children stronger.
-Essential health services provide critical, life-saving medicines and raise productivity.
-Targeted investments relieve burdens on women: improved access to water and fuel wood, accessible clinics, mills for grain, and trucking and ambulance services.
-School lunches using locally produced food support children’s nutrition, learning capacity, and school attendance while at the same time increase demand for locally produced food.
-Access to anti-retroviral medicines keeps people with HIV/AIDS alive in poor countries just as they do in rich ones.
-Sleeping under an insecticide-treated bed net prevents children from getting malaria, and immunizations lower the incidence of common diseases, such as measles.
-Innovative off-grid energy, water, and information technologies bring not only safe water and energy, but save many hours spent each day collecting firewood and water.
Why not come together, take a stand against poverty and famine, and show the world that we care. Its simple, we can make it happen, and these five thousand people who would otherwise be dead of simple things we take for granted will live.
that alone will make me vote yes.
oh and about the previous comment about raising tuition. I rather this 6$ put on tuition, its so much more easy ! i mean i will spend 2$ a day on coffee, so for three coffees we can actually make a difference, and it will get deducted automatically, which is awesome!!
so why not? sometimes the solutions are simple, and I want to do something now rather than later, and this is our chance to act and come together and show everyone that we are indeed created equal.
Paul:
Comparing this levy to taxes is quite incorrect. We do not get taxed $10 for the Ottawa Mission, or $18 for The United Way, or even $100 for Roads. We get taxed a lump sum (I work full-time while going to school, so I can proudly say I am a tax-payer). With that lump sum, the government we duly elect decides where the money goes. If they do something that angers people, or a large amount of people disagree with, they change their budgets (like what happened a couple of months ago).
And yes, private donations are solicited for building hospitals.
Natalie: Then you should make an concerted effort to donate to MVP ON YOUR OWN TIME. And not force students to financially support something THEY don’t agree with.
To quote the movie Malcom X: Get your hand out of my pocket!
Oh, and I’ve got the facts too, and I voted NO.
I think one of the beautiful things about this project is that it shows how much more we can help when we are all working together. Sure, I could donate $6 annually to “a charity of my choice” but it wouldn’t make the slighest difference. But when all of us contribute $6 annually, we can make a world of difference for 5,000 people living in extreme poverty, people who are struggling just to survive on a daily basis. We are all created equal - let’s show the world we believe it.
Yeah! I voted!! I’m so glad I was able to vote at both Carleton and OttawaU for this exceptional and inspirational program. I am involved with STEEP, and truly believe that the MVP is a worthy cause and well worth the $6.00! Even if $6.00 only saved one life it is worth it, I can’t believe people would actually justify not believing that. Good luck tonight to all of you have been supporting the Millennium Village Project I am so hopeful that this will go through!! Peace to you all!! YOU ALL ROCK!!!