Today, I am going to start a post series on how Periclean Scholars works to achieve the Millennium Development Goals set out by the United Nations (UN).
In September 2000, the Millennium Summit of the UN set forth the United Nations Millennium Declaration, and from this declaration eight goals have been extrapolated to form the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs):
1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
2. Achieve universal primary education.
3. Promote gender equality and empower women.
4. Reduce child mortality.
5. Improve maternal health.
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases.
7. Ensure environmental sustainability.
8. Develop a global partnership for development.
With the goals and targets that have been set, we as a society can see the end of poverty remarkably soon - if we work diligently toward them through public and private partnerships.
Whether intentionally or not, the Periclean program has done a lot to work toward these goals and their associated targets. This post series will give examples of how general goals or specific targets have seen progress thanks to the Periclean efforts.
I will mention that the Periclean classes have not addressed each of the MDGs. Periclean Scholars is not a cure-all or silver bullet. The group does a lot of great things for a lot of people and organizations, but it unfortunately cannot address all of the world’s issues. I apologize if I ever gave that impression. To me, Periclean Scholars reminds me of the legend of Seymour the Starfish – where, even if you cannot save everyone, your work and efforts still do make a substantial difference for those you are able to help. Since time and resources will always be in short supply compared to the needs of the world, this is why the Periclean method of vetting partners that work by our mission is particularly significant.
Perhaps, in addition to being a chronicle of how the Periclean Scholars Program has addressed many MDGs, the program can consider this post series and determine which MDGs it may want to begin work on (or work on more heavily) in the future. In addition to honoring achievements, this post series is a new challenge.
This post will focus on Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. In particular, this post addresses Target 1.C: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger.
One of the most significant strides made toward this goal in the Periclean program was made by (and continues to be made by) the Class of 2010, Ghana focus. Under the guidance and leadership of Periclean Scholars Kristin Schulz and John McGreevy and Elon Winter Term leader (and Ghana Subject Matter Expert) Dr. Brian Digre, the Class of 2010 introduced a magnificent tool for development aid in Ghana: the solar cooker.
Solar cookers are simple and effective tools to prepare food. The cook places food in a plastic oven bag to retain heat and then in a covered black pot. The pot is placed on a reflective surface that enables the greenhouse effect as the pot to absorb the sun’s rays. The food is cooked to a perfect temperature that makes it ready to eat. Each “CooKit” provided by Solar Cookers International includes a cardboard cooker, a pot, a few oven bags, a water pasteurization indicator, and informational material.
Access to a solar cooker improves nutrition, because food cooked in this matter will retain nutrients and not stick to the pot. Solving hunger is not enough if nutrition itself is inadequate, as giving starving children French fries will do little to put nutrients back in their bodies. Solar cookers also improve access to potable water, because they allow a mechanism for pasteurization.
The Periclean Scholars worked with a Ghanaian university and technical school professors and village chiefs to offer local workshops in the communities, to be regularly visited by subsequent winter term groups. As a next step, Elon students were taught about solar cookers and prepared to lead the workshops. In winter term 2010, sixteen CooKits were introduced in Kpoeta, Ghana.
The solar cooker has a huge potential in achieving MDG 1, as it can be applied to other areas of focus across the Periclean program. Alumni from the Class of 2010 and Dr. Digre continue to listen to the community to see if the reaction is positive and the demand increases. A technical school in Ghana has begun discussion on whether they can create their own solar cookers for the village. In other areas of Periclean focus where solar energy has a large potential, the solar cooker can be introduced if the community believes that it would be a useful tool.
The example of the solar cooker demonstrates how development aid – not relief aid – will best achieve MDG 1. Take the Chinese proverb: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Long after Periclean Scholars physically leave the village, village citizens will still be able to cook food and eat - because they have tools to eat. If all that the Pericleans provided were meals for the occasions they were there, then the root of the problem would still be there. The Pericleans addressed the root and worked to prevent hunger long after they leave the village.
This is reason #10 to support Periclean Scholars: help achieve Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 1, eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
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