Reason #17 to Support Periclean Scholars: Help Achieve Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 8, Develop a Global Partnership for Development

The final Millennium Development Goal (MDG), Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development, is one that I feel is the Periclean program’s greatest strengths in terms of contributing to the advancement of the MDGs.

Target 8.A: Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financial system is rooted in the finance system, but it also sets out a need for measures of success beyond financial. Periclean Scholars has always honored classes that are able to raise a lot of money, but this has always been a comparatively small measure of success. Each class’s success is not going to be in terms of the amount they fundraised during their time at Elon, but rather on the strength of partnerships. Each class that establishes meaningful partnerships with well-vetted organizations and maintains them well after graduation, to ensure project sustainability and growth, will help to achieve MDG 8. These classes will be committed to good governance, development, and poverty reduction for the long haul.

Most of the Periclean countries of focus have fallen into the realm of Target 8.B: Address the special needs of least developed countries. The Pericleans’ work in Zambia, Sri Lanka, and (soon) Haiti addresses Target 8.C: Address the special needs of landlocked developing countries and small island developing states. Though not officially connected to the UN program, Pericleans researched the most pressing issues and worked diligently with their partners to make great strides in working to address these special needs.

Building partnerships is one of the program’s utmost strengths. The program’s sustained partnerships include, but are not limited to:>

• 2006: Ombetja Yehinga Organization, Windhoek, Namibia; Lironga Eparu, Windhoek, Namibia; TKMOAMS NGO in Oshakati (Tate Kalunga Mweneka Omukithi wo ‘AIDS’ Moshilongo Shetu, translated Our Mighty Father help us stop the AIDS pandemic in our country); Catholic AIDS Action, Windhoek, Namibia
• 2007: Hope for Honduran Children, Flor Azul and Nuevo Paraiso, Honduras; Mario Catarino Rivas Hospital, San Pedro Sula, Honduras
• 2008: Schools for Chiapas, Chiapas, Mexico
• 2009: Habitat for Humanity – Zambia; artist Nicole C. Moore
• 2010: Kpoeta Community, Ghana; Sokode Community, Ghana; Johnson & Johnson
• 2011: Mahabodhi School, Sri Lanka; Rainforest Rescue International, Sri Lanka; Panangala Junior School, Sri Lanka; Sri Lankan entrepreneur Rachel Weeks; Graham Middle School, Graham, NC; Loaves and Fishes, Burlington, NC; Will Work for Food, Ann Arbor, MI
• 2012: Comprehensive Rural Health Project, Jamkhed, India; Burlington Housing Authority, Burlington, NC
• 2013: Luna Maya, Chiapas, Mexico; Schools for Chiapas, Chiapas, Mexico
• Pan-Periclean: The Redwoods Group; Park Foundation

This list is by no means exhaustive and also includes Pericleans-in-Residence, fundraisers, family, and friends.

The program teaches humility. Pericleans are capable of doing great things, but we cannot do them without the help of people other than ourselves. This extends out to our many partners, but it also includes how we work among each other in class and developing ideas. We achieve more through actively listening and working with the same goal in mind: advancing our collective success as global citizens. The Periclean Scholars believe that if global organizations maintain the value of humility and the desire to partner, MDG 8 can be more rapidly achieved.

The Periclean Scholars' work to forge strong, meaningful partnerships is reason #17 to support Periclean Scholars: help achieve Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 8, develop a global partnership for development.