What are the Millennium Villages, and where are they?
The Millennium Villages started with 12 research villages supported by the Earth Institute at Columbia University. The initial 12 villages are located in 10 African countries (Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, and Uganda). Each is in a distinct agro-ecological zone—arid or humid, highland or lowland, grain-producing or pastoral—to reflect the range of farming, water, and disease challenges facing the continent and to show how tailored strategies can overcome each challenge. Furthermore, these villages are: • Located in hunger “hotspots” where chronic hunger is widespread and often accompanied by a high prevalence of disease, lack of access to medical care, and a severe lack of infrastructure • Located in a reasonably peaceful nation governed by an accountable government • Located in districts where NGOs or international donor organizations have been able to work successfully Millennium Promise has coordinated efforts to scale up to a total of 78
