Engeye and the UN Millenium Development Goals
The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - which range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015 - form a blueprint agreed to by all the world's countries and all the world's leading development institutions. They have galvanized unprecedented efforts to meet the needs of the world's poorest.
Engeye is doing its best to make the UN Millenium Development Goals (UN MDGs) a reality for the Ugandans that we work with in and around our health center in Ddegeya Village. The UN MDGs are a diverse set of goals, but are all intertwined to the point where it is impossible to affect change without addressing all the issues of poverty, health care, hunger, and environmental sustainability. This is how Engeye is helping...
1. Eradicate Extreme Hunger and Poverty
- Needs Assessments in nearby vicinity assess the largest needs in the community
- Chicken project started in attempt to increase egg (protein) and income generation potential
- Healthy eating habits are discussed during visits with the physician when malnutrition is evident
- Community workers work with kids on nutritious gardening co-ops to vary diet
2. Achieve Universal Primary Education
- Engeye Scholars established to provide education to those who cannot afford primary schooling
- Morning Program, started by Union Minerva fellows, teaches children who are too young or too poor to attend school
- Educational center built for health and education classes
3. Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women
- Female scholarships are empowering young, blossoming Ugandan women (Engeye Scholars)
- Females are employed at Engeye Clinic
- Advancing the crafts of local women artisans is a project in the works
- Susan Nabukenya healed, empowered and now in school
4. Reduce Child Mortality
This goal is italicized because it is an area in which Uganda is falling behind and thus a focus of Engeye
- Engeye Health clinic built and in operation with locals staffing clinic year-round
- Engeye Clinic health diagnosis and treatment protocols and algorithms created to improve medical care and patient outcomes
- Hope Phones project started to better standard of medical care
- Best malaria treatment given to all patients, including children
- Diagnostic lab created to expand services and treatment
- Mosquito nets delivered and dispersed
- Electricity advancement to enable refrigeration for vaccinations
5. Improve Maternal Health
This goal is italicized because it is an area in which Uganda is falling behind and thus a focus of Engeye
- Engeye Health clinic built and in operation with locals staffing clinic year-round
- Engeye Clinic health diagnosis and treatment protocols and algorithms created to improve medical care and patient outcomes
- Hope Phones project started to better standard of medical care
6. Combat HIV, Malaria, and Other Diseases
- Partnership with Uganda Cares, a local HIV/AIDS organization, forged
- Malaria quick tests in use
- Mosquito nets delivered to villagers
- Education on reducing mosquitoes is ongoing
- Free condoms available at the clinic
7. Ensure Environmental Sustainability
- Installed incinerator for safe disposal of medical waste
- Soil and water testing carried out
- Solar panels installed for clean, reliable energy
- Partnership with EWB-MIT forged and environmentally responsible ideas in progress
8. Build a Global Partnership for Development
- In U.S.: Partnerships with various organizations in the United States are allowing for global advancement: Union College, MIT- EWB, AMC Family Medicine, UIC, Providence Hospital, photographer Bryan Meltz and Shriners Hospital in Boston
- In Uganda: Uganda Cares, Uganda Ministry of Health, Rakai Health Services Community and Ddegeya Village