New York Times Examines Millennium Village Project Aimed at Fighting Poverty in Africa

The New York Times on Monday examined the Millennium Village Project, which aims to fight poverty in villages throughout Africa, including initiatives to fight malaria and HIV/AIDS. The project is led by Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and U.N. special adviser on global poverty. Sauri, Kenya, is serving as the project's first test case, and researchers are trying to show that for about $110 per person, an entire village can be "tugged out of poverty," according to the Times. As part of the initiative, which grew out of the U.N. Millennium Development Goals, researchers are taking blood tests to determine the extent of malaria in the area. They also are distributing mosquito nets to every villager and will track the disease to see if the nets help protect people. In addition, the project hopes to combat HIV/AIDS through awareness and testing (Lacey, New York Times, 4/4). The complete article is available online.