The MVP, in partnership with the Malawi national fertilizer subsidy program, was able to provide maize seed and fertilizers at a subsidized rate. Rather than purchasing inputs on credit, farmers in Mwandama receive fully subsidized inputs at the start of the season, and pay back approximately maize to the school meals program at the end of the season. In 2007, the Malawi cluster had a tremendously successful harvest, producing crop yields averaging 5.5 tons of maize per hectare, an increase of 1100% since the start of the project.

Many of Mwandama’s farmers have diversified their production to include high value fruits, vegetables and herbs. Additionally, the MVP conducted extensive training for farmers on livestock management, post-harvest management, irrigation and compost and manure production. The MVP also supported some households to begin beekeeping. Nearly 900 farmers have participated in irrigation activities and winter cropping in the low-lying dambos.

Education remains one of the most significant challenges in Mwandama. With several tobacco plantations nearby, many children do not attend school because they are day laborers on the plantations. There are four junior primary schools under construction in Mwandama. Approximately 8,900 children receive daily school meals, in partnership with the World Food Programme.

During the constructions of three new health clinics and the rehabilitation of the existing Thondwe clinic, the MVP has launched twice-monthly mobile outreach clinics throughout the community to provide basic care, family planning, ante-natal care, malaria treatment and vaccinations. Outreach clinics have been very successful in ensuring access to primary care until the permanent clinics are available. Furthermore, there are 45 trained CHWs active in the Mwandama cluster to provide household level care. More than 4,400 people received treatment for malaria at Mwandama’s outreach clinics and Thondwe clinic in 2008.

Presently, the water sources constructed or rehabilitated by the MVP serve more than 18,000 people, more than half of Mwandama’s population. In 2008, all of the five kilometers of planned road rehabilitation were completed and two new bridges were constructed. Additionally, the infrastructure team, together with UNDP, conducted a feasibility study for the extension of the grid to the cluster’s institutions. With respect to household lighting, a program was introduced in Mwandama to increase household lighting for reading and working, and reduce reliance on kerosene and fuelwood. More than 200 solar-powered lanterns have already been sold throughout the community and another order for 300 has been placed.

The project introduced improved onion, cabbage, watermelon and hibiscus seeds to increase commercial crops. The project also began supporting drip irrigation on a small scale. Finally, farmers continue to experience improved crop yields, including peanuts, cowpea, millet, hibiscus, watermelon and onion, an important crop for livelihoods in Potou.

The education team in Potou has exceeded targets for classroom construction and school meals, significantly improving the conditions for teachers and students. School furniture, supplies and a database have also been supplied by the project. A successful collaboration with BuildOn has helped the Potou team complete all planned classrooms, plus four others. In addition, more than 3,000 students now receive school meals.

The MVP has finished construction of new clinics in Potou, and refurbishment of the existing clinic is underway. These clinics are staffed by trained nurses, who are significantly supported by the efforts of about 90 community health workers (CHWs) and a few health facilitators. CHWs monitor conditions at the household level and encourage residents to seek treatment at the posts and clinics when necessary. Their efforts have helped ensure that a significant majority of recorded deliveries take place with professional supervision at cluster clinics.

Thanks to a successful partnership between JM Eagle and PEPAM, the Senegalese government entity charged with managing water and sanitation projects, the MVP installed an extensive piped water network with taps at 119 community locations. Combined with pre-existing infrastructure, this network provides clean, piped, drinking water to over 99 percent of cluster residents. Public institutions are being connected to electricity and the project has completed two Multi-media Centers, with plans underway to provide internet access to the community.

Farmers participating in the project have been trained in improved agricultural techniques, including the cultivation of maize and cowpea, vegetable production, post-harvest handling and storage and cocoa establishment and management. To help improve nutrition, the MVP subsidizes Quality Protein Maize and improved varieties of cowpeas, neither of which were cultivated on a large scale prior to the project. In addition, the agriculture team has introduced rice farming and orange tree cultivation on a pilot basis. The project also established farmer field schools to support training that improves the management of cocoa plantations, the primary source of income for most cluster residents.

MVP education interventions have focused on increasing student enrollment and improving the quality of education. Before the start of the project, none of the primary schools in the cluster offered school meals. Now, school meals reach roughly 1,700 children. To increase school meal coverage, the MVP has built additional environmentally-friendly school kitchens, which burn less firewood and produce little smoke. The project has also completed the construction of additional classrooms in the cluster.

Having better access to health facilities is critical to the villages. The Bonsaaso MVP has now completed construction or rehabilitation on six of the seven clinics required to meet cluster needs and has helped staff the clinics. In addition, community health workers (CHWs) have been trained to service Bonsaaso’s households. Given the dispersed population, CHWs have greatly improved access to basic health care, especially malaria treatment and maternal health.

Even though rain is consistent, improvements in the supply of drinking water are essential. Construction of boreholes is helping to reach more than half of the targeted population and construction of more water points is continuing. Furthermore, the project is planning to install an extensive piped water network that will further improve the availability of drinking water for over 15,000 residents. The project is also utilizing other methods to secure clean water, including rainwater harvesting.

Infrastructure activities have also focused on increasing electricity at cluster institutions and improving road networks. The local government has played an active role in supporting the maintenance of roads within the project area. In addition, the national power authority, in collaboration with foreign support, is helping to link communities to the national grid.

The project has introduced micro-dose technology in the area, which consists of applying small doses of fertilizers (about four grams) into the planting holes to reduce the amount of fertilizer needed. The project has also distributed improved millet seed. The result has been a doubling of yields, which helps farmers contribute food for the school feeding program. Additionally, the cluster has established a very successful input subsidy and credit scheme to support the fertilizer requirement for rice, millet and sorghum. Finally, in order to preserve water, the team introduced drip irrigation to more than 1,300 cluster farmers. This method greatly reduces the amount of water required to support a successful crop, and is often used to support market gardening.

With the elimination of school fees, the addition of more teachers and a school feeding program which helps supply a hot, nutritious lunch every day, the resulting increase in student enrollment has been tremendous. The MVP has also helped build new schools, contributing skilled labor and non-local materials to complement the community’s strong contribution of labor, locally available materials and overall construction oversight. Additionally, the MVP implemented an intensive sensitization campaign to promote sending all boys and girls to school. The project also organized a 21-day training session for primary school teachers on curricula development to improve the quality of learning in the schools in the project area.

The project completed construction of two clinics, bringing the cluster’s total to six, which meets the Ministry of Health’s standards. Additionally, more than 200 community health workers have been trained and service Tiby’s households. CHWs administer malaria treatment, follow up on births and provide additional assistance to the cluster’s households. Their presence has greatly improved access to basic health care and encouraged community members to take advantage of the cluster’s services. Additionally, the majority of recorded deliveries now take place in the clinics.

The cluster team has prioritized the installation and repair of boreholes and pumps to maximize the number of residents served by improved water sources. The project has also made progress with regard to roads, electricity and ICT. Almost 70 kilometers of roads within the cluster have been enhanced, either through regular maintenance or scheduled improvement. In addition, 250 sites within the cluster now have grid or off-grid electricity and ten sites have been connected to the Internet for the first time.

The MVP introduced fully-subsidized inputs for both off- and major-season rice farming to increase crop yields. This included urea and four varieties of improved rice. In the first year, more than 1,000 farmers received inputs, with yields reaching 6.3 tons per hectare, with an average of 5.2 tons per hectare. Unsupported fields reaped yields from 1.4 to 4.5 tons per hectare, though the historic average is approximately 4 tons per hectare.

In the first year of the MVP, enrolment increase 33 percent. This improvement is largely due to outreach within the community touting the benefit of school attendance. The school meals program reaches more than 500 children with plans for future expansion.

The principal activity completed in the first year of the MVP was the distribution of almost 3,500 long-lasting insecticide-treated bednets to cover 100 percent of sleeping sites. In addition, the project assured that each of the four existing clinics had the ability to treat and manage identified cases of tuberculosis. Finally, the project trained 12 CHWs to monitor malaria at the community level.

Given the importance of irrigation in village farming activities, the MVP supported the repair of water pumps and trained community members in their maintenance. In addition, the team completed a study to better understand the irrigated potential of the irrigable land with the entire commune.

As Dertu’s population relies on livestock for its income and food security, livestock restocking in vulnerable and very poor households has been a core intervention in the Millennium Villages. Additionally, the MVP has spearheaded mass vaccination and treatment of camels, cattle, goats, sheep and donkeys in Dertu and surrounding villages in coordination with the District Veterinary Office. The MVP is assiting farmers to develop irrigation pans-hand-dug shallow holes, to retain water. The water from the pans can be used to irrigate small plots of crops, even during the driest months. The MVP also promoted the use of drought-tolerant and early-maturing maize, sorghum, sesame, onion and cowpeas. Additionally, the MVP team is teaching herders how to bale and store hay for their animals during the dry periods to prevent overgrazing, deforestation and environmental degradation.

Education in Dertu is focused on increasing attendance and facilities at the Dertu boarding school while also increasing access to education for mobile families. There is one school in Dertu town which serves most of the children. To allow children of pastoralist families to stay at school while their families are mobile, the MVP constructed a boys’ dormitory and a girls’ dormitory. The MVP also promotes girls’ school attendance by distributing sanitary towels to menstruating girls. Additionally, the MVP launched a mobile school which follows pastoral families in their movement.

The one health facility in the area, Dertu clinic, receives patients from throughout the region, some as far away as Ethiopia. The MVP began construction to expand the clinic to include a maternity ward and a laboratory. The Dertu MVP team also conducts once monthly health outreach clinics to the pastoralist community to reduce routine illnesses and deaths from malaria, snake bites and child birth. Additionally, the project has distributed insecticide-treated mosquito bed nets to prevent malaria. Community health workers in Dertu have received special training and focus on pre-natal care and midwifery skills as very few births take place in clinics.

The MVP has installed new water sources, including boreholes, rehabilitated water springs and rainwater harvesting systems. The MVP has also distributed UNICEF-sponsored pit latrine slabs to improve sanitation. In partnership with the Government of Kenya, more than 100 kilometers of roads were bush cleared and rehabilitated to link Dertu residents to health services and business development opportunities in Garissa. The MVP has also installed solar power at the Dertu clinic and the Dertu School. In 2008, in partnership with Ericsson, Dertu received a cell tower and Internet connectivity. Sony-donated laptops provide Internet access at the school. Given the remote location of Dertu, and the mobile population, cellular services will be a significant advance in supporting the Dertu community to have better access to health services and market information.

Maize production in Sauri has more than tripled with the help of inputs such as fertilizer, improved seed and training in agricultural techniques. More than 3,800 of Sauri’s farmers also have started growing high-value crops introduced by the MVP including onions, tomatoes, kale, herbs and fruits. Additionally, some households have started fish ponds for food and income. The MVP is also supporting the development of dairy initiatives through trainings and artificial insemination of cows. In 2008, amidst civil disruption across Kenay, the project launched an initiative to transition the vast majority of Sauri’s farmers from MVP-supported agricultural subsidies to credit.

There are now 31 schools in the Sauri cluster and plans are underway for the construction of more classrooms. Additionally, 12 of the 31 schools have been rehabilitated by the MVP. All of Sauri’s school children receive daily school meals consisting of locally grown maize, beans, fruits and vegetables. Improved school infrastructure and the daily school meals have been a significant improvement in the Sauri education systems. The MVP team is also working to hire additional female teachers to improve student to teacher ratios and to improve gender equity in schools.

There are now six health centers in the Sauri cluster five new health centers and an upgraded sub-district hospital. In addition, the cluster also has an operating theater and dental services. Sauri’s health facilities are staffed by one doctor, two dentists, seven clinical officers and 32 nurses. Additionally, there are more than 80 trained CHWs in the Sauri cluster. Health throughout the Sauri cluster has improved greatly since the start of the MVP. In addition to malaria reductions, significant improvements have been seen in maternal and child health, access to HIV/AIDS testing and therapy and improvements in overall basic health care.

Sixty water sources have been completed in the Sauri cluster to serve approximately 15,000 people. As a result of major rehabilitation to Sauri’s roads, 100 percent of the cluster population now have access to an all-weather road, which has greatly improved access to health care and markets. Additionally, some community institutions have been connected to the electric grid and, working with the Kenya Power and Electric Company, plans are underway to extend the grid to the remaining institutions.

Bumper crops have enabled the cluster to make major strides in food security and farmers have been able to contribute maize to the school feeding program. To increase incomes, nearly all of Ruhiira’s 6,000 farmers have diversified their farms to include high-value crops such as leafy vegetables, spices and goats. Additionally, the MVP has helped to attract local and regional buyers to the cluster so farmers can obtain higher prices for their maize. The introduction of maize grinding machines is also expected to help farmers continue to increase their profits.

One of the key interventions in Ruhiira in 2008 was to decrease soil erosion through the construction of anti-erosion gullies and terraces and farmers contributed to the labor. Additionally, more than 400,000 seedlings have been planted in Ruhiira.

Ruhiira has 20 government schools serving more than 11,000 children. After extensive construction in 2007, the MVP Ruhiira team has focused on completing upgrades at schools and continuing the school meals program, which serves twice-daily meals to all 11,000 children. In 2008, in partnership with the Whitby School in Connecticut, Ruhiira became the first site to launch the Millennium Villages School 2 School program, using Internet technology to connect children in Ruhiira to children in Connecticut.

Ruhiira has six health facilities, all of which have received significant upgrades and new additions by the MVP. The MVP has also completed the largest health facility at Kabuyanda with an operating theater where cesareans can be performed. Health facilities in Ruhiira are staffed with more than 50 trained health staff. In an effort to improve maternal and child health, the Ruhiira team introduced a midwife program that increases the number of women delivering under supervised care at the clinics as well as increasing the number of women delivering under midwife care at home. Deeply impressed by the results, the Minister of Health in Uganda indicated his desire to scale up the midwife program throughout Uganda.

As a result of the hilly terrain, water and electrification are interlinked in Ruhiira. To move water uphill will require both the installation of a major piped water system, as well as electrification to power the system. The MVP has completed assessments on the designs for this project and plans are underway to being construction.

In partnership with the local government, the MVP is working to rehabilitate the roads in Ruhiira. Current road improvements have connected more than 5,600 people to an all-weather road. Moreover, the MVP has constructed new water sources—including boreholes, water springs, and rainwater harvesting tanks—to increase access to improved water for some of Ruhiira’s most vulnerable groups.

The project has trained over 500 farmers on land preparation, planting, weeding and other agricultural activities. Farmers have also planted with fertilizer and improved seed, contributing to a more than doubling of maize yields. Female farmers have been trained on modern tomato and cowpea cultivation and harvesting techniques. The MVP in Ikaram continues to subsidize Quality Protein Maize and improved varieties of soybean, oil palm and Telferia, a leafy vegetable with edible seeds.

The MVP completed construction on 30 classrooms and 16 schools have access to grid power.

The Ikaram cluster has four health centers which were constructed by the Nigerian government before 2005. The MVP has sponsored the refurbishment of two of these centers and facilitated connection of all four clinics to the national grid. Additionally, the MVP has facilitated the posting of a complete health team, meeting 100% of the local trained staffing needs. Trained CHWs service the local community to administer malaria treatment, follow up on births and provide additional assistance at the household level.

The Ikaram cluster greatly benefits from infrastructure existing prior to MVP commencement. The national grid reaches every community and a national highway passes through a section of the village cluster. The MVP has constructed community resource rooms with computers and Internet access and is working to outfit them with the appropriate hardware. All cluster households are within 500 meters of an electric grid transformer. The MVP is aso planning to connect additional institutions to the grid.

By planting with fertilizer and improved seed, maize crops quadrupled in the first year of interventions. Farmers have also learned better storing, marketing and production techniques. Additionally, more than 600 cluster farmers have participated in a revolving credit scheme for fertilizer and the MVP is negotiating with Bank PHB to link cluster farmers to commercial agriculture financing opportunities. Furthermore, more than 700 farmers have cultivated Quality Protein Maize, improved varieties of soybean and oil palm and Telferia, a leafy vegetable with edible seeds.

The MVP, in partnership with the villagers and the State Universal Basic Education Board, built classrooms to provide space for hundreds of children who were not in school before the project. Additionally, the project helped launch an education campaign to promote sending children to school. The results were outstanding 800 children who had never been to school have since enrolled. Because of increased enrollments, supported largely through the cluster’s successful school meals program which reached 100% of students more children are progressing to secondary school. As such, the government built six classrooms to complete a Junior Secondary School within the cluster.

Services within the cluster are centered on a clinic connected to the grid. The short staff in the clinic is supported by ten community health workers who extend basic services to resident’s doorsteps, promote ante-natal care and monitor bed net use.

Key advancements in infrastructure have been made in Pamapaida, including construction of boreholes, a local clinic and a storage house for grain. Additionally, the Nigerian Government completed work to connect Pampaida to the town of Sauwala and the MVP provided maintenance support to this significant donation. The government also extended the electricity grid to the village center and the MVP team plans to connect more public institutions to this extension. To support Internet connectivity and community access, the MVP built and commissioned a Local Resource Center. Plans are underway to bring computers and Internet connection.

By applying targeted, science-based interventions and maximizing community leadership and participation, the villagers of Mayange went from chronic hunger to a bumper harvest in the first year of the project. Farmers have also made great progress in combating soil erosion and harvesting rainwater. Village farmers are now diversifying into high-value crops including cowpeas, cassava, groundnuts, mushroom, and chickpeas and are planting fruit trees such as avocado, mango and pomegranate trees. Additionally, farmers are planting beans and sweet potatoes to sell at nearby market for extra income. Given the persistent drought in Mayange, diversification to include dairy and fish farming will provide good opportunities to improve nutrition and increase income.

More than 75 classrooms have been rehabilitated by the MVP and plans are underway to construct new classrooms. In partnership with the World Food Programme, the Mayange cluster serves daily school meals to more than 5,500 children. In partnership with Ericsson, a new computer lab was launched in Mayange primary school in 2008. The lab, with ten computers, is a resource for both teachers and students and created excitement throughout the community about the introduction of Internet technologies and improved access to information.

The health clinic is booming with patients now that the MVP has upgraded the clinic, constructed new rooms and provided trained staff, equipment and medicines. Plans are underway for a new maternity ward and a laboratory. The Mayange cluster’s community health workers are trained in reproductive health and a malaria treatment program to diagnose and treat the disease at the household level. The utilization of insecticide-treated bed nets has led to a significant drop in the number of patients seeking treatment for malaria at Mayange clinic.

Ericsson has constructed a cell tower for Internet connectivity in the Mayange cluster, which has significantly improved connectivity. Several entrepreneurs have opened Internet kiosks for small business and community use, and 100% of Mayange’s households now have cell-phone coverage. Thirteen water sources were completed in 2008, serving 500 people and plans are underway for construction on a major piped water system to provide water for most of Mayange’s residents. The Government of Rwanda has completed work on a major road connecting Kigali with Burundi. The new road significantly improves access to the cluster and the number of people living near an all-weather road. some community institutions have been connected to electricity and grid work continues to connect even more.

Agricultural activities in Koraro have focused on training farmers on improved planting techniques, increasing farmers’ access to microcredit, diversifying crops, introducing irrigation technologies and using fertilizers and improved seeds purchased with MVP-subsidized suport. High-value crops that have been introduced to Koraro include oranges, avocados and spices. Nearly 1,000 of Koraro’s farmers have installed irrigation technologies, such as pot-drip irrigation, hand-dug wells and micro-dams, often with support from the MVP.

Education priorities in Koraro have been targeted toward improving infrastructure at schools and developing a school meals program. Many of the existing classrooms have been renovated and new classrooms are being constructed. Additionally, the school meals program serves more than 16,000 children in the cluster.

The MVP has upgraded all of the Koraro clusters existing health centers with improved equipment, essential medicines and minor renovations. Trained male and female staff have been hired, significantly contributing to increased utilization of the clinics. Community health workers in Koraro provide additional assistance at the household level. Given Koraro’s remote location and the distances between households and clinics, the presence of CHWs in Koraro has greatly improved access to basic health care, especially malaria treatment.

To address chronic water shortages, the Koraro MVP team has focused on increasing the number of improved water points throughout the cluster. Infrastructure activities have also increased electricity at cluster institutions and have improved road networks. Significant road improvements have been completed on the main road connecting the cluster to the nearest tarmac road.

The tremendous increase in agricultural yields have been a source of particular joy among villagers, with many elders citing the recent spring harvest as the best in memory. Farmer contributions from food surpluses have led to a major expansion of the school meals program. Alongside food security efforts, the MVP is working with villagers to encourage environmentally-sustainable farming practices such as planting nitrogen-fixing trees throughout the cluster. Additionally, more than 5,900 of Mbola’s 6,000 farmers have diversified their crops to include high-value crops, such as sunflowers, fruits, and vegetables with the aim of generating a significant income boost for Mbola’s farmers.

Now, there are 17 junior primary schools in Mbola. The MVP has constructed six new classrooms and all schools have received moderate rehabilitation and improved kitchens. With the launch of the school meals program, more than 7,000 school children receive daily school meals, provided in partnership with local farmers. In 2008, Mbola’s farmers contributed more than 100% of the grain needed for the school meals program. Initiatives to promote gender equality in education include the provision of secondary school scholarships to girls and the construction of separate and safe latrines at schools.

The project has worked with local officials to train community health workers about the effective use of long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets and malaria diagnosis, treatment and prevention. The Millennium Villages team has also partnered with community and local government to construct two new health dispensaries as well as to renovate three existing dispensaries. A new clinic has also been constructed by the MVP. Mbola’s health centers are staffed by six clinical officers, six nurses, two social workers, one laboratory technician, one laboratory assistant and two medical attendants. The Mbola cluster is also served by more than 30 community health workers (CHWs). In 2008, CHWs visited all 6,000 housholds in the cluster and approximately 12,000 patients received treatment for malaria at Mbola’s health clinics.

The project has focused on increasing access to water and improving water quality and safety. In 2008, construction of water sources increased access to water to 6,000 people. Half of the Mbola cluster is now reached by the grid extension and the other portion of the cluster will be served by off-grid sources. In 2008, assessments were conducted for both the extension of the grid and off-grid sources, and the clinics were internally wired for future connection.