MDG Centre staff in Nairobi were honored to host a delegation from Merry Year Foundation (MYF), one of the lead partners of the Millennium Villages Project, on Monday 16th of August. MYF has been particularly strong in its support of Gumulira village in Malawi, setting its inhabitants well on course to lift themselves out of poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals. It is hoped that this fruitful partnership will achieve results on a par with that of Gumulira’s sister village in Malawi, Mwandama, which has made huge strides in food security in particular.
Chairman of MYF Rev. Dongho drew parallels between the current state of rural African villages and the widespread poverty in Korea during the 1950’s. He emphasized that Korea’s transformation from one of the world’s poorest, to one of the most developed nations, sends a message of hope for African countries.
Rev. Dongho pointed out that it was Korea’s experience of poverty which now gives organizations such as MYF the motivation to help others.
“Korea was able to advance because of external support from the UN and its allies, and therefore as Koreans we feel indebted to rest of the world” said Rev. Dongho. “We hope that our partnership with the MDG Centre goes some way to repaying that debt.”
Rev. Dongho recalled that as a student in Korea, he himself was the recipient of a school meals program, a measure now implemented across the Millennium Villages which has positively impacted school attendance.
“We hope that in five years we will be the best partner of the MDG Centre, and that Gumulira will be the best village” he concluded.
Dr. Belay Begashaw, Director of the MDG Centre in Nairobi, welcomed Rev. Dongho, who was accompanied by members of the MYF board including representatives from KPMG Korea, Seoul Oil Co. Ltd, LG Electronics and Mckinsey Korea.
“With your help, there is no reason why we can’t scale up the Millennium Villages model and examples of best practice to the national level” said Dr. Begashaw, thanking the Foundation for its continued support.
After the meeting, the MYF team flew to Malawi to visit Gumulira Millennium Village.
