MSH and the Millenium Development Goals

January 05, 2012

[Woman teaching reproductive health in Afghanistan.] Woman teaching reproductive health in Afghanistan.

In 2000, leaders around the world adopted the United Nations Millennium Declaration and committed to work together toward meeting a series of global development targets—the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)— by 2015.

The Millennium Development Goals represent the global effort to enhance the quality of life of people worldwide. For nearly four decades, MSH has strengthened health systems in more than 70 countries, including fragile states, making care more accessible and sustainable by building local capacity and integrating services. This approach includes reducing child mortality (MDG 4); improving maternal health (MDG 5); combating HIV, malaria, and other diseases (MDG 6); and expanding access to clean water and sanitation services (MDG 7).

MSH also reaches beyond improved health outcomes: We help empower women leaders in their communities (MDG 3); we strengthen the ability of governments to be efficient, responsive, and accountable; and we build partnerships among governments, service organizations, businesses, and donors that foster local economic growth (MDG 8).

The Millennium Development Goals

Goal 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger
MSH addresses nutrition in conjunction with Maternal, Newborn and Child Health. Our services include vaccinations, community-based child nutrition through positive deviance, and vitamin supplementation.

Goal 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education
MSH is committed to improving education through child marriage programs which seek to educate the public on the dangers of child marriage, as well as the advantages of promoting child education and additional years of schooling.

Goal 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women
For almost four decades, MSH has promoted equal access to health care for women and girls in more than 135 countries. MSH offers a full range of services to improve women’s health and social status by strengthening health systems and services. Activities to empower women are integrated into maternal, newborn, and child health, family planning and reproductive health, and HIV & AIDS programs.

The Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority, with support from MSH, is implementing the Accredited Drug Dispensing Outlet (ADDO) program to train and accredit licensed drug dispensers; a new class of provider that is helping to fill the gap left by the scarcity of registered pharmacists in Tanzania. 90 percent of the 4,000 people trained through the program are women. The ADDO program is empowering women by providing them economic opportunities.

Goal 4: Reduce Child Mortality
MSH was one of three founding members of the Partnership for Child Health Care, which provided more than 15 years of technical assistance for child survival programs through the USAID-funded BASICS I, II, and III (1994-present). In Haiti, MSH helped improve child health and mortality by providing vaccination services that contributed to the percentage of children completely vaccinated before their first birthday from to 21 to 63%.

Goal 5: Improve Maternal Health
MSH’s maternal health interventions seek to address the health and healthcare gaps for women during pregnancy, delivery, and the postpartum period. In Afghanistan, MSH through the REACH Program increased the use of modern contraceptives from 16 to 26 percent and number of births attended by a skilled provided doubled from 12 to 23 percent in two years.

Goal 6: Combat HIV & AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases
The USAID-funded Ethiopia HIV/AIDS Care and Support Program offers comprehensive HIV/TB services using an approach based on case managers, outreach, training, and district and health center strengthening. By the end of 2009, more than 7,000 community volunteer outreach workers had been trained in community and household HIV prevention, care, and treatment. During 2009, over 2 million people received counseling and testing and received their results, of which nearly 250,000 were pregnant women.

Goal 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability
MSH works on environmental issues through water and sanitation activities and slum dwelling in fragile states.

Goal 8: A Global Partnership for Development
MSH works with the fragile states of Afghanistan (since 1973), Haiti, Pakistan, and Sudan by helping to build leadership, management, and governance capacity of the Ministry of Health; establish a national package of basic health services; and form collaborative relationships between government, NGOs, and the private sector.