How smart advocacy saved programs for girls empowerment and food production in one of the poorest countries in the world.
On July 14, 2008 the Millenium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a U.S. aid program that works to end poverty in developing countries for the long-term, signed a much-anticipated compact with Burkina Faso, one of the poorest countreis in Africa and in the world. The agreement will provide approximately $480 million for food production, education, and girls empowerment. The signing is a testament to the power of advocacy to transform lives.
In May, the Senate proposed to cut the budget of the MCC by one third in order to pay for emergency relief for Burma and Jordan. With the cuts, the MCC wouldn't have been able to go through with it's agreement with Burkina Faso, which had been in the works for years (in fact, Burkina Faso had already spent $5 million of its own budget and undergone years of reform in order to qualifty for the funding). While responding to emergencies is vital, cutting long-term development funding to pay for it puts the poor, especially women and children, at greater risk of poverty and hunger, the very problems we are trying to solve.
Working with other organizations, Women Thrive Worldwide immediately advocated against the proposed cuts. As a result of the outcry, Congress overturned the original reductions. This has allowed the MCC to go through with the compact and the government of Burkina Faso to assist girls, families, and farmers struggling with poverty.
More Than Dollar Signs
The compact will allow Burkina Faso to invest in agriculture, irrigation (especially important now because of the impact the food crisis is having on women), education, and empowerment for girls. For example:
- which are essential to helping the poor participate in trade but are often unusable or dangerous -
