By Victor Ochieng’
In the year 2005, people of Bar Sauri Village in Gem, Yala, Siaya County became beneficiaries of the Millennium Village Project (MVP).
It wafted wonderful winds beneath their wings. Villagers flew to lofty heights of abundance. They suddenly saw the fine face of fortune.
It was the only village selected in Kenya. Other African villages under the same profitable project were in countries such as Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal, Mali and Ghana.
Indeed, the grace of good luck visited an obscure village. It was a demonstration project of the Earth Institute of Columbia University, United Nations Development Programme and Millennium Promise.
In retrospect, at the blissful birth of MVP, Jeffrey Sachs, the philanthropic founder posited that Bar Sauri was going to be a shining example of a successful project. The project was going to break the backbone of poverty to usher in prosperity. This featured in the Diary of Angelina Jolie and Dr. Jeffrey Sachs in Africa.
Ideally, MVP relied on an integrated approach to rural development to achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) — the eight globally endorsed targets envisioned to address perplexing problems of poverty, health, gender, equality and disease by 2015.
Somehow, the MVP website is still active, albeit the project doing its final evaluation in 2015, for it was to span from 2005 to 2015. It occurred in two phases: the first phase (2004-2010) and second phase (2011-2015).
The first phase pitched on five important areas: One was agriculture, which focused on sufficient supply of seeds and fertilizer, training of farmers and expansion of storage. Two was the health aspect that oscillated around provision of mosquito nets, copious supply of vaccines and proper pest control.
Three, was education, which prioritized upgrading of schools and installation of enough water systems. Four was infrastructure that put premium on sanitation and roads. Lastly, they focused on business development through micro-credit and Cooperative training.
Moreover, the second phase went straight to enhancement and development of programmes planned in the first phase. Prominent proponents of the project had their main mandate of improving access to clean water, basic education, basic health care and ensuring that people lived in an ambient environment.
Again, the brilliant thought focused on yanking villagers out of the pit of poverty through science-based interventions such as provision of improved seeds and fertilizers. They also convened incisive seminars to sensitize farmers on best agricultural practices. Luckily, farmers dropped old and tired approaches to production.
It is instructive to note that MVP had a great impact on Bar Sauri and villages around it like Anyiko. It was during that golden age that pupils in Bar Sauri Primary School enjoyed sumptuous lunches. It in turn made teachers expand tuition time and contact hours with learners. This made the school an academic powerhouse that churned out veritable giants in KCPE.
In addition, the establishment of Bar Sauri Community Hospital to provide accessible basic health care services led to healthy and happy villagers who rolled up their sleeves to work the land.
Unfortunately, when the project finally folded, the village became an ashen shadow of its former self. Farmers forlornly went back to their archaic agricultural practices.
And I cannot help but to wonder what happened to the millennium village project. Why did local leaders fail to come up with a viable strategy to sustain the profitable venture?
It is sad to see that after witnessing all modern methods of crop production, our people decided to learn nothing. Now, you cannot trace any vestiges of the project.
Perhaps we have a serious problem when it comes to adapting to new ways of doing things. Like apostates, we naturally slide back to a flippant past.
Yet, the past is a prologue. As we live in the pleasant present, we should focus on a fabulous future belonging to those who prepare for it today. As we enjoy the yummy meat of the moment, we should crane our necks and see beyond the horizon.
This cannot happen if farmers eat all the seeds of gold, leaving nothing to plant when the wet season comes.
The writer is an editor, orator and author. vochieng.90@gmail.com.
