Why Sustainable Development in Africa
Of the 750 million people living in sub- Saharan Africa today, one-half live on less than $1 a day and a majority lack access to clean water, sanitation, adequate nutrition, quality health care, and other life-sustaining goods. The number one killer of young Africans today is disease resulting from dirty water.
Making a Commitment to Africa: An Initiative is Born
In 2005, at the inaugural meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative, Scottish philanthropist Sir Tom Hunter committed to invest $100 million over ten years to encourage sustainable economic growth in the developing world. Working in partnership with the Clinton Foundation, the resulting project –the Clinton Hunter Development Initiative – is spurring economic development in Africa in ways that can be sustained and scaled-up by local governments and communities long into the future.
How the Clinton Foundation is Making a Difference
CHDI isn’t prescribing a band-aid solution for challenges across the African continent – instead, we are working in partnership with the governments of Rwanda and Malawi to build integrated programs that can be sustained and replicated. We are responding to the needs of specific local communities, tailoring agricultural production and agri-businesses to serve market demand, while also implementing programs that expand access to clean water, sanitation, and health care. We're increasing access to fertilizer, seeds, irrigation, and other farming inputs, and we're also identifying and developing new markets for agricultural outputs - and in some cases, we're working to strengthen local organizations and infrastructure so that improvements can be sustained locally, without continuing assistance from foreign donors.
PROFILE
CHDI loans have allowed Misozi Coffee Company to invest and boost its production levels. With additional CHDI assistance in expanding sales abroad and creating a new premium fairtrade coffee, incomes have risen significantly.
