Why Sustainable Development
Ilvy Njiokiktjien / Partners in HealthCHDI works in rural communities in Malawi and Rwanda to increase local incomes and improve the health of entire communities through programs that are locally sustainable and replicable.
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
Rather than prescribing temporary solutions to challenges across Africa, CHDI works in partnership with governments and communities to build integrated programs that increase local incomes, reflect local realities, and are locally sustainable and replicable.
Operationally, CHDI works to increase farmers’ access to fertilizer, seeds, irrigation, and other farming inputs, and to identify and develop new markets for agricultural outputs. In doing so, CHDI responds to the needs of local communities, tailoring agricultural production and agri-businesses to serve market demand, while also implementing programs that reduce barriers to individual productivity. Importantly, CHDI works to strengthen local organizations and infrastructure so that large-scale improvements can be sustained 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.
