HOW SOCIAL ENTERPRISES CONTRIBUTE TO THE MDGS WORLDWIDE

Article

The 8 Millennium Development Goals were established in 2000 and targeted to be achieved by the United Nations in 2015.

1. Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger,
2. Achieving universal primary education,
3. Promoting gender equality and empowering women,
4. Reducing child mortality rates,
5. Improving maternal health,
6. Combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases,
7. Ensuring environmental sustainability, and
8. Developing a global partnership for development

"According to the 2012 Progress Chart, MDGs have been attained or will be attained by 2015 in areas such as reducing extreme poverty and hunger by half in Eastern Asia, equaling girls’ enrollment in primary school in Africa and Asia, and combating the spread of HIV/AIDS in Southern Asia."

The article mentions social enterprises and businesses that have been contributing towards the MDGs which shows that in order for the MDGs to be attained, work has to be done on many levels. While the government plays a huge role in this, we should not be reliant on them as there is also so much that the government is able to do. This is where organizations and individuals come into place as they are able to target the areas which were overlooked by the government.

I would like to talk about one enterprise mentioned in the article that has contributed to MDG 3 - Promoting gender equality and empowering women.

"Established in 2007 in Uganda, Living Goods operates a micro-franchise model, similar to Avon, of independent women entrepreneurs.  The Living Goods entrepreneurs earn modest incomes through door-to-door sales of health-related products at affordable prices."

This not only empowers women by allowing them to earn their own income, but also achieves health impact through effective education, behavior change strategies, distribution of vital health products, and through referrals for secondary care (living goods). By improving access to basic health care, Living Goods also aim to reduce child mortality.

This organization is targeting multiple MDGs in their business model and I think that this is critical in order for the MDGs to be achieved. All 8 MDGs are correlated to each other and it is important for organizations contributing towards MDGs to ensure that their model targets more than 1 MDG.


I believe that with more awareness raised towards social enterprises, the MDGS will be achieved but not by 2015 as the progress now is only meeting the benchmark. It is critical that we ensure that the eradication is done to a level that is higher than the goal that is set.