The Reproductive Health Community: A Valuable Asset for Achieving the MDGs

Abstract

In the rural community of Upper Egypt which I have been honored to serve villagers have never heard of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) the Millennium Declaration or the Millennium Project. Neither Kofi Annan nor Jeffrey Sachs is a household name. But if women and men could afford the leisure to dream they could see what their life would be like if things changed around them and changed for them. They would dream of a community where everyone possesses the simple basic necessities for a decent living where no member of the community has to go to sleep with an empty stomach where all children including girls have access to education where beloved infants and children do not die before the eyes of helpless parents where mothers can take the risky journey through pregnancy and childbirth and return safely and joyfully to their families where women are free of the tyranny of excessive childbearing and are safe from violence or the risk of it where no woman will risk death because of an unwanted pregnancy where people no longer live under the constant threat of endemic and epidemic diseases where the water they drink is safe and where everyone has access to basic health services and medicines. But today they know that these are only dreams. If you told them that governments have adopted their dreams and pledged to realize them their skepticism would be difficult to hide. Such a pledge is a tune they have heard many times. (excerpt)