Besides an incredible internship experience with NCoC, I have been working closely with the UN Millennium Development Goals through the Ford Motors Company Global Scholars. My colleagues in the program are from the US, Brazil, India, South America, China and Russia. Together we have visited with several executives and academics concerning the progress and future of the MDGs. Some of the most engaging visits have been through IFPRE, the World Bank, The Kaiser Family Fund, and (of course) the UN Information Center.
The discussions intensive, think tank, type experience I have had with the MDGs have enticed my interest in the developing world even more than I could ever have imagined. I find myself thinking about Haiti with nearly every MDG and have started creating an even stronger base on African studies. After several weeks of study, preparing for NMUN DC, I feel like I have practically been to Gabon and West Africa.
Many of my preconceived notions about the developing world, post colonialism, world health, development, etc have been completely challenged by the nonprofit, philanthropic, and private sector… not to mention my professors and classmates.
Hearing the perspectives of Chinese, Russian, Brazilian, and Indian (and American) students have opened my eyes to the reality of “global perspectives.” As much as we would like, we cannot truly have a “global perspective” without…wait for it… a non-American perspective. The realization seems silly, but in the small, engaged, and informed setting of the Ford program, has come to life. The role of the UN and its unending partnerships is ever more important.
While the Ford Program can’t send us around the world.
I have seen the MDGs addressed here in DC:
1. MDG1 - DC Community Garden – teaching sustainability, community growth, and (of course) healthy eating habits. (Interesting fact: Malnutrition can be either too LITTLE calories or too MANY calories in ones diet)
a. The premise: “take something, leaving something.” You can leave your service, bring back seeds, or donate something that was “overflow” in your own garden.
2. MDG 6 - The DC Center – addressing HIV/AIDs and preventable Sexually Transmitted Infections around the DC area.
a. We volunteered at a “packing party” held at a local bar on a Tuesday evening. Along with a dedicated group of young people from the DC area, we stuffed safe sex educational products and condoms into easy –to- distribute packets.
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