Evaluation Of Achievements In Implementation Of Millennium Development Goals Essay.

Discuss about the Evaluation of the Achievements in the Implementation of Millienium ?

The increase in population especially due to the uncontrolled family practices has equally resulted in various associated challenges which include sicknesses as well as increase in child mortality rates. As deduced from these studies, the challenges associated with high population are mostly felt in developing continents for instance in most parts of Africa. The aspect of child and maternal mortality rates has become a global concern for a good period of time. The unavailability of enough facilities, low economic standards and hence poor standards of living are the core contributors to the increase in rates of child and maternal mortality (Alesina, 2000). In order to establish the necessary mitigation factors, various bodies have come on board and introduced various approaches aimed at offering long lasting solutions to these social problems. Some of these bodies include the Non-Governmental organizations and other institutions which offer foreign aid to the disadvantaged areas with the aim of reducing the cases of mortality.

Alesina, A. (2000) ‘Who gives foreign aid to whom and why?’ Journal of Economic Growth 5 (1), pp. 33–63.

The author highlights reduction of child and maternal mortality as one of the core objectives of the Millenium Development goals. He begins by defining child mortality as the death of new born babies which happens only a short while after they are born. Maternal mortality on the other hand is the death of mothers soon after giving birth. This though might happen after a while. Child and maternal mortality could be caused by a number of factors among the leading ones being lack of enough resources and health facilities. Most new born babies succumb to their complications due to lack of basic facilities necessary for their care. The author further notes that there is an inevitable need for qualified personnel with the necessary expertise and skills needed to take care of both the mother and the child. When these basic needs lack for the mothers and their young babies, they remain vulnerable and hence exposed to various other risks. The author’s arguments adequately support the topic of discussion. For instance, he suggests the establishment of well-equipped health facilities especially in most parts of the targeted regions. Such a strategy would go a long way in enhancing the achievement of the millennium goals with respect to child and maternal mortality. When these facilities are made available at the right time, the challenges faced by the mothers during the early periods after giving birth are carefully taken care of. As highlighted by the author, the facilities also ought to be located in strategic places in a bid to ensure that the users can easily access and hence use them. The equipment used within the facilities also ought to be efficient and effective enough for their purposes. These may include the hospital beds, scanner machines and other apparatus used in case of operations. The availability of good facilities plays a crucial role in reducing the related risks (Berthélemy and Tichit, 2004).

Practical Strategies to Achieve Development Goals

Balkundi, P. and Harrison, A. (2006) ‘Ties, leaders, and time in teams: Strong inference about network structure’s effects on team viability and performance’. Academy of Management, 49(1), pp. 49–68.

In order to lay the right base for the discussion of the role of foreign aid in minimizing the child and mother mortality rates, the authors outline some of the causative factors related to the research problem. According to them, one common aspect which has led to the increase in mortality rates especially in the developing countries is the lack of accessibility as a result of poor infrastructure. Statistics indicate that about 20% of infants in the vulnerable areas die every year when they fail to get the needed care in good time (Argenti and Beck, 2005).  The authors’ use of qualitative research methods does a lot in laying the right emphasis on the elements of their arguments of millennium development goals. They note that out of the 20%, about three quarters of the total population involve victims who are located in remote locations served by poor road and communication networks. The poor network makes it hard for the individuals to be accessed by the help which may be accorded by the foreign bodies. In addition to poor facilities, lack of access to the available ones goes a long way in hindering the effectiveness of the rescue processes. The authors then effectively reveal one of the ways in which foreign aid has enhanced the achievement of millennium development goals on child and maternal mortality. In order to come up with a long lasting solution to this challenge, the foreign bodies have resorted to work together with the governments in the targeted bodies by providing the necessary support to enable them enhance the equipment of the facilities as well as the accessibilities of such places. As indicated from the empirical studies, the lives of many women and children would have been saved were the victims able to access the needed services in good time.

This article largely focuses on some of the practical strategies which the related organizations could implement in a bid to achieve the development goals. In order to take good care of children and the mothers especially during the early stages soon after birth, there is an inevitable need for skill personnel with good expertise in their area of responsibilities. For instance, the health care workers served with the responsibility of helping the mother through the process of giving birth out to be skilled and adequately exposed in this area. The authors argue that having a good knowledge of the work requirements prevents the medical personnel from making costly mistakes in their attempt to help the mother and equally save the child. In case of complications during child birth, the mother might need to be taken through caesarian operations; this process requires skilled workers to enhance its efficiency, security as well as effectiveness.  Lack of enough trained personnel in this area has been one of the greatest challenges to the foreign bodies’ attempts to curb the problem of child and maternal mortality. The few skilled workers choose to work in the urban environments which leave the remote villages the most vulnerable and hence affected areas.

Foreign Aid and Democracy Promotion

The authors note that one strategy which has been used in the foreign bodies in the past involves not only training the workers to enhance their skills but also bringing in trained personnel to aid in the process. The authors’ argument adequately supports the fact that the achievement of the millennium development goals has been greatly enhanced through foreign aid. As highlighted by the authors, the organizations responsible for foreign aid therefore aim at uplifting the society’s standards through the implementation of various strategies. The approaches may not only involve the distribution of financial aid, the institutions avail resources and materials for instance the human resources to help in curbing the challenge of child and maternal mortality.

Brown in this informative article describes foreign aid as the form or amount of support that a country obtains from external bodies. In most cases, foreign aid takes the form of financial support flowing from the developed countries to the less developed areas. In some cases, foreign aid may take the form of other materials and resources moved from one country to another in a bid to enhance operations or improve the living standards in the receiving country. As noted the author, the aspect of countries getting grants from their more developed counterparts has come with a number of benefits. The author outlines the relationship between foreign aid and a country’s democracy. The article reveals that the country providing the aid has a number of ways of influencing operations, leadership and governance within the receiving country. For instance, most countries in Africa receive foreign aid from the US. The country which has its set policies on foreign aid makes specific regulations which have to be noted by the receiving nation. Due to these kinds of arrangements, the receiving countries have had their political and democratic systems impacted through foreign aid. A democratic nation is likely to have a fair and equitable spread of its resources to most parts of the country. Through stable political systems, a government is able to organize its strategies and hence ensure infrastructural, industrial and economic developments. It can therefore be deduced from this review that foreign aid has a direct influence on a country’s democracy and therefore can influence its political strategies in one way or the other. Through both qualitative and quantitative research approaches, the article emphasizes that the subsequent distribution of resources is likely to see the development of better health facilities and good roads especially in the remote parts of the country. The roads play a pivotal role in enhancing the accessibility of the health facilities. This in turn would have a direct impact on the child and maternal maternity rates. This is because the mortality cases associated with the patient’s inability to access the needed care in good time are largely minimized through the establishment of good facilities. The author indicates his strong support for the topical issue by noting that the government ought to ensure an equal distribution of resources and work in terms of priority when it comes to developing the various sectors. For instance, the health fraternity is considerably one of the most under-supported areas in most countries. The author makes a rallying call to governments to ensure that the sectors in most need ought to be handled with the highest priority for instance the healthcare, communication, transport and industrial sectors. This step would go a long way in minimizing the death rates of young children and mothers due to poor health facilities (World Bank, 2002). From the author’s statistical projections, the rate of child and maternal mortality has reduced by 10% since 2000 in most countries in central, western and eastern Africa as a result of the implementation of the millennium development goals. This positive change can be attributed to the developments brought about by countries receiving foreign aid.

Through a combination of both qualitative and quantitative approaches, the author gives a clear perspective on the roles that foreign aid has played in enhancing the achievement of the development goals. According to Pronk, apart from impacting a country’s democracy and political system, foreign aid has equally been effective in enhancing good relations between the countries. One of the basic aspects of foreign relations is good interactions between the two countries involved. This in turn may improve various sectors within the nation for instance international trade. In addition to receiving grants from the foreign nations, the receiving country is able to take advantage of these interactions to establish a stable market for its products and especially in the case of exports. Through export, a country is able to enhance its economic standards and hence good living standards. Child and maternal mortality could be caused by aspects such as poverty which subjects individuals to poor living standards. As a result, an improvement in living standards may have a direct influence on the rates of mortality. This is because the good financial abilities experienced in most parts of the country would mean that the members of the society are in good stead to access the medical care at the right time. The author’s arguments support the fact that foreign aid has been effective in enhancing the achievement of millennium development objectives on child and maternal mortality.  It can therefore be deduced that foreign aid enhances good relations between countries which improves export hence uplifting the economic levels as well as living standards (Dicken, 2008). The author however notes that these relations could be effective especially to the receiving nation when the country remains careful enough to understand and uphold the policies governing the foreign relations.

William Easterly in this article brings out a clear connection between foreign aid and economic growth as experienced in the receiving country. According to the author, the internal developments taking place within the nation may in most cases require a lot resources and financial aid. For instance, the development of industries, expansions of the health care sectors, development of infrastructure just to mention but few, are vital aspects within a nation which require adequate attention. As highlighted by the author, most countries especially in the developing regions tend to depend on external support in a bid to enhance its economic levels. For instance a country like Kenya receives grants from the US in terms of finances, expertise and other resources. Additionally, the relationship between Kenya and the Chinese government has seen the former receive support in terms of human resource especially in the area of industrializations (Dunning, 2003). The support then offers a perfect ground through which effective projects can be initiated and run. For instance, through the use of appropriate technology, the country is able to enhance its strategies in the area of agriculture hence increasing the yield of produce for export. A country’s economic level is therefore likely to rise as a result of increase in export. The article adequately highlights the fact that foreign aid when effectively managed plays a pivotal role in enhancing a country’s economic growth. Some of the benefits which come with economic growth include good infrastructure, more health facilities and high rates of employment just to mention but few. When such improvements are made especially in the societies where the individuals are more vulnerable, the rate of child and maternal mortality is greatly reduced.

In this article, the author uses statistical data derived from the study of trends in East and Western parts of Africa to indicate that every year, the rate of child and maternal mortality can be averagely put at about 20%. According to the author’s stipulations, the mortality rates registered an upward trend between the early and late 90s. One of the core factors cited to be the cause of child and maternal mortality is poverty which equally implies lack of a good economic ground. It can be deduced that most of the individuals who succumbed to these challenges especially during these periods lack enough financial or maternal resources which would entitle them to good health services. Through the use of supportive literature, the author highlights that the rate of child and maternal mortality has kept reducing with increase in development, availability of more foreign aid as well the emergence of technology. This article effectively intertwines the three elements noting that those countries who have managed to soar high heights in terms of development have better economies hence more foreign aid to the less developed areas. As noted by the author, technology has a unique connection with development hence the nations which have embraced more technological approaches in their strategies tend to develop at a faster rate. As a result of the cordial relationship with the developing nations, they are able to infuse their technological abilities in the recipient country in addition to pumping financial aid. To indicate how foreign aid has been used to enhance the achievement of millennium development goals on child and maternal mortality, the author uses the example of Europe where most countries have supported the needy nations by providing them with more sophisticated machines to be used in hospitals. These could include computerized equipment to guide the process of operation, carry out scanning, analyze and give reliable results with respect to an individual’s medical conditions. It can therefore be deduced from this review that the support a country obtains in terms of foreign aid can have a direct impact on the healthcare sector (Gasiorowski, 2000). This in turn improves the quality of services offered to infants as well as their mothers especially after child birth. Though foreign aid, an organization or a country is able to secure sophisticated medical equipment which when used enhance the effectiveness of these operations. Consequently, the introduction of more advancement in health facilities plays a pivotal role in reducing child and maternal mortality.

In this book, the authors explore some of the ways in which foreign aid has changed the face of Africa in line with the aspect of child and maternal mortality. According to the authors, there are various kinds of grants and support offered to nations across Africa depending on the extent of need. While some of these aids are basically aimed at poverty alleviation and improvement of living standards, foreign aid might take an alternative approach which involves empowering the society itself to be independent. One approach used by developing nations to empower the less able society is providing them with a unique environment where they can learn more about the basic concepts in life, skills and exploration of talent in a bid to have a better perspective to life.  Hansen and Finn argue that the donors may achieve this by directly involving the society in liaison with the government on training programs for instance on healthcare services. When training and exposure takes place along such lines, the society especially the expecting mothers have their awareness on the related health risks enhanced. Consequently, through foreign aid, a nation is able to empower its citizens through relevant training and exposure programs. Statistical records show that the child and maternal mortality rates have been greatly reduced by 25% between 2010 – 2015 especially in areas where the women had prior adequate training, guidance and counseling through government sponsored programs (Hansen and Finn, 2000).

In this article, Thomas Ditcher takes a rather different point of view with regard to the effectiveness of foreign aid in enhancing the achievement of millennium development goals. He disagrees with the topical issue by outlining that the various forms of aids and grants offered to nations across Africa and other parts of the world have been of great help in saving certain emergency situations. However, the author notes that the existence and increase in foreign aid has, unfortunately, done little in alleviating poverty in most of these countries. This implies that even with the presence of foreign aid, a society is likely to remain poor especially when the aid is ineffectively managed. The author however notes that the support given especially in emergency situations has saved lives in one way or the other leading to decrease in the mortality rates. Subsequently, he points out good management approaches to these aids as the best approach for ensuring that the support brings the most benefit to the society.

In order to obtain the results used for this discussion, the approach was qualitative hence involved the use of review of literature. From a list of articles and books on the topic of discussion, a total of 24 sources were selected and hence subjected to the review and the data analyzed to come with tacit conclusions.

From the process, it can be deduced that foreign aid has played a crucial role in impacting the aspect of child and maternal mortality rates (Siqqiuia and Alam, 2009). Through foreign aid, countries have developed better health facilities and good roads which improve access to these services. Foreign aid also enhances training and empowerment of the society which enables them to deal with their challenges without overdependence on external help. Foreign aid also influences the democracy and economy of a country (Rowley and Barker, 2005). The benefits accruing from stability in these sectors can be reflected in other sectors like the health care industry to improve services and hence minimize more cases of mortality.

Conclusion

The discussion above reveals the important place of foreign aid especially for the nations that are less developed. The connections enhance good interrelations between countries which come with other benefits. However, foreign aid may remain ineffective in the enhancement of its goals and objectives when the receivers fail to manage the funds and resources effectively. It would therefore be important to install the right management strategies and hence ensure that countries get the best out of foreign aid.

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