MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS

The Millennium Development Goals are 8 international development goals that were officially established by the United Nations in 2000.  All 189 United Nation member states and at least 23 international organizations have agreed to achieve these goals by 2015.
 The goals are:
1.   Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger
2.   Achieving primary education
3.   Promoting gender equality and empowering women
4.   Reduce child mortality rates
5.   Improve maternal health
6.   Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
7.   Ensure environmental sustainability
8.   Develop global partnership for development

Globally there are 180-200 million pregnancies per year.
75 million unwanted pregnancies
50 million abortions
20 million unsafe abortions
600,000 maternal deaths ( 1 per minute )

Global DAILY stats are:
350,000 STIs
150,000 abortions, 50,000 illegal, 500 deaths
23,000 infant deaths

The overall objective of our Reproductive Health Project is to strengthen rights of rural girls and women by raising awareness and their knowledge in reproductive health and provide them with good health care.  It is believed that if rural women and girls are emancipated from their reproductive function they will have a better chance of achieving gender equity in society.  Cervical cancer affect 27.6 per 100,000 women and is the highest cause of cancer mortality in Fiji.  This rate is the highest reported rate in the Pacific.  Women's development is hindered by age old traditions which stereotyped the role that women play in society.  Even though women do most of the work, economically or non economically, it is usually not valued as their work.  This usually happens to most rural women who are considered illiterate and non productive.  Over the past 20 years, violence against women has been increasingly recognized as major health, human rights and development issue.  Violence and the threat and fear of violence forms a part of many women's daily realities in Fiji.  A range of social, economic, political and cultural factors combine to create an environment where women are particularly vulnerable to abuse.
   As far as achieving the Millennium Goals by 2015 - some countries have done well and some have not.  As a world, we have a lot more to do....