nextCampaigning for the Millennium Development Goals
Imagine the overworked leader of a medium sized sub-Saharan country, coming
home, playing 15 minutes with the First Children and slumping down in front of
the TV.
Soon he[1] gets inundated with commercials for goods – aka goals -
that he can’t afford and that are not available in the corner store. As anybody
else, he starts zapping through the channels.
As much as he would like to provide anti-retroviral drugs, ensure stimulation
for all young children, and protect children from exploitation, the leader would
probably still wonder how to go about all this.
There is little use in resorting to advocacy when the object is clear and we
ourselves are out of our depths. If we want to be a critical and valued partner
in the national development debate, we must be able to explain step-by-step how
to make progress. There is no point in advertising goals without proposing
simple and realistic strategies on how to achieve them.
Check your local newspaper. All the better ads give you financing options, and a
map with the nearest store. That’s smart. So, before going into another round of
goal-publicity, let’s clarify the credit choices and provide some directions.
Because advocacy is an extension of good programming, not an
alternative.
[1] I am not trying to be gender-insensitive. But the typical leader of a medium-sized sub-Saharan country is male.
(19 December 2003)
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