THP Leadership Meets with Two African Heads of State
During a March 2013 trip to Africa, THP President and CEO Mary Ellen McNish, Vice President for Africa Dr. Idrissa Dicko and other staff leaders met with two African heads of state: His Excellency Blaise Compaoré of Burkina Faso and His Excellency Macky Sall of Senegal. On left, Mary Ellen McNish meets with President of Senegal.
Both leaders were knowledgeable about The Hunger Project’s programs in their countries and looked forward to learning more. H.E. Macky Sall’s Chief of Staff was from a village where THP’s Ndereppe Epicenter is located and was very aware of the progress made in the villages there as a result of The Hunger Project’s work.
A strategic priority of The Hunger Project’s is to ensure that essential elements of our sustainable, grassroots, women-centeredapproach are integrated into national development plans. Our experience in implementing programs over the last 20+ years shows us that sustainable development must include: the mobilization of grassroots people, the empowerment of women, the strengthening of local democracy, the organization of people in clusters of rural villages, and the use of a multi-sectoral approach.
Such relationships with heads of state, national government leaders, as well as local and regional government officials are key to bringing our experience to a larger scale and ultimately realizing our vision to transform the way the world carries out development. On right, Mary Ellen McNish meets with President of Burkina.
In Burkina Faso, for example, The Hunger Project partners with the Ministry of Gender to train elected women leaders as well as with the Ministry of Health to ensure government-supplied and staffed epicenter health clinics as well as THP’s ability to implement health activities alongside health clinics anywhere in Burkina. Moreover, in 2010, THP-Burkina Faso was recognized as an Officer of the National Order for services rendered to the people of Burkina Faso.
We look forward to working with all levels of government in both Burkina Faso and Senegal and to continued strengthening of our partnerships with the heads of state.
July 5, 2013
