Excerpted Articles from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights [1]
Article 2: Everyone can claim the following rights, despite
– a different sex [gender]
– a different skin color [race]
– speaking a different language
– thinking different things [education]
– believing in another religion
– owning more or less [material wealth]
– being born in another social group [social class of origin]
– coming from another country [country of origin]
Article 19: You have the right to think what you want, and to say what you like, and nobody should forbid you from doing so. You should be able to share your ideas – also with people from any other country.
Article 22: The society in which you live should help you to develop and to make the most of all the advantages (culture, work, social welfare) that are offered to you and to all the men and women in your country.
Article 23: You have the right to work, to be free to choose your work, and to get a salary that allows you to live and support your family. If a man and a woman do the same work, they should get the same pay. All people who work have the right to join together to defend their interests.
Article 26: You have the right to go to school and everyone should go to school. Primary schooling should be free. You should be able to learn a profession or continue your studies as far as you wish. At school, you should be able to develop all your talents and you should be taught to get on with others, whatever their race, their religion or the country they come from. Your parents have the right to choose how and what you will be taught at school.
Article 29: You have duties towards the community within which your personality can fully develop. The law should guarantee human rights. It should allow everyone to respect others and to be respected.
Overview
The MVP focused on many different issues in the Bonsaaso village cluster, ranging from health care to building farm cooperatives. This module contains four lessons that break down the main topics and encourage students to explore them in depth. The first lesson is an introduction to the Bonsaaso village cluster, and it provides an overview of the topics addressed in this module. Students will spend time identifying how the MVP meets the community’s needs and supports the community to become self-sustainable.
Essential Questions
● In what ways was MVP able to support the community to become self-sustainable?
● When choosing to work with an impoverished village, what issues are most important to tackle first?
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
● Identify which target areas MVP focused on in the film, All Fronts Forward, and write them into the proper columns on the MVP Target Areas for Sustainability Chart
● Analyze how Bonsaaso village cluster residents came together on projects such as cooperative farming to support the entire community
Common Core State Standards
MVP Glossary
● Cooperative farming: a farm or multiple farms, run in cooperation with others in the purchasing and operating of machinery, stock, etc., and in the marketing of produce.
● Telemedicine: a method of health care delivery that allows health care professionals to evaluate, diagnose, and treat patients in remote locations using telecommunications technologies.
● Mining: the process or industry of obtaining gold, ore, metals, coal, or other minerals from a mine.
Materials for Instructor
● A copy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
● MVP Target Areas for Sustainability Chart for Teachers
● Bonsaaso Village Cluster digital map ● All Fronts Forward film
Materials for Students
● MVP Journals
● MVP Target Areas for Sustainability Chart for Students
I. Introduction to Ghana and the Bonsaaso Village Cluster (10 min.)
Introduce Ghana and Bonsaaso with the Bonsaaso Village Cluster digital map.
II. All Fronts Forward film (13 min.)
Tell students that the film is thirteen minutes long and covers many topics. Ask students to begin to fill in their MVP Target Areas for Sustainability Chart as they watch the film.
III. Film Discussion Questions and Sustainability (5 min.)
Class discussion entry-point questions may include:
● What images (of the clinic, farm, or school) stood out to you in the film? Why?
● What were some of the issues that needed to be addressed in Bonsaaso?
Target answers: healthcare, farming, education.
IV. Millennium Villages Project Target Areas for Sustainability Chart Turn & Talk Activity (5-7 min.)
After the film, ask students to turn to their partner and discuss what they filled in on their MVP Target Areas for Sustainability Charts. Have them compare their notes and make any needed revisions.
● Ask students where they placed individual MVP initiatives on their charts, and why they chose those areas.
● Write their responses into the project chart on the board. Use the target answers on your pre-filled chart to guide responses.
V. Replay 10:30 -11:30 of All Fronts Forward (This discussion can go until the end of class time.)
Focus on the discussion in the film to encourage students to contemplate serious questions such as, “How do you define priorities when supporting a community to become self-sustainable?”
Class discussion entry-point questions may include:
● What do you think the MVP manager meant when he said, “Oh that’s true, but it is a gradual process. We tried to put everything in place so you can help yourselves.”
● Do you think Nana Owusu Acheampong is frustrated by the response he received? If so, why?
Following the class discussion, ask students to look at their MVP Target Areas for Sustainability Chart and discuss with a partner what they feel are the most essential priorities in Bonsaaso. Ask students to list the priorities in order of importance. Have some of the groups share their top priorities and their reasons why with the class.
[1] Amnesty International USA. “Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” Amnestyusa.org. https://www.amnestyusa.org/training-materials/universal-declaration-of-human-rights/ (accessed September 28, 2018).