Recently on a trip to the West African countries of Ghana, Guinea, Togo, and Senegal, Dr. Betsee Parker was given a Distinguished Service Award by the indigenous people of several villages in Ghana. In the photo, she wears the colors of Ghana in the robe that was awarded to her by the traditional Tribal Chiefs of the Ashanti, Falashi, and Woluff Tribes.

Her team originates at Columbia University in New York City and is led by Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, Qotelet Distinguished Professor of Global Economics at Columbia University and Global Advisor to President Obama.

The Millennium Villages Project is a sustainable development project throughout sub-Saharan and equatorial Africa that empowers tribes to lift themselves out of abject poverty into a much-improved economic and physical environment.

Her team has been in Africa for 12 years and noted such significant advancements in villages that the United Nations has embraced the Millennium Villages Model for sustainable Development and adopted it for their official UN model.

The project improves agriculture and agribusiness, education, public health, gender and community development, rebuilds roads and essential infrastructures, greens the environment and works in partnership with the various governments to scale up the project and help all governments concerned to realize great improvements in public health.