The Millennium Villages project is led and executed by the communities on the ground in Africa. Throughout the continent, more than 400,000 people are leading this bold initiative, giving their time, skills, and resources to make the project a success and one that is relevant to local conditions. Because Millennium Villages are an investment toward a sustainable end to extreme poverty, Millennium Village communities strengthen their local governments and institutions and certify the preparation and implementation of the interventions in their community. This is necessary to ensure that their development will become sustainable and self-sufficient.

The Millennium Village project is based on the findings of the UN Millennium Project and is led by the science, policy and planning teams at The Earth Institute, Millennium Promise and the United Nations Development Programme.