It might be a rich man's world, but students at UNC, Duke University and Bennett College have raised more than $1 million to help eradicate poverty in Africa.
The partnership, known as the Millennium Village Project, seeks to raise $1.5 million by June to sponsor Marenyo, a village in western Kenya.
"We are on track," said Manisha Panjwani, co-coordinator of the project.
She said the UNC branch of the project has been successful because of enthusiastic assistance from other student organizations, which are collaborating with the project by co-hosting fundraising events.
Phi Delta Theta fraternity decided last semester to raise funds for the project, and the organization has raised about $122,000 since December.
Juliana Mulholland, who heads the Interfraternity Council's philanthropy coordinating committee, said the amount Phi Delta Theta has raised is an impressive sum for such a short time.
"It's amazing how quickly that fraternity was able to get so much money for such a good cause," she said. "Usually it will take several months before the events will turn out. They've just been unbelievably quick about this."
Andrew Woodin, the philanthropy chairman for Phi Delta Theta, said the fraternity decided to get involved after several members went to a presentation about it, given by Jeffrey Sachs, the project's key national leader.
"It really influenced a lot of people," Woodin said, adding that after the presentation, several of the fraternity's alumni contacted the group's leaders and expressed interest in donating to the project. Since then, the fraternity has committed to raising $200,000 by May.
Woodin said that most of the money raised for the project has come from alumni and anonymous donors but that the fraternity also has held fundraising bar nights.
He said the group plans to hold a band party and a golf tournament later in the semester, in addition to soliciting alumni donations.
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship sponsored an AIDS-awareness Broken Bread Meal on Wednesday in the Pit.
Students were given a dish typical for AIDS victims in Third World countries, and donations to the project were accepted at the event.
The Asian Students Association is partnering with the project to hold an ice skating event Saturday at the Cary Ice House. Proceeds from that event also will be donated to the project.
Phi Delta Theta President Trevor Slaven said he thinks campus organizations are choosing to donate to the project because of the plan's relatively effective structure.
"Its goal isn't to raise a bunch of money and then hand it over," Slaven said. "The goal is to help these people improve their own lives."
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