This past summer I have been on a bit of a blog pilgrimage, exploring the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and reflecting on how the mission of Opportunity International Canada can contribute to progress on some of them.
The United Nations describes the SDGs as, the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice.
We describe our mission this way — Opportunity International Canada empowers families along their journey out of extreme poverty toward new lives filled with strength, hope, resilience, and the power to achieve their dreams.
Before this summer I had never really taken the time for a deep dive into the SDGs. In their entirety, they offer a comprehensive overview of the many challenges facing our planet, and it is almost overwhelming. It was tempting to fatalistically conclude that there was no hope.
However, as with all problem-solving, it’s obviously important to identify the challenges and gaps before moving to possible solutions. And thankfully the work was about creating actionable goals toward long-term sustainable solutions. Indeed, taken together, the SDGs convey a powerful message of hope.
A cursory Google search will reveal quite a spectrum of reactions among the general public. Some consider them an essential roadmap toward a better future. Others hold the UN and related institutions in contempt and dismiss them as political or irrelevant. I suspect most Canadians are simply unaware of the SDGs. Perhaps the biggest threat is complacency.
Last week I was in Kumasi, Ghana, and driving through town we passed what I think was a college campus, and all 17 of the SDGs were hand-painted on the wall separating the property from the street. I suppose it’s not surprising – if you live in a place where many of the global challenges directly impact the quality of life for millions, you will be looking for solutions.
During my blog pilgrimage, I was encouraged to find several points of intersection between our work and the SDGs. It drove home the point for me that progress can indeed be made, but it will take the collective effort of governments, non-governmental organizations, corporations, local communities and individuals.
I have met many clients that inspire me with their resilience, convincing me that we can’t surrender to fatalism and hopelessness. In story after story, poverty and hunger end, inequality is overcome, kids get an education, and many other SDGs are realized.
I have met many clients that inspire me with their resilience, convincing me that we can’t surrender to fatalism and hopelessness. In story after story, poverty and hunger end, inequality is overcome, kids get an education, and many other SDGs are realized.
I emerged from this blog series with a powerful sense of hope and a renewed commitment to our mission to bring that hope to as many families as possible.
Dan Murray, CEO