Go for the Goals
February 5, 2024
We all have goals. And as an international community, we’ve got some pretty big ones! The seventeen Sustainable Development Goals are a global call for action and a blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.
International Development Week (February 4-10) is the whole-of-Canada coming together to shine a spotlight on the important contributions that Canadians are making through partnerships around the world to implement the goals. In the spirit of the week, we are shining a spotlight on some of the ways that your support of clean water, gender equality, quality education, and climate action through your support of Change for Children, demonstrates your commitment alongside us to “Go for the Goals!”
We have extended the reach of our Technology for Education project to schools in the Department of Quiché, Guatemala, which is among the areas of Guatemala with the lowest literacy levels. The pandemic has exacerbated the gaps in education between rural populations and urban populations. The expansion of the technology project into remote communities like San Pedro Belejú aims to bridge the gap.
In partnership with our local Nicaragua partner, EOS International, supplies have recently arrived on the banks of the Coco River to rehabilitate the water system in Walakitang in the Bosawas. The people of Walakitang, currently consuming contaminated water retrieved directly from the Coco River, are critical partners in the rehabilitation of the water system infrastructure that will bring with it enormous health benefits – not to mention time and opportunity – to the remote community.
Protecting, restoring, and promoting sustainable use and management of forests and ecosystems is critical for the planet as well as the Indigenous inhabitants of lands vulnerable to destruction. Almost 9 in 10 Indigenous children in Latin America and the Caribbean are affected by poverty. Our collaboration with Indigenous governments empowers communities to realize their rights to ancestral land, potable water, quality bi-lingual education in their mother tongue, good health and well-being, and food sovereignty.
Generous supporters at our 2023 Development Dinner came together to help give back time to women and girls. To this end, mechanical rice threshing machines to ease the burden for women and girls in the Bosawas were funded and will be deployed to communities next month! The machines facilitate the removal of rice from the stalks and husks – a laborious manual chore that consumes hours each day.
Just as we are all connected (your own support from Canada reaching remote communities in Central America!), so too are the goals. This week, we celebrate the efforts that inform, inspire, and involve Canadians of all communities in Canada’s international development efforts!
Bosawas Central America and the Caribbean Guatemala In Canada In The Field