This is part two of our #GlobalGoals series. To read part one, click here.
+++
Imagine what you could accomplish in fifteen years – what you could learn, achieve, see, change and experience. Imagine the good you could do, and imagine the bad that could happen from not taking action when you should have.
This weekend, the leaders of all of the 193 United Nations member countries will get together to agree on a plan for the next fifteen years and they have their eyes on some pretty big things. Mainly, ending extreme poverty, fighting inequality and injustice, and fixing climate change. Big is right.
On September 25, the leaders will commit to 17 Sustainable Development Goals, or #GlobalGoals, in order to accomplish these three objectives. We’re behind them 100 percent and have a particular fondness for a few of the global goals. Namely, ending hunger, promoting health and well-being for all ages and ensuring sustainable consumption.
#GlobalGoals: Good Health and Well-Being
Goal #3 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals is “Good Health and Well-Being” – or ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all people at all ages. Ensuring healthy lives for everyone takes a lot – it takes access to food, medicine and medical attention, education, clean water, shelter and jobs. It also takes a dedicated team of experts to provide these services, which can be a daunting task
According to the UN Population Fund’s Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, there are three simple steps governments can take to ensure the health of all of their citizens. They are:
- Invest in health workers – so that citizens have access to health care, both physical and mental
- Invest in social protection programs that are affordable – so that people who want services can access the services, such as food banks and shelters, job-training and assistance programs, and nutrition and health education programs
- Invest in supply chains – effective supply chains ensure that food, medicine and other supplies are accessible when needed and are crucial for ensuring the long-term health of a community
In short, it all comes down to having programs that are affordable and accessible, well staffed and with access to the tools and supplies they need to be effective.
One of the pinnacles of ensuring health for anyone is establishing healthy eating habits. Often, this requires health and nutrition education. Childhood nutrition and education is one of our biggest passions at Lifeway. We believe our children are the benefactors of the efforts we’re making today; they’re our future. We’re committed providing them with the tools they’ll need to be successful, both with our products specifically for children (our ProBugs and Frozen ProBugs), and by supporting groups provide them with the tools they need to be successful.
Two specific health education organizations we know and love are Common Threads and Pilot Light. These two organizations work directly with children in their classroom (and sometimes with parents outside of the classroom) and teach children about healthy eating, how to prepare healthy meals, and why a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is important.
While healthy eating is crucial to the health of a population, we know that proper medical attention can be hard to come by, especially for women. That’s why we work closely with the maternal health organization Every Mother Counts, as well as breast health educators Bright Pink, to ensure that women have access to the information and support they need.
These are just a few of the social protection organizations we support. For more information, or to get involved yourself, head to our website here.
There are 17 Sustainable Development Goals global leaders are committing to this weekend and we want to know what is important to you! Share with us the issues you’re concerned about by tweeting with the hashtags #GlobalGoals and #AndMe, or let us know your thoughts by visiting us on Facebook or Instagram.
It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver. – Mahatma Gandhi