Doing Good with Data
Credit: Malaria No More
Two months have passed since the United Nations ratified the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which aim to eradicate poverty by 2030. The goals are lofty and include everything from equality of the sexes to ending hunger. Data that accurately reflects the progress being made towards achieving the SDG’s is going to be critical if each objective is to be met by the target date. As many as 350 million people in need, however, are virtually invisible to the international community because they are not represented by statistics. A third of the world’s births and two-thirds of the world’s deaths and their causes, for example, go unreported, and statistics about the number of people living in extreme poverty are out of date.
Technology and innovation are critical to enhancing data collection and analysis to the extent necessary to close the data gap. This is a time rich with opportunity to develop and harness new ways to use technology to capture and transfer data. From monitoring infectious diseases to supporting refugees along their journeys, a myriad of organizations are catching on to the power of data. Continue Reading
Today, over 1.8 billion adults in developing countries still lack proof of identity. Without official ID, this population is unable to access essential services such as healthcare and social welfare benefits and exercise fundamental human rights like the right to vote and the right to education.
October 16 marks World Food Day, a day to bring people together to demonstrate their commitment to eliminating hunger within our lifetime. World Food Day was first observed in 1979, and was established to celebrate the anniversary of the creation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Various events and campaigns are hosted by governments and non-profits on World Food Day to engage people in action against hunger. In North America, for example, such happenings typically include food drives and packaging events. Around the globe, people participate in advocacy marches to encourage people to participate in the fight to end hunger and malnutrition.