17 ways to contribute to a better future for humanity
How often have you heard “Yes, there are a lot of global issues, but what can we do about it…”? Well, today we will give you some ways of doing something about it without leaving your sofa.
In 2015 the United Nations General Assembly set a list of global goals for achieving a happier future for humanity. This may sound wildly idealistic, but even if they are not achieved by 2030, as planned (which is seemingly unlikely to happen), each small step towards that direction counts. You can find this list with brief descriptions below - with links for donations if you like the idea and can afford supporting it.
Pandemic has not only awakened conspirators and raised the average level of anxiety, but it has also put millions of people into extreme poverty and uncertainty - additionally to the millions who have already suffered from that. We know, you could say “anyone can get back on their feet themselves” - if you did, we would respond that the personal experience is not always the key to any experience out there. Sometimes bad things can happen and not everyone can handle them or has the same starting point - and last time we checked the world was not Sparta where we throw away from the rock the unpreferred ones (like the economic and the mainstream socio-cultural process has nothing to do with their circumstances).
More than 2 billion people can`t sustain a more or less balanced diet (some of them don`t have food at all) - which affects pretty much everything from cognitive abilities to body development. At the same time, food as a resource is not treated carefully and is also linked with overconsumption - as usual, social segregation gives us both poles. And even freegan vegans don't save the day (at least now, but who knows…).
It may sound like “everything that is good for everyone”, but it actually involves a list of pretty particular things like mental health care, medical infrastructure and so on. There are different attitudes towards achieving that can work equally well and equally have flaws, yet it is crucial to modernize the system and work on the social aspect of the issue.
United Nations Population Fund
Teenergizer (Ukrainian fund)
We probably don't need to explain how come education is the ground for the development and progress. Also lots of social issues can be partly solved by a good education system - the sex education alone is connected with HIV epidemic, domestic violence, mental health issues etc. Yet good education is still a privilege - which can be changed not only by making sure more people have access to it, but also by transforming the system itself.
Osvitoria (Ukrainian fund)
Because “go, girls!” alone doesn’t work (unfortunately). It may seem that if you look around there will only be female scientists and rock stars, but it is not entirely like that. Some 12-years old girls ditch school, get married and have children of their own, some women suffer from domestic violence and don`t get any protection from the government, some work twice as hard to break the glass ceiling and still be home by 7 pm to do their nails and make the dinner. And don't even get us started on gender socialization with all the “the only thing important to girls is to be nice, cute and make good wives and mothers” crap.
Something as vital and basic as water is still not available for millions (?) of people around the world. Ecology-changing tendencies don't aspire to think that it's going to get better naturally, the level of consumption only grows which means more pollution.
We need energy for pretty much anything from sending a work email or doing heart surgery to watching Harry Potter for the 50th time with some cocoa. People came up with lots of alternative ways to produce and regulate the consumption of energy and keep working on more, the question is how to implement these into the routine.
Pandemic has led to millions of people losing their jobs - which means they turned more socially vulnerable than ever. That also influences businesses, especially the small ones - people simply can`t afford their products, even more people lose their jobs and this circle sustains itself. Coping strategies like requalification require resources and support.
International Labour Organization
Humanity is at the point where we need to be real smart to survive. The results of previous actions are coming sooner, than we are ready and at some point willing to respond. It does not mean people should stop developing the society, it rather means that we should try and stop doing it like the only thing that matters is one`s ego - if there is one thing that is going to ruin us all, it's going to be that one. Meanwhile, overconsumption can be partly fixed by modernisation of the manufacturing process, poverty can be reduced by building roads and a lot of other great things can be done and are being done already.
As lovely and charming the concept of the “third world” can seem to the romantic people who are bored with their decent infrastructures and medical insurances, as comfortable it can be to relocate anything inconvenient like unsustainable cheap production to lands far far away, globalization does not have to mean new kind of colonisation. Equality does not mean exclusively unification - even though we can't escape that it should be more about diversity, leaving the people alone when needed and international cooperation and support.
International Organization for Migration
Svitla Volka Design`s team lives in different cities of Ukraine - we can tell you, that all of them are mostly suitable for healthy, young and rich people to feel cool. Lots of people just stay inside all day as they don`t have many other options - like elderly or people with special needs - even if you are able to go catch a movie or something try to get there first. At a lot of places the main safety the city can offer is falling softly on the pile of trash when you slipped on the ice, because your bus didn't arrive and you had to walk. Yet there is some progress and there can be more.
You know that as a brand we know we have responsibility for the impact on the environment’s pollution. Any human activity has one, but that does not mean we cannot reduce the level. Using less water and chemicals, recycling and promotion of using less, consumption awareness may seem unbelievable in the world of black Fridays and profits worshipping, yet it seems like this is the only thing that can not only satisfy modern hippies but also benefit everyone and the system itself eventually.
It`s great, that some people switched from planes to trains, but general tendencies are still so unpromising that someone would say people are made this way and there is nothing we can do about it - which does not mean it is not worth a try. We do get that post apocalypse breathing masks in movies look fancy, but breathing actual air feels nice too. Even better, than burning the trash in the yard instead of recycling.
There is a simple chain: human`s activity - pollution - dead fish - people losing money and health (because surprise - we need water too). It is a miracle we don't have mutant monsters attacking big cities, it seems like Jesus really watches this place. We do have people dying from cancer and stuff though, so it would be nice if you didn't take a straw with every single caramel latte of yours, Sara!, and global corporations tried going for the sustainable approach once in a while.
That one reminds us that we`ve messed up the earth too. Boy, where should we start? Probably not with garbage and factories poisoning everything - you will say we are dull and banal. Okay, we could start with the radiation pollution - you probably can turn Hulk by eating a handful of soil somewhere around Kyiv. Or the fact that some species are at the edge of extinction because someone wants a souvenir or to have fireworks at their birthday party (the last one is only cool for Gendalf).
Human trafficking, human rights violations, corruption and inequality - this story never gets old. As people get more vulnerable due to pandemic these issues rise and shine even more. So what is needed is the social structure to be more supportive and less freaky. But not for the bribers or people-selling jerks, those can be freaked out just a bit (we`re not gonna say a lot. we`re good people).
The fact that globalization has made almost all countries have common problems does not necessarily mean all of them are equally capable of coping with them. We already got to live together somehow, so everyone benefits from the cooperation. Blame James Cook and other sailor guys who couldn't just leave it alone.
As you could notice, mostly these goals are connected - so struggling with one issue activates the chain of changes which need to be done. You can find more information and detailed statistics on linked web-sites, and if you are willing to discuss something we are always happy to do so on our social media pages. Keep safe and empathetic, happy holidays!
Anhelina Sardarian for Svitla Volka Design
Photo Marta Pogorila
Model Yegor Volkov