SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS- SECURING A MORE PROMISING FUTURE WITH OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

Do you think that the world can be somewhat of a better place by next year? Or perhaps by the next decade? Can we end hunger, achieve gender equality, and halt climate change, all in the next 8 years? Well, according to the global governments, based on the #Envision2030 goals, to transform the world for persons with disabilities, it is possible to do so.

 The United Nations Conference in 2012 resulted in the formulation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals as illustrated below. 

These objectives were set in an attempt to tackle the pressing political, economic, and environmental problems we live amidst. They were formulated in such a way that anyone can contribute to them, and every effort, no matter how minuscule or substantial, will spring off some level of a positive transition/shift in the world (Nations, 2012). Since one of our key goals is to not only develop the community but also to ensure that all of our projects and development within the community are sustainable, this concept of SDGs is very pertinent to us students as sustainability leaders for the community in this block. Hence, today’s blog elaborates 5 SDGs that I aim to contribute towards during my community block, here in the Cato Crest Community. The following SDGs will be discussed collectively as working on either one has a ripple effect on the others:

1. Good health and wellbeing
2. Gender Equality
3. Reduced inequalities
4. Decent work and economic growth
5. Sustainable cities and communities 

Essentially, all of these global goals boil down to who we, as humanity, aspire to be. Can this vision for a better world really be achieved? Well, I'm writing this today, because I have scanned the evidence and statistics to reveal a shocking answer- that perhaps, we actually can. Now, the notion that the world is going to become a better place may seem fanciful because from simply watching the news and listening to appalling stories within communities, it is evident how the world seems to be regressing instead of progressing. Frankly speaking, it is tempting to be skeptical about lofty promises expressed by the UN. However, what if I say this belief is suspendable? Because, back in 2001, the UN agreed to another set of goals, the Millennium Development Goals, the flagship target of which was to halve the proportion of people living in poverty by 2015. The target was to take from a baseline of 1990, when 36 percent of the world's population lived in poverty, to get to 18 percent poverty by 2015. However, not only did they achieve this goal, but they far exceeded it by dropping global poverty to 12 percent! Agreed that this may not be adequate to eliminate poverty and the world is still battling several poignant issues. However, the pessimists and doomsayers who say that the world cannot get better, are simply wrong. 

So how did we achieve this success? Well, in order to move a mountain, you begin by carrying away small stones. The steps to achieving any SDG are to listen with understanding, then act, followed by listening again to examine for efficiency and measurement of progress or regress. 

At the crux of any occupation is good health and well-being which we can define as our greatest wealth, without which we are rendered incapable of engaging in anything else. I believe that ensuring everyone has access to the highest level of health and healthcare, including the vulnerable, is the foundation for building prosperous and sustainable societies. This begins with exploring the factors inhibiting the acquisition of such. Working in the heart of Cato Crest, exposed me to a multitude of realities, that I feel at times I did better without. Several residents wilt away due to a lack of knowledge surrounding their conditions, stigmatization of disabilities or mental health perplexities, neglect of maternal health, poor living conditions, geographical hindrances, and subsequent poor accessibility. 

However, as sustainability leaders in the community, we cannot pour from empty cups. Hence, prioritizing OUR health and well-being is vital to ensuring the health and well-being of our community. Therefore, aside from abiding by all Covid-19 precautions and other infection and prevention control measures, I have to acknowledge my needs and take time to replenish my spirit so I can serve from the overflow and not a depleted vessel. Furthermore, healthcare professionals working endlessly at the frontline, indeed require attention to their healthcare as well. Hence, we intend on implementing a socioemotional group for the healthcare workers on a monthly basis to unwind, allowing them room to press pause, re-strategize, and return with a renewed sense of energy and keenness to serve. Once the healthcare providers are in check, then we march off to advocate for health promotion and conduct pediatric screenings regularly to fill the gap of oblivion through intensive advocation for occupational therapy which supports overall health and well-being. Furthermore, we emphasize maternal and child health to secure overall societal health as mothers are the architects of society who lay the foundation for our youth to blossom into functional community members. Additionally, we are tackling issues of occupational alienation and occupational deprivation through our various projects to allow for an occupational balance and improved quality of life (QOL) by promoting meaningful, functional participation across various platforms.

This leads to the 2^nd SDG pertaining to sustainable communities and cities. All our community projects are aimed at making the community optimally inclusive, safe, resilient, functional, and sustainable. We aim to implement this through the following projects in the making-

Cato Manor Clinic	Assistive Devices, Splints, and Pressure Garments Wheelchair measurements, issues, and training entailing w/c mobility and dexterity
Mayville Primary & Secondary Schools	Adaptations for learners with learning disabilities and mental health difficulties Socioemotional Support groups for the abovementioned
Golden Future Creche	Educational & Sensory stimulation to facilitate developmental milestones Facilitating play milestones by incorporating fantasy play objects and additional constructive play objects
Early Childhood Development Project at Thandeka’s Day Care	Introducing a routine Facilitating developmental milestones through early childhood development strategies
Women Empowerment Group	Ergonomic adaptations, Work simplification, and Joint protection principles for the soup kitchen ladies. Socioemotional support group for mothers within the community and the soup kitchen ladies.
OT Hub Area	Therapy, Vocational, and Leisure Hub for community members
Sensory Garden	Upskilling the garden owner to commercialize his produce Individual client sessions using the garden as a therapeutic medium
Azaelea Residential Facility	Introducing a routine Upskilling the staff Upskilling the residents through an IADL program Leisure program for physical and cognitive stimulation

 Sustainable communities and cities are further created through decent work and economic growth opportunities. In Cato Crest, skills that are already present such as the vegetable garden can be commercialized by equipping the garden owner with skills development training in marketing. Therefore, he can be skilled to initiate a vocational cycle entailing selling fresh produce at a farmers’ market or a new community market in which we use a “local is lekker” marketing strategy. Furthermore, we came across a talented community member who is a skilled actor, singer, and entertainer. Therefore, his talents can be maximized by facilitating his admission into an arts college (Howard) and/or commercializing his talent through paid performances. Furthermore, his art can be utilized in the OT hub in entertainment shows which aim to uplift the psychosocial state of the afflicted members.

 These economic growth goals are further facilitated by aiming to acquire gender equality through women empowerment. An article that researched the opinions of male teachers of GBV in an attempt to inhibit gender inequality, found that male staff attributed GBV to their demand for respect…APPALLING, to say the least! However, what is it that may be subjecting women to this treatment in the first place? It is deduced to be due to gender inequality, financial dependency, and culture amongst many more (CSVR, 2016). So how are we going to go about empowering the womenfolk in Cato Crest?

Education is the most powerful weapon which we use to transform the actual situation of our females within the community. We empower the females by enabling them to acknowledge and advocate for their rights. Furthermore, we advise society that both the boy child and the girl child are equal and should have access to all resources.

Training and skills development: We have implemented skills development workshops entailing decision-making, self-esteem, and financial literacy subjects to create a pipeline of skilled women who can suffice for themselves and can be viewed in positions of leadership. These also break cultural stereotypes of submissive and reliant females.

Vocational opportunities: We are equipping women to start their own businesses without compromising cultural roles and expectations, by assisting them with establishing home industries and using their craft skills to commercial advantage. Furthermore, closed corporations such as MrPrice and Superspar/Tops- are known to support community upliftment by discussing with women how to keep stock of their items in which the profit is turned over to the champions – successful projects lead to increased goods demands, thereby increasing employee demands and subsequently tackling unemployment rate. Click here to read more on another such youth employment program founded by Spar and MRP- https://www.spar.co.za/Lifestyle/View/SPAR-Cares/Jumpstart-project. In equalizing gender roles and creating work opportunities, we can see the fruits of the labor in the improvement of QOL, economic growth, increased security, and increase in people who will have access to their basic needs.

 Furthermore, gender equality is promoted by encouraging co-ed working environments and therapy groups where gender-equal norms are promoted. These entail involving males and females to work alongside each other in community development projects and implementing groups that prioritized the responsibility of males in various settings (home, work, school). Some of the ideas brainstormed were, family days where children bond with dads, and exclusive groups for dads and daughters/dads and lads to emphasize the significance of the role of a father in the child’s upbringing. Click here to enlighten yourself on the role of a father in a child’s development- https://parenting.firstcry.com/articles/understanding-how-a-father-plays-the-perfect-role-in-a-childs-development/

This is closely linked with reducing inequalities- It is evident that South Africa is one of the most unequal societies in the world with the highest Gini coefficient (Aljazeera, 2022). There is unequal distribution and access to food, healthcare, education, wealth, opportunities, and wealth, and these are explicitly displayed in Cato Crest. Therefore, through the implementation of the abovementioned projects, we aim to tackle the barriers to equality and facilitate a healthy cycle of functional activities and members to develop the community. However, within the clinical setting, patient files are constantly being misplaced, putting patients and professionals through the hassle of repeating assessments and reports and losing track of intervention progress, thereby compromising the progress rate of intervention, which is unethical and disadvantaging the client. Therefore, I aim to highlight this issue in the next audit meeting to pressurise the staff to act more responsibly, allowing for good health and well-being through, reducing inequalities in the healthcare system within the community.

Hence, the pursuit of developing these SDGs into more than just theory, by educating, advocating, and developing consistently, can be laid with several obstacles. However, making people aware of their potential, results in more fulfillment than the struggle that will be faced in doing so. Furthermore, I believe that one does not necessarily have to be an expert or activist to make the world a better place. You can heal the world just by being human.

To read up on all 17 SDGs, visit this link-  https://sinay.ai/en/what-are-the-17-sustainable-development-goals-sdgs/

REFERENCES:

1. Aljazeera. (2022). South Africa most unequal country in the world: Report. Aljazeera. 
2. Nations, U. (2012). #Envision2030: 17 goals to transform the world for persons with disabilities. United Nations- Department of Economic and Social Affairs Disability. Retrieved 7 October 2022, from https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/envision2030.html.
3. NTU International. (2021). The Importance of the Sustainable Developmental Goals. NTU International.
4. Perspectives on Kwa-Zulu Natal. (2001). Gender Inequalities in South African Society. Profile KwaZulu Natal.
5. Simonetti, P. (2018). SDG 8: What policies are needed to achieve Goal 8. International Trade Union Confederation.