Abstract:
Background
Women face violence, exploitation, unequal pay, and discrimination. Gender equality is a basic human right and key to a peaceful, prosperous, and a sustainable world. Persistent inequality deepens women’s poverty, hindering social progress." It is education that lifts people out of poverty.
Aim:
To demonstrate how addressing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) beyond education in girls can, within one year, significantly improve school attendance as well as both physical and mental health outcomes in a low-resource setting.
Method:
In 2024, a UK-based NGO launched a solar-powered healthcare and outreach centre in Faisalabad, Pakistan. It targeted orphaned girls under 15 years of age, providing free education alongside maternal and child health advice for women, including immunisations, nutrition support, and basic health guidance. The project integrated a wide range of SDG-aligned initiatives to address barriers to wellbeing.
A stitching centre was established to teach sewing skills to 50 girls, including those unable to access formal schooling. Under the guidance of a trained instructor, girls produced reusable sanitary pads.
To improve school attendance, toilets were constructed on-site and in nearby schools. The charity also installed 67 hand pumps across surrounding villages to ensure clean water access, eliminating the need for girls to travel long distances to fetch water. (SDGs 4).
Regular educational sessions were held on hygiene, water safety, breast health, fistula awareness, and vocational training, particularly for women and youth (SDGs 1, 3, 4, 13). Sustainability workshops addressed the impact of climate-related stressors—such as heat and air pollution—on vulnerable populations such as pregnant women.
A playground and swimming pool were built exclusively for girls, giving them space for recreation, and teaching essential swimming skills that could prove life-saving during floods. A non-fossil fuel bicycle ambulance was introduced to transport the sick and pregnant women to hospitals safely.
All enrolled girls were treated for scalp infestations and trained in personal hygiene, including hair grooming and dental care. Those too old for schooling received vocational training only.
A cost-recovery system was piloted, where wealthier community members paid for services to ensure financial sustainability and ongoing maintenance.
Results:
This initiative enhanced menstrual hygiene and school attendance, supporting SDGs 5 and 12. Over 1,000 reusable pads were distributed, and more than 100 girls commenced school—27 after needing birth certificates for school entry. Community sessions raised awareness on health and sustainability. Fifty girls received polio vaccines, 10 women gained factory employment, and 358 pregnant women received folic acid, promoting maternal health, gender equality, and economic empowerment across the community.
Conclusion:
Initially focused on education, this project quickly evolved into a multi-SDG intervention, demonstrating the power of integrated community-led development. By addressing education as part of a wider ecosystem—including health, gender rights, water, and climate adaptation—the project achieved far-reaching and sustainable outcomes. It is hoped that in due course more monies will be raised through renting out the facilities to help upkeep.
A growing waiting list reflects its success, and it is hoped these healthier, more empowered girls will become future role models, championing social mobility and equity.
Biography:
Dr Gatrad OBE is a professor of paediatrics and child health at the universities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton. He was honoured by the Queen for halving the death rate of newborn babies. His special interests are transcultural paediatrics and sustainability. He holds a PhD in ‘differential growth’ in children from different ethnic backgrounds. He is a Senior Fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics (UK) and has published over 80 papers in peer reviewed journal. The organisation he founded, WASUP – World Against Single Use Plastic is now global. He is member of the Planetary Health Alliance.
Copyright 2024 Mathews International LLC All Rights Reserved
