Embrace Relief and United Nations Sustainable Development
Embrace Relief and the UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a blueprint for a peaceful and prosperous world. At the core of this agenda are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), urgent calls for action built on more than three decades of worldwide cooperation.
As a non-profit humanitarian aid organization whose aim is to reduce suffering and improve quality of life worldwide, Embrace Relief’s work is fully aligned with the UN SDGs. We have more than a decade of experience in developing research-based, sustainable aid programs that directly address many of the Goals, and we have built up strong relationships with partner organizations across the world, giving us the know-how to meet the needs of some of the most vulnerable communities on the planet.
Embrace Relief’s planning and know-how, along with the invaluable support of our donors and partners, has enabled us to make sustainable, lasting change possible in dozens of countries around the world, driving progress towards the majority of the SDGs.
SDGs Conference 2024
Embrace Relief once again served as a proud partner of SDGs Conference 2024, a three-day event hosted by the Journalists and Writers Foundation, held Sept. 23-25 in the margins of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly. This conference brought together speakers from a wide range of backgrounds and nationalities to discuss key issues that the world must address in order to build a more sustainable, peaceful world.
As part of the three-day event, Embrace Relief was also invited to take part in a Roundtable Discussion event, joining other non-governmental organizations in sharing their best practices and providing insight into the challenges facing the world. Our own Sarah Elsakhawy took the stage to discuss Embrace Relief’s efforts to build peaceful, inclusive societies by supporting the empowerment of women and youth-led initiatives.
See Sarah’s presentation here:
Pioneers in SDG Award
In 2023, Embrace Relief’s “Fountains of Hope” project, which reconstructs abandoned water wells in the African countries of Chad, Cameroon and Nigeria, was awarded third place (out of more than 60 entries) at the Journalist and Writers’ Foundation’s “Pioneers in SDG” awards.
The “Pioneers in SDG” awards are meant to recognize innovative, impactful programs which contribute towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Fountains of Hope was judged to have made important impacts in the water scarcity situation in this region of Africa, with additional positive benefits to climate change mitigation, food scarcity, health and well-being, and locally-led sustainability.
"Fountains of Hope" is an extraordinary project that has consistently demonstrated its effectiveness over several years. By revitalizing abandoned or broken wells, it not only provides a sustainable solution for clean water access but also aligns perfectly with multiple SDGs, including:
–Pioneers in SDG Award jury feedback
Joining Together: Embrace Relief’s Support For UN Initiatives
Embrace Relief support of United Nations initiatives extends to involvement in various annual programs hosted by the UN and its affiliated partners:
- UN Commission on the Status of Women (2024):
During the 68th UN Commission on the Status of Women in March 2024, Embrace Relief organized and hosted its first-ever parallel event, a panel discussion touching on the intersection of poverty, education, clean water, and women’s empowerment. The event provided opportunities to hear insights from key stakeholders and to share ideas in an open, public forum.
- SDGs Conference (2023):
During the 78th UN General Assembly in September 2023, Embrace Relief was a presenting partner for the “SDGs Conference 2023”, a Journalists and Writers Foundation parallel event. The conference featured a number of prominent speakers, academics, diplomats and journalists who took part in a series of panel discussions designed to create dialogue and opportunities for collaboration towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Our Programs
Learn more about Embrace Relief’s eight programs, and how they support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Scroll down or click on one of the buttons to jump to a specific program.
How We Achieve These Goals
Embrace Relief has built and reconstructed more than 950 water wells in the countries of Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya and Pakistan. We work closely with our partners in these countries to identify communities with a need for clean water, and to ensure our wells are built to strict standards, taking geographic, geologic and cultural needs into consideration. Our research-based process has enabled us to provide a sustainable, reliable and safe supply of clean water for more than 975,000 people to date.
Clean water is strongly linked to improved health outcomes, significantly reducing diseases caused by consuming contaminated water – including diarrheal diseases that are annually among the leading causes of death for children.
A reliable supply of clean water enables greater agricultural production, which provides more food to the community, and allows for selling crops outside the community.
Women and girls are primarily responsible for fetching water in many rural areas. Building a water well reduces their burden, saving hours each day; this boosts school attendance for girls, and allows mothers more time to raise their families or start small businesses.
Primary Goal
Additional Goals
How We Achieve These Goals
Embrace Relief has delivered food packages and hot meals to more than 5 million people in over 40 countries since 2013. We work with our partners to identify vulnerable communities in need of food aid, especially people living in poverty. Poverty is one of the main underlying causes of hunger, but hunger also enables cycles of poverty. Addressing malnutrition can reduce health issues, increase productivity, promote education, and otherwise create the conditions for people to exit poverty.
Providing food especially to malnourished children is also crucial to preventing lifelong chronic health conditions. Malnourished children are at higher risk of impaired physical growth, show decreased capacity for learning, and are more likely to suffer from non-communicable diseases later in life.
Primary Goal
Additional Goals
How We Achieve These Goals
Embrace Relief provides curative and preventative medical treatments, free of charge, to people in need. Our primary health initiative, Health and Cataract, supports a brick-and-mortar health clinic based in Bamako, Mali, as well as several mobile clinics which can reach more remote areas where healthcare infrastructure is significantly weaker. Since 2013, these clinics have performed more than 40,000 cataract surgeries and provided 600,000 comprehensive health screenings, spurring critical improvements in quality of life. Another health clinic, which will expand the scope of the Health and Cataract initiative, is currently under construction in Burkina Faso. Additionally, Embrace Relief hosts several medical camps each year, distributing medicine and providing similar care, with our partners in countries such as Uganda and Kenya.
Cataract surgeries are a simple but life-changing operation that are financially out of reach for many in Mali who suffer from vision loss. Providing this treatment enables children to keep pace with their peers in school, and allows adults to pursue their goals without the complications of blindness.
How We Achieve These Goals
Embrace Relief Women’s Empowerment program supports four initiatives designed to provide women with the education and training they need to be leaders, decision-makers, and entrepreneurs in their communities and workplaces. Each initiative provides women the ability to gain important skills, become financially self-reliant, and to reduce inequality in society.
- R.I.S.E.: Scholarships for female teachers in Tanzania, allowing them to earn advanced degrees in administration
- L.E.A.R.N.: Quality online education for high school- and college-aged young women in Afghanistan
- S.E.E.D.: Agribusiness support providing goats and chickens to women in Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria and Afghanistan
- K.E.E.N.: A training program to help women in Kenya learn to sew and start their own small businesses
Primary Goal
Additional Goals
How We Achieve These Goals
Embrace Relief believes that investing in children is investing in a brighter future. Our Orphan Care program provides the basic necessities of life for children living in our partner orphanages located in countries including Ghana, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Indonesia, and Colombia.
This program provides shelter, food, water, healthcare and educational support to hundreds of children each year, enabling a loving environment that promotes children’s physical, emotional, and social growth and development.
Primary Goal
Additional Goals
How We Achieve These Goals
Embrace Relief was founded in 2008 as a disaster relief organization, though our mission has expanded in the years following. Since 2013, our efforts have delivered aid to nearly 1 million people following earthquakes, wildfires, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and the COVID-19 pandemic. This aid helps meet short-term needs – including deliveries of food packages, water, clothing and first aid supplies – while also providing for long-term needs (such as housing and rent assistance) that will enable disaster victims to recover and rebuild.
Primary Goal
Additional Goals
How We Achieve These Goals
Embrace Relief has supported more than 1.4 million refugees of various conflicts and climate emergencies by providing housing and rent assistance, food, children’s education, translators, and legal services. These programs allow families to maintain a stable living situation while navigating the many challenges of refugee life in an unfamiliar country.
Primary Goal
Additional Goals
How We Achieve These Goals
Education is the platform for a successful life, and Embrace Relief’s support is enabling students to succeed in the classroom and enter productive careers. Embrace Relief partners with schools around the world on several programs designed to promote literacy, provide students with technology to make learning easier, and to provide vocational/technical education to students who wish to pursue it. We have provided books and school supplies to thousands of underprivileged students in the United States; hundreds of computers to students in Tanzania and Uganda; and educational support for thousands of refugee children.
THE 17 GOALS
Learn how your organization can partner with Embrace Relief to make positive change a reality: CLICK HERE
