This week we celebrate the Global Goals, an annual week of action, awareness, and accountability for the Sustainable Development Goals. NRS Relief applies a principled approach to the SDGs and embeds its targets into the corporate objectives. But our responsibility does not end there. Guided by the goals, all actors in society, including governments, businesses, civil society, and the general public to work together to build a better future for everyone. Educating the next generation is part of this responsibility and the voluntary hour of teaching is a small contribution from us to the cause.

“I learnt that there are a lot of goals we need to work on and succeed. I also learnt about gender inequality, and that there is a factory in Pakistan that makes tents for the needy.” – Lithuli Thenne

The children of Class 6D of Raffles International School were very well aware of the challenges we are facing. The students put their thinking hats on and pretended to be visionary leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Effortlessly they were able to pinpoint world’s biggest challenges such as air pollution, dirty oceans, deforestation, finding cures for diseases, ending poverty and hunger, clean water and equal access to education and health care. They watched the below video, which is available on the website of the World’s Largest Lesson and worked out which SDGs were relevant to a supplier of refugee tents and relief items to the humanitarian sector.

We ended the lesson by discussing the importance of equal opportunities for boys and girls. Under the supervision of their teacher, Ms Shabana Bashir, the class was challenged to work out the gender ratio in their community. Children acknowledged that boys and girls are equally bright, yet this is not reflected in society yet. The below video shows their surprise when they realize that boys are getting higher rewards than girls for the same work.

The World’s Largest Lesson was facilitated by IMPACT2030 Council member DP World. The program places company employees into classrooms around the world to help children learn about the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). IMPACT2030 is an international business sector initiative focused on engaging employees to help meet the UN’s SDGs through corporate volunteering, a program supported by NRS Relief.

We believe corporate volunteering plays an increasingly significant role as a positive vehicle for business involvement in local and international sustainable development initiatives. It spurs innovation, increases skills and engagement of employees, establishes mutually beneficial relationships with communities, promotes economic growth, leads to more stable societies, fosters the health and prosperity of communities, and makes it easier to do business.