EOS and the Sustainable Development Goals
Sustainable development has been defined by the UN as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
In 2015 all United Nations Member states adopted The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership.
EOS is working to meet this call to action with our decade of programs and services throughout Nicaragua. The work we do with local communities has centered on sustainability from our inception, aligning and overlapping with many of the SDGs.
Water Quality Program
EOS has brought access to safe water to over 418,000 Central Americans in the past decade. Thanks to our water quality programs, serious waterborne diseases in these communities have been reduced by 49%-61%. This can have a significant impact on public health throughout the country. Additionally, access to safe water brings significant economic benefits to communities when healthy parents can return to work and healthy kids can return to school; every $1 invested in improved water and sanitation yields an average of $4-12 for the local economy. Though this one program, EOS addresses two SDG’s: good health and well-being, and clean water and sanitation.
Income Generating Projects
Through another program, EOS educates and trains women to start their own bakery businesses to lift themselves out of poverty. Women who start a bakery business using our safer oven technology increase their household income on average by 103%, more than doubling their income. Additionally, 61.6% of these women entrepreneurs employ direct or indirect labor in their businesses, creating employment opportunities within the community and multiplying our efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. This income generating project tackles three more SDG’s: no poverty, gender equality, and decent work and economic growth.
