India’s Radhika Batra, Zahra Joya of Afghanistan, Vanessa Nakate of Uganda and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen have been honoured by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for their extraordinary work towards achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The ‘Goalkeepers Global Goals Awards’ were conferred at a glittering ceremony in New York’s Lincoln centre on Tuesday in recognition of the work done by the “four remarkable changemakers” to advance progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in their communities and around the world, the foundation said.
Radhika Batra was presented with the 2022 Progress Award that celebrates an individual who supports progress via a science, technology, digital, or business initiative. Batra for her work to tackle health inequalities by providing last-mile health solutions to disadvantaged children.
Batra founded Every Infant Matters when she was working as a resident doctor in a hospital in the slums of New Delhi, the foundation said in a statement.
“Since launching in 2017, the organisation has saved 74,173 children from blindness; given prenatal vitamins to more than 40,000 disadvantaged women; and provided education to prevent gender inequality and the stigma of TB, HIV/AIDS, and blindness to more than 65,000 families. Batra is progressing SDG 3,” the Gates Foundation said in a statement. Batra, the co-founder of the nonprofit organisation ‘Every Infant Matters’ has been conferred with the award for her work in providing last-mile health solutions to disadvantaged children in India.
Zahra Joya, a journalist from Afghanistan who founded an online news agency, Rukhshana Media, was conferred with the 2022 Changemaker Award for her dedication and commitment to stories that matter to the people of Afghanistan.
Vanessa Nakate, a climate justice activist from Uganda and founder of the Africa-based Rise Up Movement and the Green Schools Project, was conferred with the 2022 Campaign Award for her work to highlight the disproportionate impacts of climate change, bringing much-needed attention to the inequalities that it exacerbates, especially for women and girls in Africa.
The foundation also awarded Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, for her contribution to maintaining peace and stability in the region. This year’s award was presented to her for showing determination in leading both the EU and global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, from crisis management to long-term recovery efforts, an official of the Foundation said.
“While the world is far from being on track to reach the Global Goals by 2030, there is still cause for optimism. We’ve seen how human ingenuity and innovation can lead to game-changing breakthroughs and progress toward our shared goals, and that’s exactly what we see in this year’s Goalkeepers Global Goals Award winners,” said Blessing Omakwu, head of Goalkeepers.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people especially those with the fewest resources have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life.
Goalkeepers is the foundation’s campaign to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (Global Goals).
“By sharing stories and data behind the Global Goals through an annual report, we hope to inspire a new generation of leaders Goalkeepers who raise awareness of progress, hold their leaders accountable, and drive action to achieve the Global Goals,” the foundation said.
The future of progress is in good hands. Congratulations to this year’s Goalkeepers Global Goals Award recipients! #Goalkeepers2030 pic.twitter.com/hQhlcwoN5s
— Gates Foundation (@gatesfoundation) September 21, 2022
