How We Speak Up for SDGs in Africa.

On September 12, 2017, opened the United Nations General Assembly 72nd session, with an emphasis on striving for peace and a decent life for all on a sustainable planet. In his opening statement, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, recognized that to achieve change within and beyond the UN, women and girls had to be empowered all over the world.

And this is exactly what we do at Speak Up Africa. We strive to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across the continent with special focus on health, sanitation, education and gender equality. We work to empower new generations of citizens. By targeting young people as well as women, we work to build their capacity in order to help them make informed decisions about their health and the development of their communities. Our ambition is to create social movements for massive investments in health and sustainable development through financial but mainly human resources.

In 2016, Speak Up Africa created the Speak Up Africa Lab. Located in Pikine, on the outskirts of Dakar, The Lab is a space of creativity and exchanges that seek to facilitate the emergence of citizen initiatives. More precisely, the lab aims to:

–   Support local events that stimulate community mobilization.
–   Facilitate citizen initiatives’ networking.
–   Multi-thematic and multi-stakeholder meetings.
–   Stimulate the commitment of administrative, religious and customary leaders to better take charge of health and environmental issues.

With these activities and our pan-African social and behavior change and advocacy campaigns, we wish to establish a homegrown narrative that aims to drive and create sustainable change. At Speak Up Africa, we are trying to cast the SDFGs in terms of growth and opportunity. We are working to make the SDGs understandable and accessible. To do so, we need to promote the pivotal role girls and women play in developing our economies.

During the UNGA and through our online platforms, we will advocate for the achievement of the SDGs, educate young generations with a set of activities at the Speak Up Africa Lab and engage with our online community.

Join the conversation now at #SpeakUpForSDGs #MyAfrica2030 now and become a SDG champion!