World Day for Social Justice 2024
“We are all one family in the world. Building a community that empowers everyone to attain their full potential through each of us respecting each other’s dignity, rights, and responsibilities makes the world a better place to live.”
–Desmond Tutu
Every year, the world unites to celebrate World Day of Social Justice – a call to advocate for equity and empowerment in communities, which in turn leads to healthier, cohesive societies.
Health equity is a crucial component of social justice, making the two undeniably interlinked. Communities that value equality in rights and opportunities will ensure that avoidable, unnecessary and unfair practices in the provision of healthcare are addressed. As conflict, violence and dissent erupt worldwide, there is an urgent need to prioritize equitable healthcare irrespective of gender, place, caste, class or other social factors. Even today, in disadvantaged populations, there is a social stigma, discrimination, beliefs and biases that act as barriers to accessing life-saving resources.
At TeachAids, we believe that all individuals have the right to achieve the highest level of health and that it begins with information, awareness and access. We’ve worked on the ground to identify social issues that may prevent an individual from seeking and receiving healthcare, leading to personal empowerment.
We sought to tackle the task of HIV/AIDS awareness by a keen observation of several target populations – in India, for instance, social stigma prevented healthcare awareness, while fear led to HIV-positive children being expelled from schools. Meanwhile, in Botswana, fatigue from repeated messaging led to a superficial understanding of the disease for many. By integrating academic rigor with this social lens, we were then able to develop culturally-appropriate solutions that addressed these fears and fatigue. We replicated this approach to Concussion education which features over 4000 video narratives that challenge common myths and misconceptions around the disease. Our initiatives to close the gap in health education also included interactive resources designed for children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our range of educational resources are specifically tailored to marginalized populations with the intention that no vulnerable ages, sub-groups, or societies are left behind.
Through our years of rigorous research, we believe a comprehensive approach to healthcare education can have a profound impact on the well-being of individuals and communities. As we observe this Day for Social Justice, we reiterate our commitment to embody inclusion, diversity, fairness, equality, and solidarity–values that foster social justice to build resilient, prosperous populations, which in turn promote economic and social progress. Thank you to our thousands of volunteers who work to tirelessly to help make change happen.