Two anniversaries are being noted as Guernsey’s Overseas Aid & Development Commission marks the work that it has done to improve the environment and reduce global levels of poverty.
A decade ago, the UN Global Compact, which was founded 15 years prior, set 17 Sustainable Development Goals for organisations across the world to demonstrate their commitment to making our planet a better place.
This year alone Guernsey has helped contribute to 16 of those 17 SDGs, through donations and partnerships with charities.
In Ethiopia, they assisted with helping on the prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation from Podoconiosis, by supporting 5,000 people with the disease, and funding 100 health professionals to receive specialised training.
Nine rural communities in Zambia have seen the transformative results of clean water, which also encompasses a school. This looks to improve health through preventing disease at its source.
Then in Burkina Faso, Guernsey’s money has been spent on creating a new borehole, providing safe water for 3,600 people.
Guernsey’s OA&DC is also looking to pull residents out of poverty, by providing training and equipment, allowing them to turn shea nuts into butter, and start generating income.
This donation of training and equipment is expected to increase production by 228% and monthly income by 45%.
The OA&DC works with charities to help achieve these goals, through applications open to relevant organisations.
For 2025, single year projects received up to £60,000, whilst multi-year projects could have been as much as £250,000.
Using that cash, the Commission awarded 49 Grant Aid Awards meeting the 16 of the 17 SDGs, which were “targeted” 222 times across those projects.
Deputy Jennifer Strachan, President of the Overseas Aid & Development Commission, said: “On the twenty-fifth anniversary of the United Nations Global Compact and the tenth anniversary of the Sustainable Development Goals, the Commission wanted to highlight the work it does to progress these global goals.
Deputy Strachan continued: “We are committed to support projects in some of the least developed countries to bring about change for local communities including improving health and education, improving economic growth and helping build a sustainable future.”
She concluded: “By providing something as simple as access to clean, safe water we make a tangible difference to people’s lives and provide the community with the tools to thrive.”