Pro-Social Behaviour and the Human Potential.
Pro-social behaviour is not recognised enough as a valued human currency. It seems that in today’s day and age, the media provide a plethora of anecdotes that it’s “every human for themselves.” I suppose the entire digital model is based on clickbait and subscriptions. It’s the essence of why I think gossip columns are so successful.
However, you see innovation in single people, large organisations and foundations making changes globally. Some significant changes are being made in the world that fly under the radar. I want to take the time to appreciate the work of these people and their life-changing projects:
Eradication of polio: Polio is well on its way to eradication. This goes back to the late 1980s and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), a public-private global partnership. Rotary International was a founding member and gave $150 million last year to help eradicate the virus. They give $150 million annually, including matching funds from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. You can find a more detailed list of who is involved in this partnership. Why is this so important? Polio mainly affected children under 5, causing muscle paralysis and even death. Before this initiative was formed, 350,000 people were infected yearly. These infections were only seen in 3 countries; Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan! Bravo GPEI.
Cholera Vaccine: made cheap and accessible: Cholera, heard of it? It’s the longest-running pandemic in the world, which thrives in communities with poor sanitation. Dr Qadri, an immunologist and infectious disease expert, has advocated for a cheaper vaccine for 25 years. Before 2011, the cholera vaccine was expensive and only available to the rich. Dr Qadri and her team of researchers conducted a clinical trial for an affordable mass cholera vaccine program in Bangladesh. The cheap vaccine proved to work in those poorer communities, protecting 50 per cent from the disease. This was one of the most extensive trials, a game-changer in tackling cholera-related diseases. Dr Qadri has been awarded the 22 L’Oreal-UNESECO for women in science award. Researchers have estimated that every year, there are 1.3 to 4 million cases 21,000 to 140,000 deaths worldwide due to the infection. Safe and clean sanitation and drinking water can reduce the cases and Dr. Qadri's research has spearheaded a campaign to reduce this in Bangladesh.
Safe Drinking Water: A 15-year-old scientist and inventor crowned TIME’S first ever kid of the year in 2020 inventing technology to test if drinking water is safe. Gitanjali Rao strives for science and technology to indite social change. Her values of making a positive change are deeply entrenched in social justice, and her mantra is that this next generation will strive to make positive changes in the community and the places we live. During the flint water crisis, at only 11, Gitanjali found an opportunity to help her community that had problems with their drinking water. from 2014 onwards Flint has health problems due to lead being found in their drinking water. Gitanjali invented the tethys a device that detects lead in water. She watched her parents use at home test strips with inconclusive results, and then the second option was to send the water to a lab. Rather inconvenient for something that is so important for Flint’s public health. The astounding thing is the Tethys is made from a 3D printer, Gitanjali has invented something that has the potential to transformed so many lives.
My last thoughts are if there were a disease, let it be pro-social behaviour. It does not discriminate if you are old, young or from a minority group it really doesn’t matter, we as humans have the potential to do so much!
