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Statistics for Sustainable Development > Blog > The relationship between statistics and sustainable development
The relationship between statistics and sustainable development
At
Stats4SD, we’re keen to share our knowledge and resources, particularly when it
comes to providing work experience and inviting Interns into our team. In this
blog, Alejandra writes first-hand about her week at
Stats4SD, and her experience of what we do.
I
usually don’t spend my summers inside an office, but this summer I decided to
do a week’s work experience at Stats4SD.
At
first, I didn’t quite understand what it was all about. I only knew that the
people who work at Stats4SD are statisticians. But in a week of reading and
listening, I found out what everyone does, and I was able to see how passionate
and driven they are about their work.
In
2015, the United Nations (UN) released the seventeen Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) that countries should aim to meet by 2030. There
are two words that seemed familiar to me: Sustainable and Development. If they
aren’t familiar to you, I would recommend taking a second look at what the “SD”
in Stats4SD stands for. It’s not just a cool name!
By
reading the name and the first few sentences of the Stats4SD document that
outlines their principles, I knew
that they supported the SDGs. Yet I didn’t know what they actually did. All I
could think about was: where does
statistics come in when talking about sustainable development?
I hope
I can answer this question now, because it’s a no-brainer when you understand
the work that Stats4SD does for its clients.
So,
first things first: Stats4SD is a social enterprise driven by the concern about
people and the planet. Which is why they are not-for-profit, because it’s not
about making money.
Stats4SD
works with various organisations around the world, in a variety of sectors. The
team’s contribution to the SDGs is by supporting organisations that need to
evaluate the impact of their projects. With the collection and interpretation
of data that Stats4SD offers, its clients are able to understand their impact
on people and the planet.
Once
again, where do statistics come in when talking about sustainable development?
Well, everywhere really!
But
the team’s work doesn’t stop there…
Apart
from the hours that they spend in front of the computer, crunching numbers and
writing documents, they are walking to Nairobi[1].
At first, I thought they were actually walking to Nairobi (it sounded a bit too
crazy for me!). But they are actually counting the steps they do each day and
adding them together until they’ve covered the distance from Reading to Nairobi
(as of writing of this, they are in mid-France!). And it’s not only for fun
because Stats4SD will be donating to a staff-nominated charity when they
complete the challenge.
Sitting
at the corner desk for a week has given me a broader sense of what Stats4SD is
about. Quality over quantity, people say. I agree… It’s a small team like this
one that cares about what they do, that welcomes an eighteen-year-old to sit
with them and observe – and that, when the summer heat inside the office is a
bit too much, decides to buy ice cream for everyone!
By Alejandra Barahona
Author: Stats4SD
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