How Kara Connect is working towards the Sustainable Development Goals

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were developed and shared by the United Nations as part of the broader 2030 agenda for sustainable development. Each goal focuses on a distinct aspect of society that can be improved in order to move towards sustainability and better quality of life across the world.

While the goals are intended to be implemented on a nation-wide basis, it can be useful for individuals, professionals and organisations to reflect on how they are or can contribute to sustainable development.

At Kara we focus on contributing to four SDGs in particular: (3) Good health and well-being, (4) Quality education, (5) Gender Equality and (8) Decent work and economic growth. Read on to see how we’re addressing these goals.

(3) Good health and well being

Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

Supporting good health and wellbeing is Kara‘s top priority- it‘s why Kara was developed in the first place. Access to professional help within the health and welfare sector can be confusing, stressful, and time-consuming and often simply unavailable. By providing and developing an online practice management platform for professionals, Kara aims to simplify the process for both clients and professionals by improving efficiency and increasing flexibility. Doing so reduces waitlists and significantly reduces barriers faced when accessing mental health services, as well as giving everyone a little more breathing room for a better work-life balance. When it comes to the Kara team itself, we also have an aggressively supportive company Strava team and a tendency to order comfort food to the office…factors that definitely contribute to the health and well-being of our staff!

(4) Quality education

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

In small countries with rural populations, special educational services are often few and far between, and seldom offered as a standard in local schools due to limited ability to hire full-time specialists. This limits the ability for many children to engage meaningfully with their education.

Kara makes it possible for specialists to offer flexible services in schools and municipalities regardless of geographical location. Doing so spreads the supply of such services evenly where it is needed, while increasing employment opportunities for educational and health professionals.

Additionally, Kara works with high schools and universities to provide a platform for counsellors and support teams in order to better address the mental health needs of students, which can be a vital factor in reducing attrition rates, especially amongst adolescents.

More broadly, Kara aims to educate professionals about the importance of data protection and online security, for the safety of clients and professionals alike. Kara works on developing educational material and providing support to professionals to ensure up-to-date understanding of how best to provide remote services.

(5) Gender equality

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

In education, health and welfare, female professionals outnumber males. There is therefore a unique opportunity within these sectors to make effective structural changes that aid in achieving gender equality, such as increased flexibility and the encouragement of female entrepreneurship.

Using Kara, all professionals, regardless of gender, can adapt their work flexibly according to their lifestyles and schedules, whether this involves accommodating for childcare, personal health or commuting constraints. Being able to provide quality specialised services in a flexible manner allows for better focus and more effective performance both at work and at home — no matter who‘s responsible for the dishes, vet visits or school drop-offs.

(6) Decent work and economic growth

Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

In a post-lockdown world, we all understand the importance of technological solutions in our daily lives and essential services. As such technology develops, it is vital that services provided are secure, feasible and accessible to those requiring it, and those providing such services must adapt to these needs.

Kara provides a platform that adheres to the strictest GDPR regulations at an affordable rate, encouraging the adoption of online solutions by professionals while providing them with the comfort of a secure, easy to use platform. The free digital assistance that we provide these professionals supports them as they adapt their services to ensure continued growth and sustainability.

In addition to this, Kara‘s platform provides professionals with all the tools to work independently to found their own practice, encouraging entrepreneurship and freelance opportunities while simultaneously widening their potential client base and providing support throughout the process.

For more information about the 17 goals and their individual targets, click here.