The Sustainable Development Goals that Hit Home for Me: Lessons from Africa.

Relevant legal caveat: All comments are my own, and do not reflect that of my former employers.

It was the fall of 2013, and I was just catching my breath after landing at the Addis Ababa International Airport after a trip to Nairobi, Kenya. I was representing a former employer at the 2013 International Conference on Family Planning, and it was my first time in Ethiopia. At that point, the Millennium Development Goals were still running their course: but, civil society organizations, governments and communities worldwide were waiting on the promises made to deliver.

And so was I.

Here are the top three Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that I've been keeping a close eye on as they relate to some disparate inequalities that I saw during my limited yet powerful time in East and West Africa.

1. SDG #3: End Poverty in All Forms

Bottom line: The polarity between quality of life in developing nations, and the quality of life we may take for granted here in the United States, is a force beyond my singular power. But together, we can support local communities and their capacity to develop quality jobs, create infrastructure and ultimately, end the terrifying grip of poverty that inevitably thwarts the advancement of human rights and goals for every woman and every child.

1. SDG #5: Achieve Gender Equality and Empower all Women and Girls

Bottom line: We cannot continue to tolerate actions that diminish a woman's power and right to gender equity, nor can we deny a young girl's right to safe sexual and reproductive healthcare and rights. These are fundamental human rights and values: hard stop.

While in Nairobi, I visited a local health and hospital system to learn more about work being done to engage women who may have been survivors of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV). Many strides have been made across Africa to create safe spaces for women to find support, stability and counseling during these indescribable moments.

We need more of this.

And not just that: we need stronger educational infrastructures and more and more vocal role models who can speak to young girls that may be at risk of the devastating casualties of child marriage. We need to be stronger advocates for the unheard voices of our world.

1. SDG #6: Ensure Availability and Sustainable Management of Water and Sanitation for All

In the summer of 2014, I ventured to Ghana to lead a high-level event and also shadow some of the most kind-hearted, giving individuals who went door-to-door in rural villages to help educate and connect women and their children with potentially life-saving resources and health information. My time was focused in Kumasi: part of the central region of Ghana.

What hit me hardest was Kumasi's lack of clean water and basic sanitation for children filled with such light and happiness in their eyes. This will not come as a surprise for others who have traveled the world and seen similar situations, but at the moment I couldn't fathom a healthy future for these children and their loved ones at the expense of unsanitary water.

This SDG is a clear non-negotiable.

For more information on the totality of the SDGs, check out the UN's plethora of helpful resources here: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300/