Lady Madiedo's Speech for the EF Challenge

Speech for the EF Challenge

Good morning. 

I am Lady Madiedo, a tenth grader at American School and I am more than happy to

introduce myself to you by telling that I want to persuade you into a better future.

Future ... a word that makes all of us think of innovation, progress, technology, but will our society have a future if we continue acting this way ?, if our development isn’t sustainable , if there are still more than 870 million of people with hunger, and this number increases progressively, if there are still places in the world where social and cultural exclusion still happens, a society where discrimination by gender, religion, sexual and economic position still exists, a society that destroys its environment every day, pollution is everywhere, and everyone who lives on this planet is affected.

How will a future society be, if health care is not available in all parts of the world?, many people die from diseases that are preventable and all for not having an adequate health system, a world in which around 1 billion people don’t have access to drinking water, how is it possible that there are still countries where billions of people live in extreme poverty?, and most of them are innocent children who die because of living in these conditions, there is no country or nation that doesn’t face any of these problems, it’s not a local problem ; it’s a problem of the whole humanity, of the whole world.

Terrestrial ecosystems are being destroyed, drinking water is running out, oceans are polluted, different species of animals and plants are extinct, there is a great loss of biological diversity due to deforestation, we contaminate soil, water and air, and we continue without realizing the damage we do, we still do not react, our society needs a change, we need to grow as human beings, that is the real progress we need.

What are my hopes for the future society? End of poverty, end of hunger, health, education

and welfare for all people, decent work and economic growth for all nations, a society without inequalities or discrimination, peace, justice and alliance between countries, rulers and honest citizens, no more corruption, no more death, no more war, responsible consumption of natural resources, sustainability.

As John F. Kennedy said -Our problems are man-made, therefore they may be solved by man. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings-, all those catastrophes and tragedies are the call we needed to start changing as a society, it is time to unite all our forces to be able to move forward as one family, the decision to change is made every day, each one of us, the change is possible, and it begins with us.

Thanks a lot!

By Lady Madiedo, Step 10