Good health and well-being

3.3. By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases.

Targetting the 3.3 SDG (Sustainable Development Goal) we aim to end helminthic diseases, a neglected tropical disease on the world and endemic in least developed countries. This away, we looked after stakeholders to better understand the parameters of these diseases in our country and search strategies and solutions to control. Talking to the Ministry of Health we confirmed that eliminating helminthiases is an important goal in our country and needs more attention, where as many factors influence the contamination scenario and the treatment of it, definitely with underdetection of cases. The difficulties reach the most vulnerable people since they do not have quality access to medicines. Other factors, like malnutrition and lack of primary sanitary, make helminthic diseases reach a worrying picture, often leading to death. With that in mind, we talked to vulnerable social groups to fully understand the scenario.

Our goal in visiting São João das Missões was to get our final users’ perception and to understand the conditions of sanitation and public health system at the community, especially in the indigenous area. To reach the community and do the best work possible, we got in touch with people that could guide us in previous planning of our activities. The meeting with Jonesvan Pereira, the Health Secretary of São João das Missões; Álan Jahel, an active volunteer from the “Amigos de Minas” and the Amigos de Minas NGO was crucial for the development of our approaches since they have frequent contact with São João das Missões citizens. Thus, we understood the local culture and adapted our activities to fully respect the cultural differences between the individuals and their way of living.

10.a Implement the principle of special and differential treatment for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, in accordance with World Trade Organization agreements

Talking to citizens, professionals from the health system of the community, and Domingos Xakriabá, the indigenous leader of the Xakriabás, we saw that the lack of food, primary sanitary and medicine access, unfortunately, is the daily reality for people. They reported many problems that put a barrier to the achievement of treatments. So, interpreting all the information obtained and experiences, our solution sought to especially meet the needs of social groups in developing countries, since they have specific urgent needs, following the 10.a goal of sustainable development.

3.8. Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.

3.B. Support the research and development of vaccines and medicines for the communicable and noncommunicable diseases that primarily affect developing countries, provide access to affordable essential medicines and vaccines, in accordance with the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health, which affirms the right of developing countries to use to the full the provisions in the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights regarding flexibilities to protect public health, and, in particular, provide access to medicines for all.

We worked with the objective to develop a new approach to control helminthic parasites that could solve the needs of the most affected people. To attenuate the serious malnutrition problem, we included in our solution, in addition to the extermination of the helminths, the improvement of the physical well-being through the restoration by the probiotic of the gut damage caused during the disease, increasing the absorbance of nutrients and avoiding acute problems. Besides that, in line with UN targets 3.8 and 3.B., we proposed an implementation plan for the Brazilian public health system (SUS), focusing on the democratization of access to our product, which would make this technology available to the population free, so important for the medicine access and treatments in our country.

Quality education

4.5. By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations

Guided by 4.5 SDG many of our education activities were focused in reaching people in vulnerable situations and making science more accessible and inclusive for them. Firstly, we searched for localities, nearby our cities, to find centers where we could teach and encourage children in vulnerable situations to initiate in the STEAM field. We got in contact with the NGO Nosso Pequeno Lar, an social center that, for free, takes care of the children whose parents do not have conditions to pay someone, day care centers or schools for the kids to stay wile they wor. The NGO promotes diversified educational activities and sports for the children. In partnership with this NGO we promoted a STEAM Initiation for Children, that consisted in a series of meetings where we introduced science and the Levels of Organization of Life. Also, we will take the kids to a Museum of Natural Sciences and will focus in principles of Synthetic Biology.

10.2 By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status

In addition, our Synthetic Biology Club is an open initiative, where anyone from any part of Brazil can sign up for, but its number of participants is determined (about 30 - 40 people), aiming to provide a better communication and learning by the members. We have a fluid selective process, the members are not selected by the scientific knowledge background. Our rules for members selection is based in the rules of gender balance, integration of high school students, and the show of interest, not evaluating in any way economic aspects (SDG 10.2 ). We follow the idea of the collaborative learning, so we have a big member diversity. Each member contributes with their singularity, knowledge and curiosity for the growth of our learning enviroment. Besides that, trying to provide a good diverse range of contents in synthetic biology for more people that are not club members, we make open speeches that any one can access, where scientists and company professionals of the field talk about their journey and experiences in synbio.

Finally, for the educational activities at the indigenous community we looked for steakholders that have contact with the people of São João das Missões and understand about the best ways to get in contact with indigenous people. So we met Maria Clara Astolfi, an experienced iGEMer that is indigenous descendant and worked with indigenous people in previous iGEM projects. With our conversation we evaluated how to start developing our ideas for the contact with the Xakriaba people in the Humanitarian Mission. The main focused aspect was the culture differences, and how we have to be careful to not disrespect their culture, beliefs and living aspects. Following that we talked with Jonesvan Pereira, Marlene and Álan Jahel, previously mentioned, to understand the specific aspects of the Xakriaba culture. Then, awe developed coherent materials and implemented the most respectful contact with São João das Missões citizens (SDG 10.2).