SDGs x ART - expositions

Exposition Art’otel Amsterdam | 23 november - 6 december 2019
NOW LIVE - Online expo - Go Global Arts | Tokyo | august - december 2020

Joyce Goverde (37, Haarlem) is an enthusiastic, open-minded and inquisitive photographer. Travelling and meeting new cultures has always been an important part of her life. She wholeheartedly believes that being on the road teaches you about other people, yourself and broadens your view of the world. The people she has met, combined with a graphic design and communications degree have made her the photographer she is today.

Recently, Joyce shifted her photography to focus more on NGOs and non-profit organisations with profound social relevance. By telling their stories, she shows her audience what is happening around the world without the need to travel. The main goal of her work is to open conversations.

‘Everyone has a story. Looking at the differences in people actually teaches us that we’re really not that different from each other at all. Fundamentally, we’re all humans. We’re all nature. That unites us. And by exchanging knowledge, by sharing stories, we can inspire each other, making us smarter and stronger as a whole. To me, that’s where the magic happens.’

Our world is beautiful but complex, freedom, wealth and health are unevenly divided. Education, cooperation and sharing knowlegde is the biggest power we have in the world. Joyce believes that with every tiny little step you take, you really can make a positive impact.

Activities as a JCI member and for UNICEF made Joyce realize that having a blueprint for dignity, peace and prosperity for the people and the planet, is incredibly important. The worldwide SDG’s are not only giving society, private sectors and governments the opportunity to develop futureproof strategies, but they also help to be able to contribute to the world as a person. In Joyce her case: as a photographer.

Joyce her work is focused on SDG 4 – Quality Education, SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production and SDG 17 – Partnerships. All her work in the SDG’s x ART Expo is brand new. All photographs on show have been created this year during travels to NGO projects around the world: Waste2Work in Sint Maarten, Za’atari Refugee Camp in Jordan and the Gilanka Comprehensive School in Kartung, The Gambia.

30 x 45 GAMBIA | Joyce Goverde | SDG EXPO 23nov2019 | AMS 128a.jpg

The Gambia - Communal effort on education – SDG 4: Quality Eductation

In the rural area’s of The Gambia, everybody knows education is the future. On a trip to The Gambia in October 2019, Joyce visited the Gilanka Comprehensive School of Kartong. There she met enthusiastic youngsters, blessed with their local education.

In this region of the world, quality schools are only situated in cities and school classes typically consits of up to 80 students of varilying ages. The Gilanka Comprehensive School of Kartong now offers education close to home, in small classes of no more than twenty kids, with individual care.

The students in Kartong are proud of the local community that is giving them the necessary opportunities to become a world citizen. Simply because of that community, the school is there - in their own village area. A few people initiated the idea of a local school with small classrooms. Small businesses owners around the area are sponsoring the Gilanka Comprehensive School with parts of their income, for example out of tourism. Together with the surrounding villages, the small businesses are continuously trying to improve the school for future students.

30 x 45 GAMBIA | Joyce Goverde | SDG EXPO 23 nov2019 | AMS 151a.jpg

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50 x 75 SXM | Joyce Goverde | SDG EXPO 23nov2019 | AMS SOCIALS VERSIE 2 -4173.jpg

50 x 75 SXM | Joyce Goverde | SDG EXPO 23nov2019 | AMS SOCIALS.jpg

SXM – Waste becomes design – SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

The devistating category 5 Hurricane Irma has created an enormous amount of extra waste: the landfills on the island of Sint Maarten are growing in a fast pace. This is having a significant detrimental impact on the environment and on public health.

Waste2Work is an NGO on St. Maarten and works towards proactive, circulaire waste solutions and awareness on re-using, recycling and upcycling the waste materials left on the island after the hurricane.

Waste2Work also provides jobs and educates young adults with Training Programs, providing them with a place to work, learn a trade and increase job opportunities. They also offer corporate workshops and educational programs for schools on recycling, re-using, upcycling and future proof entrepeneurship on SXM.

Joyce visited Sint Maarten in March 2019 to capture the foundations of Waste2Work. These photographs are showing local people involved in the project and showing ways of waste materials that are given a new purpose – timeless and sustainable designed furniture and home decor.

The Netherlands Red Cross provided start-up funding and Stichting Open House executed the start-up phase towards a local foundation on Sint Maarten.

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60 x 90 UNICEF JORDAN | Joyce Goverde | SDG EXPO 23 nov 2019 | AMS SOCIALS-1036.jpg

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Jordan – Speechless in Za’atari Refugee camp – SDG 17: Partnerships

Joyce is a winner of “The UNICEF Business Connector Challenge 2019”. This is a new initiative to stimulate cooperation between Dutch small businesses and UNICEF Netherlands. As a result of this, Joyce joined Unicef Jordan on a field trip. One of the primary destinations was the biggest refugee camp of Jordan: Za’atari, with more than 80.000 Syrian refugees living there, permanent in caravans – or better said, containers.

This photograph was taken at an Arabic class, in a “Makani centre” in the refugee camp Za’atari. A Makani centre is a safe space for children. A place where they can play, do sports, enjoy music, follow language- or computer classes and a place where children can get personal help in life skills or physiologic matters.

For the first time, Joyce encountered kids that experienced a real war and shared their story with her. In this case, without any words.