MATTER is a group of problem solvers, innovators, dreamers, and doers. We bring together some of the best companies, experts, and partners to take on some of the biggest health challenges our world is facing today.
Over the next three years, MATTER will design and implement solutions to meet these challenges and impact 10 million people around the world. We do this because we believe in a world where every single person has a chance to live a healthier life. A world where every person matters.
Challenge 1: According to the World Bank and World Health Organization, at least half the world’s population is unable to access essential health services.
“Without healthcare, how can children reach their full potential? And without a healthy, productive population, how can societies realize their aspirations?” UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake
Our solution will be two-fold. With a committed group of hospital networks in the Midwest, MATTER will continue to impact hospitals throughout the world by providing the tools they need to care for the sick and injured with dignity. MATTER will also create resilient and diversified farms and nutrition gardens to provide sustainable food solutions for hospitals and surrounding communities.
Additionally, MATTER has committed to a three-year initiative in Zimbabwe with the Angel of Hope Foundation, founded by Zimbabwe’s First Lady, to significantly impact the health of the country. Focusing on one country over a three-year period will allow us to leverage our relationships and resources for a deeper and more sustainable impact. Utilizing our expertise in healthcare and agriculture, MATTER will equip hospitals and clinics around the country while focusing on the intersection of health and nutrition through the creation of hospital nutrition gardens.
Challenge 2: Because of the increasing rates of obesity due to unhealthy eating habits and physical inactivity, this may be the first generation to be less healthy and have a shorter life expectancy than their parents.
“Although these data are preliminary, the downward trend in longevity will almost certainly accelerate as this generation of children — heavier from earlier in life than ever before — reaches adulthood. It’s one thing for someone to develop obesity at age 45, diabetes at 55, and heart disease at 65. But what if the clock starts ticking at age 10?” Dr. David Ludwig, MD, PhD, Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health
Our solution will be to inspire the next generation to think differently about food. In collaboration with our community partners, we will implement national programs to inspire and demonstrate healthy eating for children and families. Through sports camps and athletic activities, we will help children understand the important connection between nutrition and performance. We will also develop MATTER Ambassadors to bring this important message of health and nutrition to the next generation.
Challenge 3: Many education systems are not designed to teach the problem solving, critical thinking, and continuous learning skills that will allow kids to compete in a technologically driven world.
Our world is changing rapidly. According to a recent report issued by Microsoft Education,
“By the time today’s kindergartners enter the workforce, activities will substantially change across most occupations and will increasingly require the application of expertise and creative problem solving, as well as collaboration, management, and the development of people.”
We are addressing this challenge through the MATTER Innovation Hub. The hub fosters creativity, critical thinking, and individualized education on a mass scale to some of the more disadvantaged youth in the world, giving them the chance to compete in tomorrow’s world and opening doors of opportunity that will allow them to make healthier choices throughout their lives.
The challenges before us are great, but through collaborative effort with our partners, donors, and supporters, they are not insurmountable. Throughout 2019 we will share stories of impact as lives are changed, futures are brightened, and hope is restored.
This not a charity, this is a calling. This is not an organization, this is a movement. Join us, and together let’s create a world where everyone has a chance to live a more healthy and hopeful life. A world where everyone matters.
