How can individuals take meaningful action to support global health and wellbeing?
The ways in which individuals can take social action to promote health and wellbeing and support the work of national and international organisations
VCE HHD Unit 4 AoS 2 guide to the meaningful and achievable social actions individuals can take to promote health and wellbeing globally and support national and international organisations.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
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What this dot point is asking
This dot point asks you to identify realistic actions an individual can take to promote health and wellbeing globally and to support national and international organisations such as the WHO, aid programs and NGOs. The key words are meaningful and achievable - the action must genuinely help and be something an ordinary person can actually do.
Why individual action matters
Global health is shaped by governments, the WHO and NGOs, but individuals also play a part. Collective individual action funds organisations, builds public and political support for aid, and shifts the behaviours and consumption patterns that affect global health and sustainability. Social action means taking deliberate steps, alone or with others, to improve health and wellbeing beyond oneself.
Ways individuals can take social action
- Donating - giving money to NGOs and aid organisations funds programs in clean water, nutrition, immunisation and emergency relief.
- Volunteering - giving time and skills to organisations locally or abroad supports their work directly.
- Fundraising - organising or joining events that raise money and awareness, such as charity runs or appeals.
- Advocacy - contacting decision-makers, signing petitions and campaigning to keep global health and aid on the political agenda.
- Raising awareness - using social media and conversation to inform others about global health issues and the work of organisations.
- Sustainable and ethical choices - reducing consumption, choosing fair-trade or ethically produced goods, and lowering one's environmental footprint to support sustainability and climate action (SDG 13).
- Participating in programs - joining community or school programs that support international organisations.
Supporting organisations
Each action links to the bodies that drive global health. Donations and fundraising provide the funds NGOs and aid programs need. Advocacy pressures governments to maintain or increase aid and to support the WHO. Awareness-raising grows the public support that sustains all of this work. In this way individual action amplifies the effect of national and international organisations.
Linking to the SDGs
Individual social action supports the SDGs because progress depends on broad engagement. Reducing consumption and emissions supports SDG 13; donating to nutrition and water programs supports SDGs 2, 6 and 3; advocacy for gender equality supports SDG 5. Small actions, multiplied across many people, contribute to the global agenda.
In the exam, name a specific action, explain how it is meaningful and achievable, link it to the organisation or SDG it supports, and show the resulting contribution to global health and human development.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of VCAA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
2025 VCAA2 marksMany non-government organisations work to combat violence against women and girls to support the achievement of the SDGs. Describe one way in which people could engage with a non-government organisation to take individual or social action to prevent violence against women and girls. (2 marks)
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Two marks for naming a realistic action and describing how it supports the NGO and the cause.
For example, a person could donate money to or fundraise for an NGO such as UN Women or White Ribbon (1 mark), which funds the organisation's prevention programs, education and support services that work to stop violence against women and girls (1 mark). Other acceptable actions include volunteering, signing and sharing petitions, joining awareness campaigns or participating in events such as White Ribbon Day. Markers want a specific, achievable action plus a clear link to supporting the NGO's work.
2023 VCAA3 marksIn 2020, nearly 820 million children did not have basic handwashing facilities at school. Outline one example of social action that individuals can engage with and justify how this could increase access to handwashing facilities. (3 marks)
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Three marks: outline one social action (1 mark) and justify how it increases access to handwashing facilities (about 2 marks).
Example: individuals could fundraise for or donate to an NGO such as WaterAid or UNICEF that installs water and handwashing facilities in schools (1 mark). Justify: the money funds the construction of taps, basins and water supply at schools, directly increasing the number of children with access to handwashing facilities (1 mark), which reduces the spread of disease and supports their health and education (1 mark). Raising awareness through campaigns or petitions to pressure governments is also acceptable if the link to increased access is justified.
2022 VCAA3 marksOutline and justify one way of taking social action to achieve SDG 1, 'No poverty'. (3 marks)Show worked answer →
Three marks: outline one social action (1 mark) and justify how it helps achieve SDG 1 (about 2 marks).
For example, an individual could donate to or fundraise for an NGO such as Oxfam that runs poverty-reduction programs in low-income countries (1 mark). Justify: the funds support programs such as microfinance, savings groups and skills training that raise people's incomes and self-reliance, lifting them out of poverty and progressing SDG 1 (2 marks). Other valid actions include buying fair-trade products, advocating to government for increased overseas aid, or volunteering. A complete answer names the action and explains the chain to reduced poverty.