aga khan foundation

AGA KHAN FOUNDATION
AN AGENCY OF THE AGA KHAN DEVELOPMENT NETWORK
THE IMAMAT
Aga Khan Development Network
Economic
Development
Aga Khan Fund for
Economic Development
Tourism Promotion
Services
Social
Development
Aga Khan Agency Aga Khan
for Microfinance Foundation
Industrial Promotion
Services
Aga Khan
University
Aga Khan Education Services
Culture
University of
Central Asia
Aga Khan Trust
for Culture
Aga Khan Award
for Architecture
Aga Khan Historic
Cities Programme
Aga Khan Health Services
Financial Services
Media Services
Aviation Services
Aga Khan Planning and
Building Services
Education and
Culture Programme
Cover: In Madagascar, AKF has seen dramatic results in a relatively short time in the improvement of rice production. In fields where selected
practices have been adopted, rice yields have on average doubled; in certain fields they have tripled. Farmers who have benefited from this
increased productivity no longer experience the hungry season, during which families typically reduce their nutritional intake to one meal per day.
Contents
4 0
AKF
Y E A R S
2
On Area Development
6
Overview: Aga Khan Development Network
9
Introduction
13
AKF’s Impact on Rural Development
25
AKF’s Impact on Health
35
AKF’s Impact on Education
47
AKF’s Impact on Civil Society
55
AKF’s Impact on the Environment
58
Institutional Collaborations
59
Current Projects
60
Facts at a Glance
61
Contacts
On Area Development
“To o o f t e n , t h e va r i ous a c t or s g o a b ou t t hei r b u s ine s s witho ut e no ugh re fe re nc e to o ne a no the r. The re s ult o f ten r emi n ds
m e o f an o r ch e s t ra m a d e up of t a l en t ed a n d d e dic a te d a r tis ts – but pla ying fro m diffe re nt s c o re s . The re s ul t i s n ot
ha r m o n y bu t ca co p h ony – a nd a n u n ev en n es s o f public impa c t whic h is inhe re ntly unfa ir.”
– H i s H i g h n e s s t h e Aga Khan at the Enabling Enviro nme nt Co nfe re nc e , Kabul, 4 J une 2007
In the 1980s, before the Aga Khan Foundation’s first rural support programmes were established, development initiatives were
often applied in piecemeal fashion. Local and international experts worked in their specific areas to good effect, but these
activities were rarely coordinated.The economic and social linkages that typically led to higher levels of overall development
in other contexts were absent from developing world settings.
In 1987, when His Highness the Aga Khan travelled to the Northern Areas to review the progress of the Foundation’s rural
support programme, he saw that the many facets of development – including Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN)
initiatives and those of partners, NGOs and other agencies – had to be coordinated so as to maximise their effect.An agency that
installed water and sanitation systems, for example, needed to work with other organisations that promoted personal hygiene.
The coordination of these activities was particularly vital as their number grew. At the time of his visit, the Aga Khan saw
the rural support programme expanding naturally into health and education, but he also saw a need for microinsurance,
environmental projects, seismic-resistant home construction, village planning and the restoration of cultural monuments.
The need for linkages between these activities led to the concept of “area development”. In Pakistan’s Northern Areas, the
activities of the Foundation’s rural development programme were coordinated with those of other AKDN agencies. While
the programme built thousands of small infrastructure projects, installed hundreds of micro-hydroelectric plants, planted tens
of millions of trees, reclaimed hundreds of hectares of degraded land and mobilised 4,000 community organisations, Aga Khan
Health Services complemented these activities by setting up health clinics. Aga Khan Education Services set up schools and
literacy programmes. Aga Khan University in Karachi provided education to many bright students who eventually returned
to serve their communities as doctors, nurses and teachers. The Aga Khan Planning and Building Services created seismicresistant designs for housing and community centres, set up water and sanitation projects and created over 70 low-cost
housing improvements. Focus Humanitarian Assistance, an AKDN affiliate, provided disaster response and mitigation training.
The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) set up three hotels in the region – economic engines that provide
jobs, set service standards and stimulate economic activity through local sourcing. The Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance
administered thousands of new microfinance loans and pioneered microinsurance for the poor. The Aga Khan Trust for
Culture (AKTC) restored dozens of historic houses, monuments, landmark buildings and public spaces.
In other environments, AKTC has taken the lead. In Delhi, the Nizamuddin Urban Renewal Initiative has added social and
economic components – including upgrades to a school and health clinic – to what was once a cultural programme. Similarly,
2
Hunza Valley, Pakistan, 1987
the Azhar Park Project in Cairo, which began as a massive engineering effort to create more green space, has since grown into
a full-fledged area development project in the adjacent Darb al-Ahmar neighbourhood, one of the poorest areas in Cairo.
In other circumstances, AKFED is the first AKDN agency to be invited to participate in a country’s development. Often working
in fragile economies or post-conflict societies, AKFED has made bold but calculated investments in key parts of the economic
infrastructure, such as electricity generation, aviation, hotels, agro-industries or financial services. Once the Fund makes an
investment, other AKDN agencies often begin work in the surrounding area – supporting improvements in education, health,
adult literacy, skills training and housing. Notable examples include microfinance, agricultural support services and health and
education programmes in the vicinity of AKFED investments in Burkina Faso and Kenya.
An important lesson arising from these experiences has been that no agency or group of agencies can accomplish everything
by itself. Rather, a broad spectrum of national and international partners must be engaged in the process. In a number of
cases, such as major infrastructure projects, AKDN has mobilised local and international partners. One such project is the
US$ 225 million Azito power plant in Côte d’Ivoire, which was built by a consortium of international investors brought
together by AKFED. A hydroelectric plant in Tajikistan was refurbished and expanded with support from the Tajik and European
governments. In Afghanistan, AKDN has mobilised over US$ 700 million in order to scale up successful programmes.
Public-private partnerships, or PPPs, have also increased the scale and impact of area development programmes. From Lahore
to Zanzibar, Bamako to Delhi, AKDN has signed PPPs in order to bring to bear a full package of multi-input, multi-discipline
activities – involving not only AKDN agencies but government and other partners – which eventually leads to the sustained
revitalisation of communities.
In AKDN’s experience, a process of positive change sparked by AKDN agencies can gain its own momentum and become
self-sustaining if – and this is where experimentation and innovation are important – there is both a correct mix, and a critical
mass, of coordinated development activity. “Area development” then becomes “area revitalisation” – a process by which poor
communities begin to see, and enjoy, the satisfying ascent to dignity and self-reliance.
– The Aga Khan Foundation
3
4
5
Children play between classes at one of the 14 schools
supported by AKF in Aswan, Egypt.
Overview
Aga Khan Development Network
The Aga Khan Foundation is part of the Aga Khan Development Network
(AKDN). Founded and guided by His Highness the Aga Khan, the AKDN
brings together a number of international development agencies, institutions
and programmes that work primarily in the poorest parts of South and
Central Asia, Africa and the Middle East. All AKDN agencies conduct their
programmes without regard to faith, origin or gender.
The Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance works to expand access for the
poor to a wider range of financial services, including micro-insurance, small
housing loans, savings, education and health accounts. Its programmes
range from village lending cooperatives to self-standing microfinance banks
in South and Central Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Aga Khan Education Services aims to diminish obstacles to educational
access, quality and achievement. It operates more than 300 schools and
advanced educational programmes at the pre-school, primary, secondary
and higher secondary levels in Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Kyrgyz Republic,
Pakistan, Tajikistan, Tanzania and Uganda. It emphasises student-centred
teaching methods, field-based teacher training and school improvement.
Aga Khan Health Services provides primary and curative health care
in Afghanistan, India, Kenya, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Tanzania in over 200
health centres, dispensaries, hospitals, diagnostic centres and community
health outlets. Annually, AKHS provides primary health care to 1.8 million
beneficiaries and handles 1.5 million patient visits. AKHS also works with
governments and other institutions to improve national health systems.
Gender is an integral and cross-cutting concern
in all areas of AKF’s work (women exercising).
At the First Microfinance Foundation in Cairo,
Egypt, clients can access credit to restore their
homes or to start or expand their businesses. In
keeping with its objective to pair restoration of
Aga Khan Planning and Building Services assists communities with village
planning, natural hazard mitigation, environmental sanitation, water supply
systems and improved design and construction of both housing and
public buildings. It provides material and technical expertise, training and
construction management services to rural and urban areas.
historic monuments with integrated development
of surrounding areas, AKTC has undertaken
work in the town of Masyaf, Syria, subsequent to
completing the restoration of the Citadel in 2007.
6
The Aga Khan Trust for Culture encompasses the triennial Aga Khan
Award for Architecture; the Historic Cities Programme, which undertakes
conservation and rehabilitation in ways that act as catalysts for development;
the Music Initiative, which preserves and promotes the traditional music of
Central Asia; ArchNet.org, an online archive of materials on architecture
and related issues; the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture, which
is based at Harvard and MIT; and the Museums Project, which is creating
museums in Toronto and Cairo.
The Aga Khan University is a major centre for education, training and
research. Chartered as Pakistan’s first private international university in
1983, it has teaching sites in Afghanistan, Kenya, Pakistan, Syria, Tanzania,
Uganda and the United Kingdom. Following the establishment of the
Faculty of Health Sciences, the Institute for Educational Development and
the Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations, AKU is moving towards
becoming a comprehensive university with a Faculty of Arts and Sciences
in Karachi.
The University of Central Asia, chartered in 2000, is located on three
campuses: in Khorog, Tajikistan; Tekeli, Kazakhstan; and Naryn, Kyrgyz
Republic. UCA’s mission is to foster economic and social development in
the mountain regions of Central Asia. It will offer Master of Arts degrees
in mountain development; a Bachelor of Arts programme based on the
liberal arts and sciences; and non-degree continuing education courses.
The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development is the only for-profit
agency in the Network. Often acting in collaboration with local and
international partners, the Fund takes bold but calculated steps to invest in
fragile and complex settings. It mobilises investment for the construction,
rehabilitation or expansion of infrastructure; sets up sustainable financial
institutions; builds economically viable enterprises that provide essential
goods and services; and creates employment opportunities.
The Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa, Kenya,
Focus Humanitarian Assistance, an AKDN affiliate, provides emergency
relief supplies and services to victims of conflict and natural disasters. It
also works with AKF to help people recover from these events and make
the transition to long-term development and self-reliance.
began operating on a new 18-acre (7.3 hectares)
campus in August 2003. AKU researchers in
Karachi, Pakistan, work on subjects including
genetic predisposition to disease and the
major causes of infant mortality. Dilapidated
and underused administrative buildings were
AKDN institutions work together with the world’s leading aid and
development agencies. (See “Institutional Collaborations”, page 58 for
a detailed list.)
converted into the Zanzibar Serena Inn as part
of a broad programme of social, cultural and
economic development activities on the island.
7
AKF and the AKDN
RUSSIA
UNITED
KINGDOM
CANADA
KAZAKHSTAN
FRANCE
SWITZERLAND
BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
KYRGYZ REPUBLIC
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
UZBEKISTAN
PORTUGAL
TAJIKISTAN
SYRIA
AFGHANISTAN
PAKISTAN
EGYPT
INDIA
MALI
SENEGAL
BURKINA FASO
CÔTE
D’IVOIRE
UGANDA
DEMOCRATIC
REPUBLIC OF
CONGO
KENYA
TANZANIA
AKDN Countries of Activity
AKF Countries of Activity
MOZAMBIQUE
MADAGASCAR
8
BANGLADESH
Introduction
4 0
AKF
Y E A R S
The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) and its sister Aga Khan Development
Network (AKDN) agencies have been experimenting with, and implementing,
innovative solutions to development challenges for over 40 years.
In every under taking, the overriding goal is to assist in the struggle against
hunger, disease, illiteracy, ignorance and social exclusion. Central to all these
effor ts have been inclusive, community-based development approaches, in
which local organisations identify, prioritise and implement projects with the
Foundation’s assistance. Within this ethos, AKF focuses on five major areas:
rural development, health, education, civil society and the environment. The
challenges which the Foundation has faced in each of these sectors and
the impact which it has subsequently made over the years are highlighted
in this repor t.
AKF’s approach features a long-term commitment that is maintained through
political and social uncer tainty. It has been the Foundation’s experience
that quick fixes rarely take root; rather, sustainable development requires
careful, culturally appropriate and disciplined application of best practices
over periods that may be longer than typical funding cycles. AKF therefore
strives to maintain long-term relationships with donor agencies and peer
organisations for the mobilisation of funds, human resources and exper tise.
It also works to encourage indigenous philanthropy.
Once community organisations begin providing services to their members,
AKF expands the programme by establishing village organisations in other
districts. AKF then brings them into a federated structure and links them
to local governments through collaboration on development issues. It also
9
introduction
provides fund-raising advice and contacts to current and former recipients
of its grants through its civil society activities.
The principal themes of AKF’s
work – rural development, health,
education, civil society and the
environment – are linked by several
Through endowments and capital investments, AKF helps to ensure
the viability of these institutions. For example, it has aided community
pre-schools in Africa to build endowments. AKF’s support extends to
the creation of civil society institutions, including pre-primary, primary,
secondary, technical and professional schools; maternity homes, hospitals
and research centres; and sports, recreation and cultural centres.
cross-cutting concerns including
gender issues, pluralism, human
resource development and public
awareness of development issues.
AKF both implements projects and makes grants. Most Foundation
grants are made to local field-based organisations. When an appropriate
partner for a programme does not exist, the Foundation will create one
– such as its rural development programmes – or manage the project
directly. Over the years, AKF has built a solid reputation for accountable
management of grants within a clearly defined thematic strategy and
geographic focus.
His Highness the Aga Khan, who founded AKF in 1967, provides
regular funding for administration and programme initiatives as well
as contributions to its endowment. The Ismaili community contributes
invaluable volunteer time, professional services and substantial financial
resources. Other funding sources include more than 60 national and
international development agencies and many thousands of individual
and corporate donors.
The Foundation is committed to sharing lessons from its field experiences
through collaboration, public dissemination and policy dialogue. Models
that the Foundation has promoted have been adapted and replicated by
governments and international donors across a spectrum of environments
and economies.
Right: In the high-mountain region of Hunza,
Pakistan, the Passu Women’s Organisation
(WO) began to develop this land shortly after
AKF helped the village to complete an irrigation
channel in 1987. Although the WO now has
nearly 200 members and many other activities,
the founding members continue to harvest fruits,
vegetables and fuel wood from these fields and
forest plots.
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The Foundation is based in Geneva, Switzerland, with branches and
affiliates in Central and South Asia, the Middle East, Sub-Saharan
Africa, Europe and Nor th America. In every country, the Foundation
works for the common good of all citizens, regardless of gender, origin,
religion or political association.
introduction
1988
2000
11
12
A K F ’s I m p a c t o n R u r a l D e v e l o p m e n t
The Aga Khan Foundation’s (AKF) pioneering rural development programmes
have often been at the heart of the Aga Khan Development Network’s (AKDN)
commitment to the economic and social development of rural areas, particularly in
resource-poor, degraded or remote environments. Enabling people in these areas to
create the services they need and have access to the opportunities they want is a
particular focus.
AKF’s Role in Rural Development
The first Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) began in the remote
Northern Areas of Pakistan. In 1982, when the programme started, the poor and
rugged region (located among four of the highest mountain ranges of the world,
including the Karakorum, Himalayas, Hindukush and Pamirs) was one of the
poorest areas in the developing world. Isolated and bypassed by advancements
elsewhere, these rural communities of different ethnic and religious backgrounds
–Shia, Sunni and non-Muslim – struggled to eke out a meagre living, farming
small holdings in the harsh environment of this mountainous desert ecosystem.
AKRSP’s challenge was to create sustainable, inclusive processes of development
in which diverse communities could participate together and seek joint solutions
to common problems.
Left: Central to the Foundation’s work
is the belief that communities must take
ownership of their development so that the
programmes can eventually become self-
During the past 25 years, AKRSP successfully tested participatory approaches to
planning and implementation of micro-level development in rural areas, including
the mobilisation of rural savings and provision of micro credit; the application of
cost-effective methods for building rural infrastructure; institution and capacity
building; and successful partnership models for public-private sector initiatives.
sustaining. Since 1982, AKF has mobilised
4,000 community development organisations
in the remote Northern Areas of Pakistan.
Often described as a process of “learning by doing”, the AKRSP approach of
working in partnership with communities has made remarkable changes in the
13
akf ’s impact on rural development
lives of the 1.3 million villagers who live in the programme area. Most of
these beneficiaries are widely dispersed across a region covering almost
90,000 square kilometres, an area larger than Ireland. Among many notable
achievements have been a significant increase in incomes, the construction
of hundreds of bridges, irrigation channels and other small infrastructure
projects, the planting of tens of millions of trees and the reclamation
of hundreds of hectares of degraded land, and the mobilisation of 4,000
community organisations that have established patterns of local governance
that are democratic, transparent and accountable to their members and
which manage savings of almost US$ 8 million.
Today, the value of community partnership has become a widely recognised
concept, practised as a highly effective and sustainable model of rural
development in Pakistan and across the globe.The success of the Foundation’s
approach can be measured by both its positive impact on villagers in the
programme areas, as well as by its influence on global development trends.
In 2002, in response to the low levels of food
security in northeast Afghanistan, AKF began
distributing quality seeds and fertilisers to
improve agricultural yields and productivity,
mostly in the Bamyan, Baghlan and Badakhshan
provinces. In recent years, efforts have focused
on providing sustainable alternative livelihoods
In 2004, AKRSP received an Ashden Award for Sustainable Energy, for the
innovative use of micro-hydels (eco-friendly mini-hydroelectric generators
providing communities with renewable energy) in the Northern Areas of
Pakistan.With the Foundation’s assistance, over 180 micro-hydel units supplying
electricity to 50 percent of the population of Chitral were implemented,
maintained and managed by the communities themselves. In 2005, AKRSP also
received the Global Development Award for Most Innovative Development
Project.This award is given to development projects which are judged to have
the greatest potential for benefiting the poor in developing countries.
and micro-credit options to the rural poor to
help them escape the impoverishing cycle of
poppy cultivation and opium-related debt.
In keeping with its focus on resource-poor and remote regions, AKF has
extended its rural development experience to some of the most challenging
environments in the world: from high-mountain deserts in Afghanistan where
the terrain and isolation combine to create economic hardship, to coastal
plains in Mozambique where saltwater encroachment pollutes the water
available for drinking and irrigation.
The Foundation’s efforts concentrate on a small number of rural programmes
of significant scale in 10 countries: Pakistan, India,Tajikistan, Kenya, Mozambique,
Afghanistan, Syria, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar and Mali.Although each programme
is adapted to its local context, the long-term aim of the programmes is to give
the participating communities access, confidence and competence to make
informed choices about a range of appropriate development options. This
14
akf ’s impact on rural development
is done by working primarily in the four areas which are highlighted in the
following section: promoting social mobilisation by encouraging community
participation and decision-making around a set of common developmental
goals; improving natural resource management and increasing livestock and
agricultural productivity to ensure food security as well as increase incomes;
facilitating village development funds and savings groups; and assisting village
organisations to create and maintain productive physical infrastructure. In
addition, AKF fosters the development of micro and small enterprises by
facilitating market access and developing people’s skills.
Social Mobilisation
Central to the Foundation’s work is the belief that communities must take
ownership of their development so that the programmes can eventually
become self-sustaining. To support this endeavour, the Foundation creates
and strengthens institutional structures at the village level to ensure that
community priorities are represented in programmes and effectively
communicated to government and other development partners, including
civil society organisations and the private sector.These village organisations –
whether broad-based or interest-specific – provide supportive networks by
which communities can enlarge their economic assets and harness individual
efforts/skills to generate income in an equitable and sustainable manner.
On Ibo Island, Mozambique, AKF helps to
increase rural incomes by promoting enterprise
development. It works with producers and
technical service providers to increase product
quality and facilitates linkages to markets.
15
akf ’s impact on rural development
Once a village organisation begins to provide services to its members, the
Foundation expands the programme by establishing organisations in other
districts. It then brings them into a federated structure and links them to
local governments through collaboration on development issues.
The Foundation’s focus on marginalised groups, especially in poor, rural areas,
has led to the creation of women’s organisations.The aim of these groups is to
empower women economically as well as politically in regions where they lack
financial and social independence. Examples of this can be found in India, where
women’s self-help groups are filling a significant gap in social and community
development. In Gujarat, on the periphery of the Gir Forest, the Siddis are
a marginalised tribal people of African origin whose subsistence depends on
illegal firewood collection. While the Siddis would prefer not to deplete the
forest for income, the community (whose members are mostly landless) has
little choice but to engage in illegal cutting given the lack of livelihood options.
To empower their community with alternative livelihoods and, subsequently,
a better socio-economic status, the members of the Siddi self-help group
In Gujarat, India, with the support of AKF,
made a visit to Surendranagar district to see how women there were making
members of a Siddi women’s organisation
organic compost under another AKRSP programme. Encouraged by what
participated in building an organic composting
structure. They now produce 15,000 bags of they saw, the Siddi women returned home to try their own hand at compost
compost per year, earning a profit of US$ 16,700 production and have since built a very successful business. Starting modestly
or US$ 696 per member.
in 1999 with the production of 200 bags, the Jambur Women’s Group now
16
akf ’s impact on rural development
produces 15,000 bags per year, earning a profit of US$ 16,700 or US$ 696
per member. This represents an increased annual income of more than 500
percent, compared to earnings from firewood collection. Today, the women’s
self-help groups are working together as federated organisations, providing
their members with savings and loan facilities as well as sustainable alternative
livelihood options.
Natural Resource Management
In most areas where the Foundation works, agricultural production remains
the primary and often only economic activity for a majority of people.
Recognising the link between poverty and the scarcity of natural resources,
AKF strives to facilitate programmes that are designed to improve rural
livelihoods and better utilise existing resources without placing undue pressure
on ecosystems. In the drought-prone rural areas of Salamieh District, Syria,
for example, 60 percent of wells have dried up in the last 25 years. In
response to these increasingly serious water shortages, the Foundation
has helped farmers develop new and more efficient farming techniques.
Groups have come together to learn how to improve irrigation technology
in order to increase yields while minimising the extraction of water from
underground sources. AKF also supports mushroom production as a means
of supplementing family income. Mushrooms need very little water and are
cultivated at room temperature, allowing families to grow them in milk crates
in a dark corner of their home. Since 2003, mushrooms have become a
sustainable source of supplemental income, increasing annual household
earnings by 10 to 25 percent. AKF has begun to assist in the marketing of the
mushrooms to major cities in the country.
In Salamieh, Syria, sheep are a major source of
income. AKF trains farmers with technical knowhow to help them increase the productivity and
value of their livestock. Farmers are also trained on
bookkeeping, noting, for example, the date of birth,
weight, lactation and feeding patterns of newborns.
This information helps them determine the efficacy
of the various technologies (fortified feed, early
weaning practices, etc.). Once AKF-trained farmers
Livestock and Agriculture
adapt these new technologies to local conditions,
they train other farmers in the area.
The Foundation’s rural development programmes help to improve livelihoods
by increasing agricultural productivity – for example, by improving agricultural
techniques, promoting land development and enhancing processes which add
value to primary agricultural goods. Farmers are encouraged to experiment
with improved seeds and crop management practices in order to raise
livelihood above subsistence level.
In a rice-growing area of northern Madagascar, AKF has seen dramatic results
in a relatively short time with this participatory/experimental approach. The
key has been to avoid the prescriptive approach and, rather, to offer farmers
17
akf ’s impact on rural development
a best practices “toolkit” from which they can borrow while experimenting
on a 10-square-metre plot. Farmers adopt techniques (planting in rows,
using weeding tools, levelling soil beds, etc.) at their discretion and combine
them with traditional knowledge so as to make them better suited to local
conditions. In fields where selected practices have been adopted, rice yields
have on average doubled, and in some villages, are three times greater than
in neighbouring plots. In a country where 80 percent of rural households
are involved in rice production, these gains are expected to make significant
improvements in livelihood.
In the remote mountain regions of Tajikistan, where there is little arable land
and a serious problem of food security, diversifying agricultural production
is an important part of AKF’s efforts to improve livelihoods. The aim is to
introduce new crops that enable farmers to work on currently unusable
or under-utilised lands with low productivity and make additional income
through the processing of their goods. The introduction of new crops and
value-added processing enables both farmers and local entrepreneurs to
generate income from previously marginal and unusable land. Since 2002,
more than 15,000 people in the Khatlon and Rasht Valley regions have
benefited from the crop diversification activities supported by AKF. Over this
In rural Tajikistan, where more than 60 percent of period, production in the Rasht Valley of fruits and vegetables has increased
households have no access to clean, piped water, by 340 percent and 280 percent respectively. In a study conducted in Khatlon
the Foundation has (since 1997) supported the
region, of the 70 percent of households that reported an improvement in
construction or rehabilitation of more than 400
livelihood and quality of life, more than one-third attributed the change to
water and sanitation projects.
improvements in agriculture. In particular, households identified the cultivation
and sale of orchard fruits and vegetables as the primary factors responsible
for their improved living conditions.
Establishing Community Funds
Managing funds and creating individual savings programmes for poor
rural people have proven to be impor tant ways to encourage social
collaboration, to fund critical investments at the village level and to
help cushion people from unexpected expenses resulting from health
problems or a death in the family. In Pakistan, for example, with
the Foundation’s assistance, some women’s organisations now run
their own microfinance operations, lending funds to their members
as well as to their spouses. In Tajikistan, AKF’s Mountain Societies
Development Suppor t Programme mobilises local funds to promote
community development. The money raised allows communities to
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akf ’s impact on rural development
initiate and run development projects with a sense of local ownership
that is crucial for long-term success.
Productive Physical Infrastructure
Building and rehabilitating physical infrastructure is central to the
Network’s effor ts to improve rural livelihoods. Before they can begin
to increase their income-generating activities, people need to access
basic necessities such as sustainable energy and clean water. In the
mountainous regions of nor thern Pakistan, where many communities
are far removed from the electricity grid, the Foundation has pioneered
and helped implement micro-hydroelectric plants which generate
enough power to light an entire village. The projects are implemented,
maintained and managed by the communities themselves. Several dozen
other such plants are also in operation in Tajikistan and Afghanistan. In
rural Tajikistan, where more than 60 percent of households do not
have access to clean, piped water, the Foundation has (since 1997)
suppor ted the construction or rehabilitation of more than 400 water
and sanitation projects. In Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast,
incidents of waterborne diseases have decreased by 62 percent
between 1999 and 2005.
In Madagascar, AKF has seen dramatic results
in a relatively short time in the improvement
of rice production. As part of the programme,
farmers are trained in small groups on how
to manage the water levels and fertility of
their paddies and how to implement correct
replanting and weeding practices. In fields
where selected practices have been adopted,
rice yields have on average doubled.
In addition to improving basic aspects of community health and safety,
the Network’s investments in critical infrastructure are also enabling
people to work together and gain better use of economic and
social oppor tunities. A series of bridges have been constructed and
rehabilitated across the Pyanj River to consolidate permanent overland
links between Tajikistan and Afghanistan. The project, under taken
by AKDN in collaboration with the two governments, is improving
significantly the flow of aid, commerce and trade within Central Asia.
The links and meeting places created by these bridges are also
facilitating cross-cultural understanding. In 2007, through joint business
trainings, weekly cross-border markets and social workshops, AKF
brought together community members from south-central Tajikistan
and nor th-east Afghanistan to meet, share ideas and strengthen
economic and social relationships. Cross-border sales via the Darwaz
and Tem bridges have increased from four percent to 55 percent over
the year, greatly exceeding initial targets. A cross-border market now
operates weekly in three communities along the Tajik-Afghan frontier ;
19
akf ’s impact on rural development
every Saturday, over 1,000 traders congregate from both sides to buy
and sell goods and services.
Enterprise Development
A vast majority of AKF beneficiaries are micro and small producers whose
livelihoods depend on income from selling products. However, their incomes are
strongly influenced by various factors, such as inadequate access to knowledge,
information and services, unaffordable or inappropriate technologies, physical
distance to markets, uneven competition due to national and international
trade policies, and limited productivity as a result of environmental degradation.
Enterprises run by the poor have specific constraints related to factors that
exacerbate their poverty such as geographic or socio-cultural isolation or the
devastation of war.
The Foundation’s approach to enterprise development is market oriented. It
does not enter the market directly or run businesses itself. Rather, it focuses on
facilitating the private sector to operate profitable businesses and ensuring the
poor have access to markets. In Badakhshan, a remote and poor north-eastern
province of Afghanistan, AKF has used this approach to develop the poultry
sector as an effective alternative for many villagers, whose incomes previously
depended on opium poppy cultivation. Without such an alternative livelihood,
The Azhar Park Project in Cairo, which began
as a massive engineering effort to create more
green space, has grown into a full-fledged area
development project in the adjacent historic
district of Darb al-Ahmar. Hundreds of young
men and women in Darb al-Ahmar – one of the
poorest neighbourhoods in Cairo – have found
work in the park, in horticulture and on project
teams restoring the Ayyubid wall and local
landmark buildings.
20
akf ’s impact on rural development
a large number of rural Afghans today would be facing the risk of even greater
poverty due to national efforts to eradicate the opium economy.
Future Directions
Over the last quarter century, the Foundation’s approach of “learning by doing”
in partnership with communities has made dramatic changes in the lives of
rural people around the world. In addition to partnering with the villages, AKF
has coordinated its efforts with those of its sister organisations in AKDN, so as
to increase its impact. Implicit in this approach – and reflecting the complexity
of development – is the need to bring a wide variety of disciplines (economic,
social, cultural) to bear in a given area.
As society is becoming increasingly urban, there is a growing demand for better
understanding of – and solutions to – the conditions of urban poverty. In response
to this demand, AKF has been addressing poverty alleviation and problems of
social exclusion in urban neighbourhoods in several settings, including Portugal,
India, Egypt, Mali, Pakistan and Syria. The Foundation has also been working
more closely with other AKDN agencies – the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, for
example, whose mandate includes the urban revitalisation of culturally significant
sites in the Islamic world – to help improve the quality of life in historic cities
including Cairo, Delhi, Lahore, Mopti, Kabul and Zanzibar.
21
akf ’s impact on rural development
AKF Rural Development Programmes
PAKISTAN
Since 1982, the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme in Pakistan has been working in a poor and rugged region located among four of
the highest mountain ranges of the world, including the Karakorum, Himalayas, Hindukush and Pamirs. The population of 1.3 million in the
programme area lives in small villages widely dispersed throughout an area covering almost 90,000 square kilometres, an area larger than
Ireland. Among many notable achievements have been a significant increase in incomes, the construction of hundreds of bridges, irrigation
channels and other small infrastructure projects, the planting of tens of millions of trees, the reclamation of hundreds of hectares of degraded
land and the mobilisation of 4,000 community organisations. These organisations, which have established patterns of local governance that are
democratic, transparent and accountable to their members, manage savings of almost $US 8 million.
INDIA
Since 1983, the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme in India has reached over 400,000 beneficiaries in over 1,000 villages in the states
of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Activities have included watershed development and the planting of millions of trees. AKRSP has also
constructed or repaired dozens of bunds and dams that help recharge depleted reservoirs and address the increasing salinity of groundwater
in coastal areas. These measures provide communities with more water for drinking and irrigation, resulting in higher agricultural productivity
and rural incomes (including household savings), greater resilience to droughts and the ability to manage the natural resource base better.
Among the notable impacts of these activities, particularly for women, have been better health and reduced medical costs due to improved
diets and greater access to safe drinking water. Literacy and school attendance levels have increased, especially for girls, who freed of the
laborious task of water collection have more time to study. Women’s empowerment has also led to their participation (up to 30 percent in
some programme areas) in the local political process.
TAJIKISTAN
In response to the humanitarian crisis in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO) of Tajikistan brought about by the collapse
of the Soviet economy in 1992 and the ensuing civil war, AKF launched the Pamir Relief and Development Programme. The Programme
initially worked to increase levels of food self-sufficiency in GBAO, which grew from approximately 15 percent in 1993 to 70 percent in
2003, a level that has been sustained since. Today, the Programme (renamed the Mountain Societies Development Suppor t Programme),
covers a population of 730,000 across three regions: GBAO, the Rasht Valley and Khatlon. The improvement of rural incomes and
livelihoods has been facilitated by the creation and suppor t of over 1,100 village organisations, distribution of cash and in-kind credit to
more than 24,000 farmers for agricultural inputs, completion of more than 2,400 infrastructure projects and the establishment of nearly
50 new rural enterprises across Tajikistan.
KENYA
The Coastal Rural Support Programme in Kenya has been working in semi-arid, marginalised rural areas of Coast Province since 1997. Over
a 10-year period, the programme has grown from working with four village organisations comprising less than 300 community members to
working with 195 village organisations comprising more than 30,000 members. The introduction of small farm reservoirs, which has provided
the target population of 130,000 with critical access to water for both domestic and productive uses, has helped the majority of households
to increase agricultural production and income, in spite of the increasing poverty in Coast province.
MOZAMBIQUE
In response to the extreme poverty and isolation facing rural communities of northern Mozambique, AKF created the Coastal Rural Support
Programme in the province of Cabo Delgado in 2001. To date, the programme has worked in partnership with the communities to improve
22
22
akf ’s impact on rural development
“ A K D N t akes a n a r ea - b a s ed a p p r oa c h . D ra wing o n its expe r ie nc e o f ma ny ye a r s in dive r s e e nviro nme nts , we h ave
le a r n e d t h at d ev el op m en t i s a n i nt eg ra t ed pro c e s s . This re quire s us to wo r k s imulta ne o us ly a c ro s s multipl e sector s ,
an d in s p h er es b ot h p u bl i c a n d p r i va t e .”
– His Highne s s the A ga Khan, Kabul, 8 Nove m ber 2005
the livelihoods of approximately 25,000 households. It has supported agricultural training and provided an array of inputs that offer alternatives
to the slash-and-burn subsistence farming methods employed by local populations. It has supported the planting of alternative cash crops
such as vegetables and sesame and created more than 120 farming blocks. Other programmes develop alternative income-raising activities
and support small businesses on both the mainland and the island of Ibo. More recently, around Quirimbas National Park, non-lethal ways of
reducing crop damage caused by wildlife have been explored.
AFGHANISTAN
In 2002, in response to the low levels of food security in north-east Afghanistan, AKF began distributing quality seeds and fertilisers to improve
agricultural yields and productivity, mostly in the Bamyan, Baghlan and Badakhshan provinces. Shortly afterwards, AKDN began mobilising
and partnering with villages to build community infrastructure projects, including water supply schemes, latrines, irrigation channels, microhydroelectric plants, roads, bridges, schools and health centres. In recent years, efforts have focused on providing sustainable alternative livelihoods
and micro-credit options to the rural poor to help them escape the impoverishing cycle of poppy cultivation and opium-related debt.
SYRIA
Since 2003, the Rural Development Programme in Syria has worked with agriculturally reliant communities in Salamieh District on the
persistent issue of water scarcity. The programme maintains that cooperation and collective management of natural resources is the key
to alleviating poverty in this region. Water management and irrigation technology combined with agricultural diversification and improved
techniques – of which more than 2,500 households have directly benefited to date – are at the foundation of AKF’s success in Salamieh
District. In addition, the programme includes a mushroom growing initiative, women’s dairy processing groups, olive production for high quality
oil, barley production, pistachio orchards and improvement of sheep and goat production.
KYRGYZ REPUBLIC
The Mountain Societies Development Support Programme in the Kyrgyz Republic was established in 2003. Its primary activities include
establishing and building the capacity of community organisations to initiate and manage village projects and to mobilise resources from
local governments and NGOs. It also introduces improved technology to increase agricultural and livestock productivity; supports income
generating activities and small enterprise development; and provides training and support to village organisations.
MADAGASCAR
Since 2005, AKF has been working in Madagascar with the aim of reducing poverty by improving rice productivity. Using an innovative
participatory approach, rice yields in programme areas have doubled on average. In some villages, yields are three times greater than in
neighbouring plots. In a country where 80 percent of rural households are involved in rice production, these gains are expected to make
significant improvements in livelihoods.
MALI
The Rural Development Programme, established in the Mopti Region of Mali in 2007, follows the AKRSP approach of working in partnership
with local communities to improve agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods. The programme’s goal is to increase access to improved
crop varieties – rice being the most important – while promoting viable private supply systems and developing rural infrastructure. The
improvement of livelihoods in these communities is expected to raise their overall health status and levels of literacy.
23
23
A K F ’s I m p a c t o n H e a l t h
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and its institutional predecessors
have been providing health services ranging from basic health promotion and
disease prevention to inpatient care in developing countries for over 50 years.
While the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) promotes good health practices in poor
communities, other AKDN agencies provide complementary services. Aga Khan
Health Services (AKHS) delivers community health programmes and operates
clinics, hospitals and other health facilities. Aga Khan Planning and Building
Services (AKPBS) installs water supply and sanitation systems and promotes the
construction of safe and hygienic housing and community structures. Aga Khan
University (AKU), with campuses in Pakistan and East Africa (Kenya, Uganda and
Tanzania), operates two university teaching hospitals and manages several others;
trains health providers, including physicians, nurses and allied health professionals;
and carries out health research on chronic or emerging health problems of the
developing world.
AKF’s Role in Health
Left: In Gujarat, India, a community health
worker shares her knowledge about
hygiene and how women can care for
AKF focuses on developing and implementing approaches that enable
poorer communities, both rural and urban, to acquire the knowledge and
adopt the practices needed to protect and promote good health. The
community health programmes of AKF promote and build on existing local
structures, belief patterns, resources and participation to achieve defined
health gains. As a result, communities today are more informed about the
causes of illness and how to avoid them, and more open to changing lifestyle
behaviours to attain better health.
themselves and their babies. AKF focuses
on improving the health status of vulnerable
groups, especially women of childbearing
age and children under five, who live in
geographically remote areas.
The goal of the Foundation’s community health programme is to improve
the health status of children under five and women of reproductive age
(15 to 45). These groups are usually the most vulnerable in developing
25
akf ’s impact on health
countries, and bear the largest burden of morbidity and mortality. AKF
addresses communicable and vaccine-preventable illnesses as well as the
prevalence and severity of emerging, re-emerging, persistent and noncommunicable diseases.
The principal responsibilities and challenges facing the AKF community health
programme are ensuring quality and programmatic relevance, measuring
progress and impact, sustaining the programmes financially and mobilising
resources needed to meet programme requirements on a timely basis. In
response to these challenges, AKF supports the provision of effective and
sustainable health care for communities residing in areas of concern to AKDN.
In Stone Town, Zanzibar, an infant receives a
It develops, tests and advances models of sustainable health care. It also
vaccination at the Raha Leo Health Clinic. The
enables communities and health professionals to serve their communities,
clinic is home to the Raha Leo Community
and documents the results, impact and lessons learned from programmes.
Health Programme, a public-private partnership
with AKF support, which serves the health needs
of over 16,000 people annually. The programme
works to improve the quality of general health
services offered at the clinic, introduce HIV/
AIDS voluntary counselling and testing services,
launch youth outreach programmes, and pilot
approaches to cost sharing in line with Zanzibar’s
Health Sector Reform Strategy.
26
In many countries AKF facilitates access to essential health services, largely
through partnerships with communities, ministries of health and other nonstate providers. Its programmatic activities currently fall within the areas of
maternal and child health, development of health professionals, strengthening
health systems and improving the built environment.The Foundation supports
programmes that are directly serving an estimated 1.1 million people.
akf ’s impact on health
Maternal and Child Health
In India, AKF supports a community-led approach that provides quality
health services to rural families in 67 villages in Maharashtra state (with
approximately 90,000 direct beneficiaries), and 83 villages in Gujarat
state (with over 150,000 direct beneficiaries). By forming 249 women’s
self-help groups, 62 adolescent girls’ groups, and numerous male and
female health action groups at the village level, the Foundation is building
the capacity of local communities to partner with the Ministry of Health
and other providers to ensure the availability of affordable reproductive
and child health services. According to a recent internal review, there
have been increases in the use of modern family planning methods
among married women, immunisation coverage among children under
24 months has risen and attendance at antenatal and postpartum
services has improved.
In Chitral and the Northern Areas of Pakistan, the Foundation supports
AKHS’s network of 22 Maternal Child Health Centres, which provides
more than 300,000 women and children with access to essential care
24 hours a day, seven days a week. Assessments of the work carried
out over the last two decades indicate that immunisation coverage and
antenatal attendance in these communities are well above 80 percent, as
compared to less than 50 percent prior to intervention and 60 percent
in communities outside the catchment area.
In Salamieh, Syria, a Bedouin mother listens to an
In the remote mountain communities of Alai and Chon Alai, the two
poorest districts in Osh Oblast, Kyrgyz Republic, more than 90,000
people in 76 villages are able to better assess their health needs, analyse
underlying causes of illness and take collective action to improve their
knowledge, and adopt behaviours that lead to better health.This has largely
been the result of targeted awareness-raising campaigns organised by
community health promoters and village volunteers trained by AKF. For
example, when the Foundation began working in these villages, mothers
used a range of breast-milk substitutes and did not link breastfeeding
to the nutrition status, growth, development, health and survival of
their children. Today, more than 90 percent of women are aware of the
importance of exclusive breastfeeding (giving newborns no other food
or drink, or even water, besides breast milk, for the first six months), a
practice which dramatically reduces infant deaths in developing countries
by reducing diarrhoea and infectious diseases. When community health
AKF community health promoter, who explains
how breastfeeding can dramatically reduce the
incidence of diarrhoea and infectious diseases
in infants. Between 2004 and 2007, the rate of
exclusive breastfeeding in Salamieh increased
from less than 10 percent to 45 percent.
27
akf ’s impact on health
promoters emphasised the association between proper nutrition and
good health for all age groups, more than 20 villages responded by
establishing 160 kitchen gardens, with the suppor t of the Foundation.
The production of tomatoes and carrots, among other vegetables, are
expected to reduce some significant vitamin deficiencies in these highmountain communities.
In Aswan, Egypt, nursing teachers at the Al Nafak
Centre Nursing Skills Lab prepare a three-week
professional orientation course, which is designed
to familiarise new nursing graduates with hospital
policy and human resource, management and
legal issues in the health field. Such training
courses supported by AKF aim to upgrade the
quality of nursing services and improve the status
of nursing.
In Syria, the Government’s Healthy Village Programme was established
to promote comprehensive community-based development. The
Foundation is partnering with government programmes like this one and
the Primary Health Care Programme to form village health committees
and to train volunteer community health workers to introduce effective
health behaviours and practices. After reviewing data on morbidity and
mortality in the programme area, the Foundation introduced campaigns
to promote exclusive breastfeeding, to stop smoking in the home and
to initiate the use of helmets among motorcycle drivers and riders. The
breastfeeding campaign has reached almost 80 percent of the residents
of Salamieh District. Exclusive breastfeeding and appropriate weaning
practices have increased from less than 10 percent to 45 percent.
The smoking campaign, aimed primarily at men, has achieved slow but
perceptible impact, largely through the efforts of wives/mothers on the
village health committees, who have become aware of the effects of
second-hand smoke on the health of young children. The motorcycle
safety campaign, launched to reduce the large number of deaths
and injuries among males, has been strongly supported by influential
segments of the community. To promote the campaign, the Aga Khan
Agency for Microfinance is offering loans to those wishing to buy good
quality helmets.
Development of Health Professionals
The Foundation works with the Aga Khan University School of Nursing
(AKU-SON) to increase the number and quality of health professionals,
especially nurses and midwives, being trained at the Ghanzafar Institute
for Health Sciences in Afghanistan. Afghan women – having been barred
from general hospitals and midwifery services during the Taliban rule
– have some of the highest maternal mor tality ratios ever recorded.
In the remote nor th-eastern province of Badakhshan, for example,
there are 1,600 maternal deaths per 100,000 live bir ths, compared to
530 deaths per 100,000 in Pakistan and only 12 per 100,000 in the
28
akf ’s impact on health
United States. Skilled nurses and midwives are urgently needed to
reduce the rate of preventable death during childbir th. Since 2003,
the programme has prepared and placed in service more than 400
nurses and midwives, and trained 76 faculty members in good nursing
and midwifery practice. The Foundation has also helped to establish
professional nursing and midwife associations to underscore the
impor tance of advancing these vocations in Afghanistan.
With suppor t from AKF, AKU-SON star ted an Advanced Nursing
Studies programme (AKU-ANS) in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in
2001. By providing nurses the means to upgrade their credentials while
remaining in service, the programme is expected to deter migration
and help retain much needed quality “front line” health staff in East
Africa. As fewer nurses migrate or exit the health workforce, there
will be fewer staff shor tages that compromise the delivery and quality
of health services in these countries. Through its dynamic modular
and par t-time approach, AKU-ANS builds on the knowledge, skills
and experience that individual nurses bring to the programme. To
accommodate the professional development goals of nurses in locations
outside the three ANS campuses, which are in Nairobi, Kampala and
Dar es Salaam, AKU-ANS uses distance education approaches to train
and supervise. In an employer satisfaction survey conducted in East
In Nairobi, Kenya, nurses enrolled in the Aga Khan
University Advanced Nursing Studies programme
(established with the support of AKF) are
upgrading their credentials while remaining
in service. In an employer satisfaction survey
conducted in East Africa in 2007, more than 75
percent of 284 employers reported that AKUANS graduates were better prepared than other
co-workers who underwent similar training
programmes at other institutions.
29
akf ’s impact on health
Africa in 2007, more than 75 percent of 284 employers repor ted that
AKU-ANS graduates were better prepared than other co-workers
who underwent similar training programmes at other institutions. At
present, there are more than 1,000 students enrolled in campus-based
and distance programmes.
Strengthening Health Systems
In Baghlan Province, Afghanistan, AKF supports
the construction of water pumps and other
water supply systems that help to reduce
the incidence of diarrhoea and other waterborne diseases. Since the introduction of these
systems, the incidence of diarrhoeal mortality
in infants has decreased by 97 percent in the
programme areas.
In Afghanistan, AKF has suppor ted the effor ts of Aga Khan Health
Services to establish and operate a network of government-owned
facilities which provides essential health services through 127 Health
Posts, 17 Basic Health Centres, five Comprehensive Health Centres
and one district hospital (Bamyan). Through regional training teams,
each composed of a physician, a nurse trainer and a health educator,
facility staff and community volunteers are trained to offer quality,
cost-effective, accessible and equitable care to communities residing
in remote, rural areas. To date, community health programmes have
reached more than 400,000 people living in nine districts who
previously had no access to health care.
In addition to implementing activities in HIV/AIDS, malaria control and
water supply and sanitation, AKF is partnering with the Ministry of Health to
operate two rural dispensaries in two districts of Cabo Delgado Province,
Mozambique. Building on programme accomplishments in Kenya, AKF
is training community members to be actively involved in managing the
dispensary, promoting health-enhancing practices and collecting data to
track the impact of programmes. In light of the high rates of wasting and
stunting in the programme area, the Foundation is supporting initiatives to
introduce nutritional foods (e.g., the yellow sweet potato) and promote
appropriate complementary feeding and weaning practices. Services
and information are accessible to more than 125,000 beneficiaries who
previously had very limited access to health care.
In Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO), Tajikistan, AKF
suppor ts the effor ts of the Ministry of Health to shift the health sector’s
focus from hospital-based curative care to community-based primary
care. Community health promoters have been trained to inform
the public about basic practices which help to reduce the burden
of preventable diseases. The supply of essential pharmaceuticals and
the practice of rational prescribing have made medicines available to
30
akf ’s impact on health
over 220,000 people whose supplies had been acutely cut with the
withdrawal of Soviet subsidies.The system now recovers 100 percent of
the direct cost of the pharmaceuticals and continues to train providers
on rational use. As a result, patients receive more precise prescriptions,
have lower pharmaceutical costs and are less exposed to gratuitous
drug immunity/resistance. Measures are in place to restructure the
clinical and managerial operations of the provincial hospital in Khorog.
The Foundation is also suppor ting the Government’s implementation
of the Family Medicine initiative. The initial effor t, in which two doctors
and four nurses are being trained to serve in Rushan District, is
underway, and will be expanded to cover all GBAO districts once the
outcomes of the initial phase have been assessed.
Improving Water and Sanitation
In seven countries (Afghanistan, India, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mali,
Mozambique, Pakistan and Tajikistan), the Foundation supports the
construction of water supply and sanitation infrastructure and the
introduction of products and practices that improve living conditions in
the home. In Afghanistan, for example, AKF interventions are reducing
the incidence of water-borne diseases by providing safer water supply
and improved sanitation facilities and encouraging the adoption of
effective hygiene practices. With strong support from the Ministry of
Rural Rehabilitation and Development, AKF has constructed 1,280 wells,
35 pipe water schemes and 1,760 latrines to serve a population of nearly
300,000. According to an independent evaluation commissioned by the
Foundation in 2007, since the introduction of these safe water systems,
the incidence of diarrhoea and other water-borne diseases has decreased
by 80 percent and the incidence of diarrhoeal mortality in infants has
decreased by 97 percent in the programme areas. In all AKDN countries,
communities play an active role in financing, installing and maintaining the
infrastructure. Community involvement ensures that the infrastructure
continues to provide health benefits over the long term.
In
the
Gorno-Badakhshan
Autonomous
Oblast of Tajikistan, the supply of essential
pharmaceuticals and the practice of rational
prescribing have made medicines available to
over 220,000 people whose supplies had been
sharply reduced following the withdrawal of
Soviet subsidies. A Drug Revolving Fund acts as
a partial cost-recovery mechanism, helping to
replenish stocks and provide drugs for those
unable to pay; in addition, drugs are used more
efficiently thanks to training for doctors.
Future Directions
In the past, deficiencies in health policy, financing and service availability
undermined attempts to achieve lasting improvements in health status
among poor communities. Free-standing, community-based health
programmes succeeded in achieving health improvements for a limited
31
akf ’s impact on health
time at a relatively low cost. However, communities often did not have
the financial resources to sustain improvements, the quality of care
and patient referral were not assured, and basic services were often
inaccessible and rarely equitable or lasting.
Lessons learned in pioneering community health programmes in India
and Pakistan have therefore influenced the design and implementation
of community health programmes in other countries where AKDN
works. The Foundation now suppor ts interventions that build the
institutional capabilities of health systems by strengthening and
developing par tnerships between all stakeholders, from the state
to the community; promoting policy and financial mechanisms to
develop and sustain health systems and services; and documenting
and disseminating best practices from AKDN’s experience.
In line with the policies of governments and international donor and
lending agencies, the Foundation is also suppor ting effor ts to reform
the health systems in Afghanistan, Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic.
In almost all AKDN countries, the Foundation is financing health
32
akf ’s impact on health
infrastructure, strengthening the operations of the health systems and
advancing the skills of health professionals, especially nurses and midwives.
Due to demographic transitions and changing lifestyles, the Foundation has
become increasingly involved in the prevention, care and treatment of noncommunicable and chronic diseases, which have become a more common
cause of death than infectious diseases in many developing countries.
Working with other AKDN agencies, it has also begun to contribute to
the development, testing and promotion of new models of accessible
and sustainable health care. By developing an e-Health system for the
Network, for example – an innovation that helps to improve healthcare practice through the use of information and communications
technology – the Foundation expects to enable staff working in
remote, resource-poor locations to improve their ability to diagnose
and treat patients seeking care.
In Syria, motorcycle accidents are a major
health risk. Boys start riding as early as age 10
but they rarely use helmets. According to the
World Health Organization, helmets reduce
motorcycle mortality by 45 percent.The AKF
Health Programme has launched a motorcycle
safety campaign to reduce the large number of
deaths and injuries among males in Salamieh.
Within the first five months of the campaign,
450 helmets were sold. The goal is to have 30
percent of riders wearing helmets by 2010.
33
34
A K F ’s I m p a c t o n E d u c a t i o n
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and its institutional predecessors
have supported schools in developing countries for over 100 years; in the last 30,
a wide range of complementary efforts have provided poor and geographically
remote communities with a continuous ladder of relevant learning opportunities and
methods of improving educational quality, from pre-school through university.
The Aga Khan Foundation’s (AKF) education programme works within the
broader education activities of AKDN. Aga Khan Education Services (AKES)
operates facilities ranging from pre-schools to higher secondary schools. The
emerging network of Aga Khan Academies challenges meritorious students with
critical thinking skills for higher learning and civil leadership. Aga Khan University
(AKU), in Pakistan and East Africa, and the University of Central Asia (UCA),
with campuses under construction in Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and
Tajikistan, offer instruction, training and research that is relevant to the needs
of developing societies. The Aga Khan Trust for Culture’s (AKTC) Education and
Culture Programme promotes the understanding and appreciation of Islamic
art, architecture and musical heritage.
AKF’s Role in Education
Left:
For
25
years,
the
Madrasa
programme has worked to overcome
critical gender barriers in East Africa by
ensuring the equal participation of girls
and boys in the classroom.
On the ladder of learning, the Foundation provides support at various levels
and pays special attention to the crucial first rung: getting young children into
school. In Sub-Saharan Africa, half of the children do not complete five years of
primary school. Globally, India and Pakistan account for 30 percent of out-ofschool primary age children. Out-of-school children are concentrated where
poverty is most intense; 60 percent of them are girls. The Foundation plays
a key role in promoting AKDN’s education agenda by increasing access to
schools for young children – particularly girls and other marginalised children
– who live in poor and geographically remote locations.
35
akf ’s impact on education
Once children are in school, the challenge is keeping them there and,
more importantly, ensuring they learn. Unless the education on offer
seems relevant and useful to both the children themselves and their
families, the risk of drop-out is near certain. Children growing up in
the countries where AKF works need to develop multiple skills during
the course of their lives. Key skills which are needed in addition to
numeracy and literacy are adaptability, innovation, problem-solving
and communication as well as responsible citizenship and respect for
diversity. Whether or not expanded educational opportunities translate
into meaningful development – for either the individual or the society
– depends on child rearing and teaching practices which foster these
skills. This calls for major shifts in practices and an increased attention
to quality.
The Foundation’s approach to ensuring a good start
for young children involves the active involvement
and support of parents and communities. In
Tajikistan, a mother is pictured holding her son’s
hand as he learns to write. This is part of an
initiative to familiarise parents with the curricula
their children are learning in school.
As a result, AKF has traditionally worked in concert with other AKDN
agencies as well as civil society organisations, governments, academic
institutions, international development bodies – and most importantly,
with communities themselves – to not only increase access to schools
but to also improve the quality and relevance of their curricula in order
to keep children in school longer and raise their levels of academic
achievement. In particular, the Foundation focuses on early childhood
development (ECD), school improvement, and youth and adult education.
These activities have evolved successfully over the years (particularly
ECD and school improvement programmes), leading to demand for local
training and resource bases that create and strengthen the needed cadres
of leaders, managers and teachers. To meet this demand, AKF has assisted
in the start-up and growth of diverse institutions that are often specialised
for different levels.
For example, in ECD, the AKF-supported Madrasa Resource Centres in
East Africa support over 200 community pre-schools in Kenya, Uganda
and Tanzania, and assist in training hundreds of trainers, primary
grade teachers and other pre-school teachers outside the Madrasa
programme. The Foundation has also supported the establishment of
AKU’s two Institutes for Educational Development, which help to raise
local standards in primary and secondary schools. Based in Karachi,
with satellite centres in Gilgit and Chitral, Pakistan, and also in Dar
es Salaam, Tanzania, these Institutes provide teachers, school heads
and teacher educators working in Central and South Asia, the Middle
East and East Africa the means to upgrade their skills and credentials
36
akf ’s impact on education
to Certificate, Advanced Diploma, Master’s and more recently PhD
levels. Such efforts, among others, to help build and strengthen teacher
development/training institutions reflect the Foundation’s holistic
approach to education and commitment to long-term success.
The examples which follow highlight AKF’s long-term impact in the
field of education. Organised regionally, these accounts illustrate the
often inherent interplay between different aspects and themes of the
Foundation’s education agenda and how this interplay contributes to
the Network’s continuous ladder of learning.
South Asia
In 2002, AKF implemented the Releasing Confidence and Creativity
(RCC) programme in Sindh and Balochistan provinces in Pakistan. The
programme initially targeted poor and marginalised children in the katchi
(pre-school) class, a level which has only recently been recognised by
Government as an integral part of basic education. Different studies
have shown that access to appropriate early childhood services
dramatically increases children’s chances of primary school enrolment
and completion. Therefore, AKF has expanded its work in children’s
transition to primary school from the home and/or ECD settings. In an
In the Osh Oblast of the Kyrgyz Republic, AKF
seeks to improve early childhood development
by establishing a network of kindergartens (both
central and satellite for the more remote villages)
supported by teacher training and relevant
learning materials.With the Foundation’s support,
this central kindergarten in Alai District was
renovated in 2005; the community contributed
a quarter of the costs.
37
akf ’s impact on education
AKDN works to strengthen
government education efforts
in a variety of settings. In the
Northern Areas of Pakistan, the
Foundation supports efforts to
develop, in collaboration with
the Ministry of Education, a longterm strategy that encompasses
the activities of government,
effor t to establish a captivating and nur turing classroom environment,
the RCC programme has organised awareness-raising campaigns in
the communities, trained local women as katchi teachers, equipped
classes with low-cost learning materials, and encouraged parent and
community members to par ticipate in their children’s education (e.g.,
management committees, storytelling and song leading, assistance
with school construction). Within two years, demand from parents,
teachers, government officials and children alike resulted in the project
activities being extended to include Grades 1 and 2 – a real transition
programme. Today enrolments have increased significantly while dropouts have decreased to a minimum (1.5 percent in Grade 1 versus a
national Grade 1 drop-out rate of 23 percent).
NGOs and private partners.
The Foundation has worked in the Federally Administered Northern
Areas of Pakistan longer than anywhere else. Many of the valleys in this
remote and mountainous region are cut off for months at a time due
to a harsh climate and inaccessible roads. In 1981, the female literacy
rate in the Nor thern Areas was under three percent, compared to 16
percent for Pakistan as a whole. In 1994, girls’ enrolment in primary
schools was still only 29 percent (as compared to 60 percent for boys).
Only 10 percent of girls attended high school, and in many areas, there
were simply no schools open to girls.
38
akf ’s impact on education
The situation is strikingly different today. Between 1995 and 2005,
girls’ enrolments in the Nor thern Areas more than doubled. Nearly 70
percent of girls now attend primary schools (compared to 60 percent
for the rest of the country), and in many valleys, the figure is over 90
percent with steadily increasing numbers of girls going on to middle
and high schools. In Nagar Valley, for example, 70 percent of girls are
enrolled in high school.
Government, private and community schools alike have played
impor tant roles in increasing access. Within the non-state sector, the
Foundation (since the mid-1990s) has suppor ted AKES’s large-scale
commitment to increasing school enrolment and completion in these
remote valleys, par ticularly for girls. According to data from the Ministry
of Education, 76 percent of AKES students complete the primary cycle
as compared to 44 percent in government schools. AKES accounts
for one-third of middle school female enrolment and, in 2005, was
the single largest provider of high school education for girls. This
attention to post-primary provision demonstrates responsiveness to
the evolving situation as well as close cooperation with the Nor thern
Areas Government. Although AKES star ted by focusing on primary-age
children, as government and other providers expanded in this area, the
Foundation suppor ted AKES’s effor ts to meet the subsequent demand
for middle and high school education. With regard to quality, data from
the Ministry of Education show a matriculation rate of 88 percent in
AKES high schools, compared to the overall high school matriculation
rate of 59 percent.
In a variety of settings, such as the remote
mountainous regions of Northern Pakistan
(above) and the poor urban neighbourhoods
of
Cairo, Egypt
(left), AKF’s
education
activities focus on supporting early childhood
development, school improvement, and youth
and adult education.
Beginning in the poorer neighbourhoods of Jaipur, India, Bodh Shiksha
Samiti star ted community primary schools in Rajasthan during the early
1990s and developed a model based on intensive teacher training and
community engagement that would ensure relevant, quality education
to the most disadvantaged of the urban poor. With the suppor t of the
Foundation, Bodh worked with the government to pilot the model in 10
municipal schools. In this par tnership, Bodh provided resource teachers
to suppor t government teachers in the classroom. The government
schools, in turn, provided teachers and training aids as required, and
maintained a class size of 30 students. As a result, classroom learning
environments changed dramatically: drop-out rates fell from 60 to less
than 20 percent and student tests showed significant gains. Strong links
were also established between communities and their schools.
39
akf ’s impact on education
In the remote valleys of Bamyan, Afghanistan,
the nearest school is often two and a half hours
walk. As a result, young children do not attend
school. This teacher was the first person in his
village to attend school; his parents took him
each day by bike. Now he runs this communitybased Grade 1 class from home. AKF has
Building on this success, Bodh moved onto a series of larger, more
complex joint ventures. Under AKF’s School Improvement Programme
(1999-2007), Bodh expanded to 1,100 public schools, in both
rural and urban areas. Ninety-five percent of the families in these
communities live below the national pover ty line and represent
various marginalised, minority groups. New plans for expansion of
this public-private-community par tnership are expected to greatly
increase rates of primary school enrolment and completion as well as
improve the quality of learning among Rajasthan’s most disadvantaged.
A recent external assessment of learning in Maths and Language
demonstrates the potential of these par tnerships and the impact of
Bodh’s interventions. Results in Maths showed that Grade 5 students
in Bodh schools had an average score of nearly 61 percent; those
in Bodh-suppor ted government schools averaged around 49 percent
and those in non-suppor ted government schools scored just under
39 percent. Similar differences were found in Language with students
in Bodh schools averaging nearly 81 percent compared to 73 percent
and 64 percent for the Bodh-suppor ted government schools and
other government schools, respectively.
supported him with training and relevant
learning materials. As the only literate person
in his village, he is opening the door for others,
Central Asia
who by the time they have reached Grade 3, will
be old enough to make the long trek to school.
40
In Afghanistan, AKF’s education programme started in 2002 with a relief/
rehabilitation focus, as so few schools were in a usable condition (if indeed
they existed at all). AKF’s school improvement work brought together
professional development and in-class mentoring support for teachers,
strengthening school management, enhancing community engagement
and improving system supports. Soon it was realised that there was
only about one-quarter the number of girls in Grade 3 compared with
Grade 1. They started coming into school in impressive numbers but
began leaving in droves before they established even basic literacy and
numeracy skills (just as in Pakistan).This again led to a re-orientation of the
programme to give focused attention to improving learning opportunities
in Grades 1-3. Low-cost learning material kits were provided as teaching
aids and teachers were trained to make better, more systematic use of
existing textbooks, in a way that would encourage real acquisition of
basic reading and math competencies, as opposed to empty chanting.
A curriculum-based learning achievement test has demonstrated that
children in AKF programme schools outperform those in other similar
schools.
akf ’s impact on education
Since 1996, the Foundation has worked with the Government of
Tajikistan’s Institute of Professional Development in Khorog (IPD) on
school improvement programmes in all 320 schools of a mountainous
region that covers 60 percent of the country’s land area. IPD’s
acknowledged exper tise in systematic active learning methods is drawn
on extensively by national professional development and curriculum
initiatives. Its curriculum enrichment framework has been reprinted by
the Government and distributed to all schools in the country.
In Jaipur, India, in an old palace used as a
government school, a teacher who has been
trained by Bodh helps a group of children
with an educational board game. Bodh classes
are characterised by supportive, child-centred
teaching and students working in small groups.
East Africa
For over 25 years, the AKF Madrasa Early Childhood Programme in East
Africa has helped children to get a good star t. The programme began
at the request of a community in Mombasa, Kenya, which feared that
its children were falling behind, and has since been adopted by over
200 communities in Tanzania and Uganda, as well as Kenya. Working
41
akf ’s impact on education
The Madrasa Resource Centres, supported by
AKF, initially assist and guide communities in
building and overseeing their local pre-schools.
Eventually, these efforts lead to a pre-school’s
from Madrasa Resource Centres (MRCs, one in each country), the
programme promotes the establishment of community-owned preschools that offer girls and boys a rich learning environment.
“graduation”, which signifies an agreed level of
quality of learning and ability to manage school
finances and facilities. Graduated schools are then
eligible to join the national Madrasa Association
of pre-schools, which gives regular support and
advocates ECD policy within the government
policy framework.
A study which tracked three groups of children between 1999 and
2005 found that Madrasa pre-school students scored higher on a range
of cognitive and social skills than both children in other pre-schools
and those outside the programme. Their Grade 1 repetition rates were
also dramatically lower.
However, MRC staff realised that when children enrolled in Grade
1 they experienced a serious “jolt” with the change in learning
environment. To address this transitional difficulty, the MRCs began to
organise annual Open Days and workshops for Grade 1 and head
teachers from the schools to which the Madrasa children graduate.
Use of the Madrasa pre-school learning materials in these workshops
proved effective in engaging their colleagues in discussion on “active
learning” principles. MRC now receives requests from early primary
teachers and government officers to provide training in developing
teaching and learning materials for their classrooms. In Uganda, the
42
akf ’s impact on education
MRC now also works with tutors of selected Primary Teacher Training
Colleges to ensure that the transition receives adequate attention in
their programmes.
In Salamieh, Syria, children come twice a week
for after-school English lessons and recreational
play. Their teachers are ECD-trained volunteers
who began working with AKF as summer camp
leaders and who have since begun to support
The Middle East
ECD and other AKF programmes year-round.
In response to a request for support from the Ministry of Education,
the Foundation began working in Syria in 2001 with a focus on early
childhood education. One of the most unexpected outcomes has been
the training of hundreds of young adult volunteers (ages 18 to 30) to
lead and deliver month-long summer clubs for children. In 2004, 25
volunteers worked with 270 children. By 2007, 270 volunteers had
enlisted to work with 1,600 children. Many of these volunteers have
returned each summer with some supporting the ECD and other AKF
programmes year-round. Some have also begun to change their career
paths to become professionals working with children and communities
across education, health and social service sectors. While these camps
began initially as educational opportunities for young children, they now
in effect also provide significant learning opportunities and a means for
vocational transition for youth and adults.
43
akf ’s impact on education
Europe
The Foundation has suppor ted various ECD programmes for over 20
years in Portugal, including contributions to the growth of accredited
training programmes in Early Childhood Education (ECE) offered at
university level in Lisbon. AKF has also suppor ted University of Minho
faculty in Braga to create ECE courses, which in 2007 were rated
highly in the country. Since the mid-1990s, 615 Diploma and 250 postgraduate students, as well as 1,000 teachers enrolled in professional
development, have been suppor ted and mentored in Braga – suppor t
which has contributed to the growth of well qualified teachers, trainers
and leaders for the field of ECD.
Future Directions
Drawing on nearly 30 years of field experience,AKF plans to continue developing
its education agenda by using four cross-cutting themes.These include:
Transitions: Improving children’s transitions into and through different levels of
education.This begins with early transition into primary school – when so many
Children at Braga Pre-school in Portugal
pretend to be animals in a zoo while waiting
for their mothers to collect them. Their teacher
was trained in active learning methods at the
University of Minho in Braga, in ECE courses
that AKF helped to create.
44
akf ’s impact on education
still do not enter, or if they do, either drop out or begin to fail in the first year
– and goes through to post-secondary opportunities;
Partnerships: Understanding and utilising the potential of public-privatecommunity partnerships to improve access and quality issues in education
– particularly for those most disadvantaged;
AKF
analysis
Education
for
of
the
All
2008
Global
Monitoring Report data, from 136
Inclusion: Supporting quality education efforts that address the needs of
children and communities marginalised due to factors such as poverty, gender,
geography, race, ethnicity and religion;
developing countries, shows that
69 million more children attend
primary school now than in
1991. One-third of the increased
enrolment is attributable to non-
Pluralism: Promoting children’s critical understanding of and respect for diversity
and pluralism across all levels of education in relevant and meaningful ways.
state provision.
45
A K F ’s I m p a c t o n C i v i l S o c i e t y
In an era of rising expectations and unmet needs in the developing world, the
civil society sector plays an essential role in the provision of social ser vices,
the protection of the marginalised, the deliver y of development programmes
and the promotion of good governance. Its work is especially critical
where governments are weak or non-performing, as in situations of failed
democracies or post-conflict reconciliation and reconstruction. Where civil
society organisations (CSOs) fail to perform well, or face a hostile or indifferent
environment, development stagnates. Where civil society organisations function
well, development indicators improve.
For over 30 years, the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) has led the civil society
strengthening initiatives of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN)
across all thematic areas (health, education and rural development) and
regions in which it works. To broaden the impact of these activities, the civil
society programme has now been formally extended to encompass all the
AKDN agencies. The scope of the programme has also been widened in order
to increase the positive impact of a wide array of organisations that have a
presence in public life, including faith-based and charitable organisations, nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), labour unions, professional associations
and foundations, village and women’s groups, neighbourhood self-help groups,
social movements, business associations, microcredit organisations, coalitions
and advocacy groups.
Left: Whenever citizens come together to
work for the public good the impact can be
AKF’s Role in Civil Society
significant. In Zanzibar, Tanzania, community
members come together, with the assistance
of the Zanzibar Madrasa Resource Centre
(an independent organisation that started
with the help of AKF), to build and manage
quality pre-schools for their children.
Central to the Foundation’s work is the belief that communities must take
ownership of their development if they are to overcome problems of
pover ty, lack of education and poor health over the long term. To suppor t
this endeavour, AKF has from the star t of its work suppor ted the growth
47
akf ’s impact on civil society
of village organisations whereby local citizens get together to achieve what
they consider to be important. They harness their energies and direct it to
activities that will both improve their material standard of living and make
their communities more civil places to live. Such village organisations are
also civil society organisations.
Civil society organisations are important to all the sectors in which the
Foundation works. They facilitate health awareness campaigns that leave
communities better informed about illness prevention and more open to
changing lifestyle behaviours to attain better health.They help teachers and
school leaders access training programmes that in turn raise local standards
of education. They also help poor rural people – particularly women – to
create individual and group savings programmes which encourage social
collaboration and small rural enterprises, as well as help cushion families
from unexpected expenses resulting from health problems or a death
in the family. These are just a few examples of how CSOs contribute to
better living conditions and opportunities for people.
Village organisations (VOs) enable communities
to tackle important development issues which
they consider most crucial to their safety
and well-being. In the Gorno-Badakhshan
Autonomous Oblast of Tajikistan, where certain
valleys are prone to natural disasters, AKDN
agencies and affiliates have collaborated with
VOs to mitigate the effects of such hazards. One
To the extent that CSOs have over the years played a significant, crosssectoral role in AKF’s work, there has emerged a need to recognise
their particular qualities and address the specific challenges of this role.
The Foundation strongly believes that CSOs can achieve what neither
government nor business can achieve by themselves. The power of
organised civil energies for the public good is a very important factor in
development, and it needs to be helped to be as effective as possible. In
recent years, this need has given rise to a separate and specific civil society
programme that cuts across activities of the entire Network.
activity involves the construction of footbridges,
which reduce the vulnerability of communities
by providing them with access to safer areas.
The Civil Society Sector and What It Means
Whenever citizens come together to work for the public good there is a
wide range of ways in which they can express themselves. There can be
village organisations; federations of village organisations operating on a
district or provincial level; specialised organisations trying to improve life
through interventions in health, gender, disability, environment, literacy, law,
ethical standards, savings and credit; organisations that lobby for changes
in government policy; or organisations for particular issues and causes.
Their common factor is that a group of citizens believe in something
strongly enough to put their energies and resources to work to achieve
their objectives.
48
akf ’s impact on civil society
For the last five years, AKF has made targeted efforts to build the civil
society sector, to demonstrate that it is as important as government and
business in development and that it has unique strengths and weaknesses
which AKF can address. In this endeavour the Foundation is rather singular.
Most development organisations see CSOs as the means towards poverty
alleviation.The Foundation, while recognising this role of CSOs, emphasises
the broader potential of the sector at large, of strengthening it and making
it as effective as possible at increasing both the material standard of living
and the quality of life in general – in short, of building a civil society.
The Context for AKF’s Work with the Civil Society Sector
The challenges that the civil society sector has in the countries where
AKF works often concern the following factors:
Competence: CSOs may be long on enthusiasm, but less consistent on
competence. Workers in the civil society sector need to complement
their enthusiasm with professionalism – while still retaining their
commitment and values;
Trust: Governments tend to be mistrustful of civil society actors –
they consider them as organisations which may show up government
faults, compete for the people’s loyalty and attract funds which might
otherwise go to government. In some cases they also see CSOs as
potential threats. Such attitudes are often shown through excessive
legal restrictions and regulations;
Following the December 2004 tsunami, AKDN
projects in Andhra Pradesh, India, sought to
combine emergency humanitarian assistance
with long-term development. In addition to
the repair of fishing vessels and the supply of
nets, activities aimed to increase the ability
of communities, local governing councils and
district governments to prepare, mitigate and
Awareness: Citizens are often unclear, par ticularly in countries that
are emerging from a legacy of single-par ty rule, about their rights and
responsibilities (i.e., with respect to doing things themselves versus
waiting for government assistance);
respond effectively to natural disasters.
Good governance and integrity: Citizens are faced with many examples
of those who hold power over them, abusing that power and diver ting
resources meant for the public good;
Rapport with the private sector: Businesses are often enthusiastic
to show themselves as good and responsible corporate citizens and
would like to suppor t effective CSOs to help them to do so. However,
49
akf ’s impact on civil society
they are suspicious of a sector that is new to them, and often face
disincentives in giving funds to such bodies.
What AKF is Trying to Do
Based on these findings and other earlier work, the Foundation has
directed its focus on the whole of civil society, not just NGOs, and on
the link between CSOs and their constituencies. The prejudices and
attitudinal problems that exist between CSOs and government run
deep. However, both national and district level government and CSOs
must work together – they are natural collaborators and should be
encouraged to do so.
For the most par t, however, promoting a sector is new work.
Development agencies are used to suppor ting specific CSOs to
implement par ticular projects. In an effor t to pioneer a new model,
AKF is working at various levels to:
Above and right: From the rugged mountains
of the Northern Areas in Pakistan, to the coastal
plains of Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, change
begins only when citizens are engaged in their
own development.
Ensure that CSOs are able to deliver when their existence is
accepted and encouraged. Organisations need to know how to manage
competent development interventions and have standards and values
that will sustain their work. In Uganda and the Kyrgyz Republic, amongst
other countries, AKF is helping CSOs develop codes of conduct and
ethics to govern the sector, while in Tanzania and Pakistan it is supporting
training organisations that impart skills in financial management, planning,
participation and monitoring.To wean CSOs off dependence on foreign
funds, in Central Asia and Uganda, AKF is helping to institutionalise
training in financial sustainability based on local fund-raising and
enterprise creation.
Overturn the prejudices that governments have about CSOs. Efforts are
being made to encourage government officials to see CSOs as potential
partners with different but complementary skills, and as organisations that
need a supportive and enabling legal and fiscal environment if they are to play
this role effectively.The Foundation is building working groups of sympathetic
CSOs and government officials who can see how a strong civil society sector
is good for the country and that legislative and policy changes are needed
to make this happen. In Afghanistan, this effort is linked to the Enabling
Environment Conference which took place in Kabul in June 2007.
50
akf ’s impact on civil society
Educate people about the value of that wide variety of groups, clubs,
organisations and associations that make up the civil society sector.
Because of over-emphasis on foreign-funded NGOs, many people do
not know the great variety of things that CSOs do and how impor tant
they are to improving the quality of life. In eight countries, AKF has
documented and disseminated information about what makes up the
civil society sector in that country, and how valuable it is.
The power of organised civil
energies can have a significant
impact on development. From
the start of its work, AKF
has supported the growth of
Help design and get uptake in schools and universities of curricula for
civic education through which young citizens can develop a clear idea
of what they can do for themselves and what standards they should
uphold. In par t this is specifically about learning to practice integrity,
par ticularly when surrounded by corruption and poor governance.
Universities in Tajikistan and Pakistan are getting generalised civic
education onto the curriculum where previously it was either political
education by the government, or specific and limited education on
gender, human rights or the environment.
Help village organisations and village federations in five countries to
access decentralised funds and train them how to use them. These
initiatives are stimulated by the increasing prevalence of devolution
village organisations whereby
local citizens get together to
achieve what they consider to
be important.
akf ’s impact on civil society
in many countries where AKF works. At the same time, it is working
with local government officials to show them how it is in everyone’s
interests to have strong par tnerships between government and CSOs
at the district level.
Help businesses to see how CSOs can be useful to them as an
important element of being good corporate citizens. The idea of
“corporate social responsibility” is often best played out in par tnerships
between businesses and CSOs where each can complement the other,
and each can do things that the other cannot.
Future Directions
In its endeavour to strengthen government-business-civil society
interactions in the countries where it works – thereby ensuring
services to the poorest and a climate of tolerance, pluralism and equity
– the AKDN Civil Society Programme will be working closely with
various Network agencies. Working with them will provide a useful
laboratory where the programme can try out ideas in relative safety
until they reach the point where the methodologies are tried and
akf ’s impact on civil society
tested. Several project companies operated by the Aga Khan Fund for
Economic Development (AKFED), for example, have already star ted
collaborating with the programme. Kampala Pharmaceutical Industries
Ltd. is focusing on issues of professional integrity, which is both useful
for the company and a training ground for the larger Uganda business
world. The Serena Group of hotels and lodges is streamlining its
corporate social responsibility effor ts so that it can be more effective
and so that others in the eco-tourism industry may learn from it.
In Uganda, the AKDN Civil Society Programme
works closely with Kampala Pharmaceutical
Industries Ltd. (a company operated by
AKFED) to try out ideas which focus on issues
of professional integrity. This experimentation
is both useful for the company and a training
ground for the larger Uganda business world.
53
A K F ’s I m p a c t o n t h e E n v i r o n m e n t
Concern for the environment has always been part of the ethical framework
of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). It has cross-cut a number of
programmes ranging from reforestation and the reclamation of degraded lands
to the construction of urban parks and efforts to reduce the ecological footprint
of Serena Hotels (project companies of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic
Development (AKFED)).
Responsibility for new environmental initiatives within the Aga Khan Foundation
(AKF) and AKDN rests with the Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan Fund for the
Environment. The Fund works to promote the management and development of
sustainable natural resources through education, area development and related
research. The intention is to assist populations that are most threatened by
their natural surroundings, while working to protect fragile ecosystems that are
vulnerable to the effects of poorly planned human activity. Another goal of the
Fund is to make natural environments more productive.
Left: The Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan
Fund for the Environment works to make
natural environments more productive
The Fund, which was formed by the merger of the Bellerive Foundation with
AKF, incorporates the Bellerive Foundation’s expertise in wildlife management,
education, mountain environments, forest preservation and fuel-saving stoves.
In all its activities, the Fund strives to maintain the values, philosophy and
expertise of the late Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan and the Bellerive Foundation,
the international environmental NGO he founded in 1977 and chaired along
with his wife, Princess Catherine.
where populations are most threatened by
their natural surroundings. In the remote
The Fund concentrates in six main areas:
mountain regions of Tajikistan, activities
include helping communities to build and
maintain irrigation channels which carry
melted snow along the mountainside to
farmland in the valley.
Environmental Education: In selected areas where AKDN is present,
the Fund implements basic environmental education that explains local
environmental issues, risks and needs as they relate to human populations.
55
akf ’s impact on the environment
The Fund also places local environmental issues and risks within the
larger context of the global environment.
Natural Resource Management in Fragile Zones: The Fund builds on
the combined experience of the Bellerive Foundation and the Network
on the mitigation and even reversal of environmental threats such as
salinity, deforestation and land erosion. The Fund also works to address
poor practices in agriculture, land management, water management
and hygiene. It promotes environmentally sound technologies which
have a high impact on the overall quality of life.
The Aga Khan Planning and Building Service
(AKPBS) in Pakistan was named the 2005 winner
of the US$ 1 million Alcan Prize for Sustainability.
It received the award for its efforts to improve
Nature Parks and Wildlife Reserves: Where oppor tunities exist in
locations where AKDN is active, the Fund engages in suppor ting –
directly or indirectly, and on a carefully selected basis – the sustainability
of wildlife reserves, ecological areas, city and national parks. Parks are
utilised and developed for purposes such as nature conservation, the
protection of rare species, habitat protection, ensuring cleaner air and
water, education, improved health and employment creation. Priority
is given to populations that are most in need – and in communities
where there is a risk of environmental imbalances or damage caused
by human activities.
Pakistan’s built environment and water and
sanitation facilities.
Environmentally and Culturally Appropriate Tourism Infrastructure:
As a way of raising incomes in poor areas, the Fund encourages the
development of special forms of tourism that highlight environmental
and cultural assets while providing local people with alternatives to
the consumption or destruction of these assets. Activities are closely
coordinated with other AKDN agencies, local governments and city
authorities. Priority is given to areas and communities in which vital
environmental resources or important cultural heritage are at risk.
Environmental Health: The Fund works in target communities to introduce
water supply, sanitation systems and other appropriate techniques that
reduce disease and improve human welfare. Through programmes such
as AKF’s Building and Construction Improvement Programme (BACIP)
and the Water and Sanitation Extension Programme (WASEP), the Fund
works to have a positive, measurable and long-lasting impact on the
overall quality of life in areas of AKDN activity.
akf ’s impact on the environment
Research: The Fund collaborates with a select group of scientific
institutions and universities on field-based research that addresses
oppor tunities and problems of the environment and human habitat
in the developing world. Research subjects include: identifying and
developing new disease and drought-resistant crops for mountain and
deser t environments; non-lethal methods of reducing crop loss and
destruction by animals; and appropriate technologies in areas suffering
from increased salinity.
As human settlements encroach upon wild animal
habitats, a major problem is the destruction
of crops by animals, including elephants and
monkeys. In parts of Africa, 50 percent of certain
crops are eaten or trampled by animals. In this
village in northern Mozambique, a pungent paste
made with “piri-piri” (chilis) is applied to ropes,
which are then tied around fields as a non-lethal
method of repelling animals. The Foundation is
working with the Parque Nacional das Quirimbas
and the World Wildlife Fund to identify other
animal-friendly methods of protecting crops,
including fences of piri-piri and sisal.
57
Institutional Collaborations
The Foundation works with many institutional partners across the world. It also works closely
with state and national governments in all countries where it operates. In addition, the Ismaili
community provides substantial financial support. The Foundation is most grateful to all.
The AKDN has agreements with the following countries and organisations: Afghanistan,
Asian Development Bank, Bangladesh, Canada, Egypt, the European Commission, France,
Germany, India, Ivory Coast, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyz Republic, Mali, Mozambique, Norway,
Pakistan, Portugal, Russia, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Uganda, United Kingdom and the United
Nations (UNDP and WHO).
AFGHANISTAN
• Government of Afghanistan
• Ministry of Rural Reconstruction and
Development
BELGIUM
• Government of Belgium
CANADA
• Canadian International Development Agency
DENMARK
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs
SWEDEN
• Swedish International Development Agency
KENYA
• Barclays Bank of Kenya Ltd.
SWITZERLAND
• Swiss Agency for Development and
Cooperation
KYRGYZ REPUBLIC
• Mayor of Naryn
MOZAMBIQUE
• mCel (Mozambique Cellular)
• Mozal Community Development Trust
EGYPT
• Governorates of Aswan and Cairo
• Social Fund for Development
THE NETHERLANDS
• Dutch Embassy, Afghanistan
• Dutch Embassy, Pakistan
• Netherlands Organisation for International
Development Co-operation
GERMANY
• Federal Foreign Office
• Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit
(GTZ)
NEW ZEALAND
• New Zealand Aid
INDIA
• Department of Community Sciences,
Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical
Sciences
• Government of India and State Government
of Gujarat
• International Rice Research Institute
• National Bank for Agriculture and Rural
Development
• Sir Dorabji Tata Trust
• Sir Ratan Tata Trust
• Technology and Transportation Integration
• Water & Sanitation Management
Organisation
ITALY
• Ev-K²-CNR Committee
58
JAPAN
• Japan International Cooperation Agency
NORWAY
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Norwegian Agency for Development
Cooperation
PAKISTAN
• Government of Pakistan
• Ministry of Women Development
• Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund
• Rural Support Programmes Network
PORTUGAL
• Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (Portugal)
• Instituto Portugues de Apoio ao
Desenvolvimento
• Ministério do Trabalho e Solidariedade Social
• Municipality of Lisbon
• Municipality of Sintra
• Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa (Lisbon
House of Mercy)
UNITED KINGDOM
• British Embassy, Tajikistan
• Comic Relief
• Department for International Development
• Foreign & Commonwealth Office
• London School of Hygiene & Tropical
Medicine
UNITED STATES
• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
• CARE
• Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
• ELMA Relief Foundation
• Flora Family Foundation
• Ford Foundation
• Microsoft Corporation
• Rockefeller Foundation
• South Asia Earthquake Relief Fund
• US Agency for International Development
• US Department of Agriculture
• US Environmental Protection Agency
• William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
INTERNATIONAL
• Asian Development Bank
• European Commission
• European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office
(ECHO)
• Johnson & Johnson
• Shell Foundation
• United Nations Population Fund
• World Bank,The
• World Health Organization
Current Projects
RURAL DEVELOPMENT
• Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India)
• Aga Khan Rural Support Programme,
Pakistan
• Area Development Programme (Bihar &
Uttar Pradesh, India)
• Coastal Rural Support Programmes (Kenya,
Mozambique)
• Enterprise Development (Mozambique,
Afghanistan)
• Integrated Rural Development Programmes
(Afghanistan, Syria, Madagascar, Mali)
• Mountain Societies Development Support
Programmes (Tajikistan, Kyrgyz Republic)
• Rural Electrification Energy Master Plan
(Tajikistan)
• Sombeza Water and Sanitation Programme,
Kenya
HEALTH
• Advanced Nursing Studies programme,
East Africa
• Building and Construction Improvement
Programme, Pakistan
• Building capacity to treat Tuberculosis, Pakistan
• Coastal Rural Support Programme - Health
(Mozambique)
• Community Health Programmes (Pakistan,
Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyz Republic, Syria)
• Community Led Initiatives for Child Survival,
India
• Gujarat Environmental Health Improvement
Programme (water and sanitation), India
• Health sector reform programme, Tajikistan
• HIV/AIDS Programme, Zanzibar
• Institutes of Health Sciences, Afghanistan
• Integrated Health Programmes (Egypt,
Madagascar, Mali)
• Mountain Societies Development Support
Programme - Health (Kyrgyz Republic)
• Nursing Improvement Programme (AKUSON), Syria
• Nursing Support Programme, India
• Rationalising Pharmaceutical Management
and Policy, Tajikistan
• Remote Access for Health Professionals,
USA
• Reproductive Health and Child Survival,
Tajikistan
• Social Safety Net’s Mental Health Awareness
Program, USA
• Strengthening health systems in Coast
Province, Kenya
• Water and Sanitation Programmes (Pakistan,
Afghanistan)
EDUCATION
• AKU-Examination Board
• AKU-Institute for Educational Development,
Pakistan
• Coastal Rural Support Programme Education (Mozambique)
• Community Based Education, Afghanistan
• Completion, Retention and Access for
Tanzanians to Education, East Africa
• Continuing education and institutional
strengthening, Mozambique
• Development Education/Policy Engagement,
Canada
• Early Childhood Development Centre,
Portugal
• East Africa Quality Learning Initiative
• Education, Dairy and Nutrition Programme
(school milk programme), Tajikistan
• Education sector reform programme,
Tajikistan
• Educational support for children of
marginalised populations, Kenya
• Enhancement of Universal Primary Education
and Community, East Africa
• Integrated Education Programmes (Egypt,
Mali)
• Links to Learning: Education Support to
Pakistan
• Madrasa Programme Resource Centres and
research, East Africa
• Mountain Societies Development Support
Programme - Education (Kyrgyz Republic)
• National early childhood development
programme, Syria
• Northern Pakistan Education Programme
• Programme for Enrichment of School Level
Education, India
• Releasing Confidence and Creativity (early
childhood development), Pakistan
• Rural education support programme,
Afghanistan
• School improvement projects and research,
East Africa
• Teacher Advancement Programme, Zanzibar
• Teacher education programme (AKU-IED),
Syria
• Teacher training colleges, Afghanistan
• Vocational Education, Egypt
CIVIL SOCIETY
• AKDN Civil Society Programmes (Afghanistan, East Africa, Kyrgyz Republic, Mali,
Pakistan, Tajikistan)
• Building the capacity of small CSOs and
a supportive environment for CSOs in
Bangladesh
• Civil Society Mapping in Bihar & Uttar Pradesh,
India
• NGO Resource Centre Zanzibar, Tanzania
• NGO Resource Centre, Pakistan
• Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy
• Sharaka programme, Egypt
• Supporting development in Balochistan,
Pakistan
• Young Development Professionals programme, East Africa
THE ENVIRONMENT
• Human-Animal Conflict Mitigation Programme
(Mozambique)
HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
• Earthquake relief, rehabilitation and
reconstruction (Pakistan, India)
• Fostering Disaster Resilient Communities in
Isolated Mountain Areas of Tajikistan
• Post-Tsunami Relief to Development, India
OTHER PROJECTS
• Aging Gracefully Initiative, USA
• BRAC Learning Partnership,
Canada/Bangladesh
• Canadian Development Exchange
Programme
• Capacity building and institutional linkages
- University of Central Asia, Canada/USA
• Fellowship in International Development
Management, Canada
• Fellowship in International Microfinance and
Microenterprise, Canada
• Human Resource Development for
Volunteers, USA
• Initiative on Pluralist Societies, Canada
• International Development Scholarship
Programme, Canada
• International Scholarship Programme
• Internship Program, USA
• Islamic Cultural Studies Program, University
of Texas at Austin, USA
• Livelihood Upgrading in the Hospitality Sector,
Pakistan
• Policy and research initiatives, Canada
• Policy Externship Program, USA
• Social Safety Net’s Youth Support Services,
USA
• Tajik Scholarship Programme, Tajikistan
• University Seminar Series, Canada
• Urban Community Support Programme,
Portugal
59
Facts at a Glance
FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN
His Highness the Aga Khan, spiritual leader
of the Shia Ismaili Muslims.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
His Highness the Aga Khan,
Prince Amyn Aga Khan, Maître André
Ardoin, Guillaume de Spoelberch.
ESTABLISHED
Head Office - Geneva, Switzerland (1967),
Pakistan (1969), United Kingdom (1973),
Kenya (1974), India (1978), Bangladesh
(1980), Canada (1980), United States of
America (1981), Portugal (1983), Tanzania
(1991), Uganda (1992), Tajikistan (1995),
Mozambique (2000), Kyrgyz Republic
(2003), Afghanistan (2003), Syria (2003),
Egypt (2006), Madagascar (2006), Mali
(2007), Russia (2007).
ORGANISATION
Private, not-for-profit, non-denominational,
development agency. Part of the Aga Khan
Development Network (AKDN), a group
of nine institutions working in health,
education, culture and rural and economic
development.
PURPOSE
AKF seeks sustainable solutions to longterm problems of poverty, hunger, illiteracy
and ill-health with special emphasis on the
needs of rural communities in mountainous, coastal and other resource-poor areas.
PROGRAMME PRIORITIES
Rural development, health, education, civil
society and the environment, with particular emphasis on community participation,
gender, pluralism and human resource
development.
GRANTEES
Grants are normally made to nongovermental organisations that share
the Foundation’s goals. In some cases,
where there is no appropriate partner,
60
the Foundation may help to create a new
civil society organisation or may manage
projects directly. Grantees are selected
without regard to origin, religion, gender
or political association.
STAFF
3,060 worldwide. AKF attempts, as a management principle, to develop local human
resource capacity. Most AKF employees
are nationals of the countries where AKF
offices are located.
GOALS
There are four central objectives:
• Make it possible for poor people to
act in ways that will lead to long-term
improvements in their income and
health, in the environment and in the
education of their children;
• Provide communities with a greater
range of choices and the understanding
necessary to take informed action;
• Enable beneficiaries to gain the
confidence and competence to
participate in the design, implementation and continuing operation of activities that affect the quality of their lives;
• Put institutional, management and financial structures in place ensuring that
programme activities are sustainable
without Foundation assistance within a
reasonable timeframe.
SOURCES OF FUNDING AND
ENDOWMENT
His Highness the Aga Khan, grants from
development agencies, income from the
endowment and donations from individuals and corporations.
EVALUATION
Major projects are evaluated by independent professionals, in many cases in partnership with the agencies that co-fund them.
For more information please visit our
web site: www.akdn.org
Contacts
Aga Khan Foundation
1-3 avenue de la Paix
1202 Geneva
Case postale 2369
1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 909 7200
Fax: +41 22 909 7291
e-mail: akf@akdn.org
BRANCHES
Aga Khan Foundation (Afghanistan)
House N° 43, Street N° 13, Main Road
Wazir Akbar Khan
P.O. Box 5753
Kabul, Afghanistan
Tel: +873 763 631 488
Fax: +873 763 631 489
Aga Khan Foundation (Bangladesh)
SW(F)3B, Road N° 2 Gulshan 1
P.O. Box 6025
Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
Tel: +880 2 989 4871
Fax +880 2 882 3261
Aga Khan Foundation (Egypt)
Om Habibeh Foundation
Abdallah Osman Yacoub Street
Atlas, Aswan, Egypt
Tel: +20 97 230 99 55
Fax: +20 97 231 33 07
Aga Khan Foundation (India)
Sarojini House, 2nd floor
6, Bhagwan Dass Road
New Delhi 110001, India
Tel: +91 11 2378 2173
Fax: +91 11 2378 2174
Aga Khan Foundation (Kenya)
East Africa Regional Office
ICEA Building (8th floor)
Kenyatta Avenue
P.O. Box 40898-00100
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: +254 20 223951
Fax: +254 20 248296
Aga Khan Foundation (Kyrgyz Republic)
7, Michurina Street
714000 Osh, Kyrgyz Republic
Tel/Fax: +996 3222 56718
Aga Khan Foundation (Madagascar)
Lot VF 77
Lalana Solombavambahoaka Frantsay
Antsahavola
Antananarivo 101, Madagascar
Tel: +261 202 426 188
Aga Khan Foundation (Mali)
Quartier Bougoufié
Face au stade Barema Bocoum
Rue 300, Porte 131
B.P. 39 Mopti, Mali
Tel: + 223 243 1406
Fax: + 223 243 1408
Aga Khan Foundation (Mozambique)
Edificio Sua Alteza Aga Khan
Av. Albert Luthuli 739
P.O. Box 746
Maputo, Mozambique
Tel: +258 21 40 9007 / 8
Fax: +258 21 40 9010
Aga Khan Foundation (Pakistan)
House N° 1, Street N° 61
Sector F-6/3
Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel: +92 51 111 253254
Fax: +92 51 227 6815 / 4504
Aga Khan Foundation (Syria)
Abou Rumaneh, Rawda Square
Abdul Kader Al Jazairi Street
Building No. 15
Damascus, Syria
Tel +963 11 334 3610/11
Fax +963 11 334 3613
Aga Khan Foundation (Tanzania)
P.O. Box 125
Plot 37, Haile Selassie Road
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Tel: +255 22 266 7923
Fax: +255 22 266 8527
Aga Khan Foundation (Uganda)
2nd Floor, Diamond Trust Building
Plot 17/19, Kampala Road
Kampala, Uganda
Tel: +256 41 25 5884 / 6165
Fax: +256 41 34 0126
AFFILIATES
Aga Khan Foundation Canada
Constitution Square
360 Albert Street
Suite 1220
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada K1R 7X7
Tel: +1 613 237 2532
Fax: +1 613 567 2532
Aga Khan Foundation Portugal
Ismaili Centre
1, Avenida Lusiada
1600-001 Lisbon
Portugal
Tel: +351 21 722 9001
Fax: +351 21 722 9011
Aga Khan Foundation Tajikistan
137 Rudaki Avenue
Building “Tajikmatlubot”, 4th floor
Dushanbe 734003, Tajikistan
Tel: +992 372 247650
+873 762 560065
Fax: +992 372 510061
+873 762 560061
Aga Khan Foundation United Kingdom
3 Cromwell Gardens
London SW7 2HB
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 20 7591 6800
Fax: +44 20 7589 0641
Aga Khan Foundation USA
1825 K Street, N.W., Suite 901
Washington, D.C. 20006
United States of America
Tel: +1 202 293 2537
Fax: +1 202 785 1752
REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE
Aga Khan Foundation Russia
Leninsky Prospect 32A
Sector B, 4th floor, offices 429/430/431
Academy of Sciences of Russia
119991 Moscow, Russia
Tel: +7 495 9385372
Fax: +7 495 9385390
61
The restoration of landmark buildings like the Baltit Fort in Hunza,
Pakistan, are departure points from which AKDN’s economic,
social and cultural programmes all work in concert to improve the
quality of life in the surrounding areas.
Photography:
Jean-Luc Ray, Amit Pasricha, Zahur Ramji, Gary Otte, Lucas Cuervo Moura,Thomas Kelly, Caroline
Arnold, Ward Heneveld, Katherine Hinckley, Alain Lits, Jean Mohr, Matthieu Paley, Rajendra Shaw,
Hasan-Uddin Khan
Printed:
Imprimeries Réunies Lausanne s.a.
©
64
2008 Aga Khan Foundation
AGA KHAN FOUNDATION
www.akdn.org