Khorog, Tajikistan, 04 July 2020 - The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) Tajikistan today made a significant donation of medical and emergency response supplies worth over TJS 255,000 to the Regional Hospital of Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO) in Khorog. The items included water heaters, five refrigerators, 10 air conditioners, three stove burners, and 15 electric water boilers. Other items include ...
Batula Fayo Rasa, a young woman in northern Kenya, is the sixth child in a family of 11. Her parents are local farmers whose financial hardship made it unlikely that she would have a chance to go to school. Their community does not prioritise girls' education. When Batula completed Grade 6, it felt like a miracle to her. But at age ...
Anora, age 20, lives in a small village in the Khatlon region of Tajikistan. In early 2019, she gathered with other participants of the village's mahalla committee, a form of village-level governance, to establish a community-based savings group (CBSG). Like many young women in the region, Anora lacks access to savings and credit, leaving her vulnerable to financial shocks like medical ...
The Infectious Disease Unit (IFD) will offer full-fledged services, capacity building, infrastructure and technology to enhance quality of service delivery.A €300,000 grant funded facility by French Development Agency (AFD) Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 30 June 2020 - Aga Khan Health Service, Tanzania (AKHS,T) and French Development Agency (Agence Française de Développement - AFD) today signed a €300,000 grant agreement to establish infectious ...
Dushanbe, Tajikistan, 1 July 2020 - The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) Tajikistan presented medical and emergency response items to the local governments of Khatlon and Sughd to aid ongoing COVID-19 response efforts in these regions. The donations are AKAH's first official COVID-19 support to the Khatlon and Sughd local governments. They come as local institutions and communities in the ...
The Infectious Disease Unit (IFD) will offer full-fledged services, capacity building, infrastructure and technology to enhance quality of service delivery.A €300,000 grant funded facility by French Development Agency (AFD) Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 30 June 2020 - Aga Khan Health Service, Tanzania (AKHS,T) and French Development Agency (Agence Française de Développement - AFD) today signed a €300,000 grant agreement to establish infectious ...
School closures, working remotely, physical distancing - these are only part of the lifestyle changes caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Children and particularly teens, like adults, are impacted by these restrictions and have a part to play in combatting the virus and supporting neighbours and family during these tough times. "I have grown up in a family with a strong spirit ...
The aim of this UKAID-funded project, implemented by Aga Khan Foundation, is to reduce conflicts related to the use and management of natural resources such as irrigation water and pastures in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan as well as in cross-border areas between both countries. ...
In north western Uganda, the AKDN has invested in off-grid energy so that this remote border region can benefit from affordable, reliable and sustainable electricity. Over the last 10 years, the West Nile region in Uganda has been dramatically transformed. There are clear signs of socio-economic change, as well as improvements in security and regional stability. Its largest town, Arua, has ...
Khorog, Tajikistan, 18 June 2020 - In response to an urgent appeal for medicine from the Central Regional Hospital in Khorog (Tajikistan) to treat patients suffering from Covid-19, employees of the University of Central Asia (UCA) donated medicine and related supplies. In accepting the donation from the Covid-19 Solidarity Fund, the Chief Medical Officer of the Hospital, Davlatbekov Saidbek, spoke about ...
Dushanbe, Tajikistan, 17 June 2020 - The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) Tajikistan today held a one-day training course on emergency response during a pandemic for officials from the Committee of Emergency Situation (CoES), with 16 participants in attendance. AKAH plans to deliver the training course to counterpart CoES officials in Rasht and Khorog over the next couple of days, ...
"I saw the aquatic life in the bay that surrounded a part of the Funzi island deteriorate over time," said Cinzia Torriani, a Diploma Programme 1 student at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa. "Fish disappeared from the easy view of the waters; dolphins, which would appear annually, stopped appearing; and I would even hear stories of animals that were once inhabitants ...
Onno Ruhl is the first General Manager of the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH), which was created in 2016 to address the increasing threat posed by natural disasters and climate change. The agency works to ensure that communities are as safe as possible from the effects of natural disasters, that residents who live in high-risk areas are able to cope ...
Khushi Kumari first learned about composting through a book that belonged to her daughter. But she never thought it would be a practice that she would take up. With technical support from the Aga Khan Foundation, Khushi now not only produces compost right from her terrace garden but she has gained a new title: the "Community Cleanliness Champion". She hopes this ...
AKAH sets up rapidly deployable, easy to build COVID-19 centre for AKHS in nine days. Gilgit, Pakistan, 4 June 2020 - In Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral in Northern Pakistan, the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) and the Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS), with support from Better Shelter, are setting up six COVID-19 rapid response centres using prefabricated materials and modular designs. ...
Garamchashma, Pakistan, 8 June 2020 - The Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan (AKHS,P) today inaugurated a 20-bed health facility in Garamchasma, Lower Chitral, for COVID-19 patients. The Emergency Response Centre for COVID-19 Patients will provide care to COVID-19 patients with mild and moderate symptoms. Half of the beds will be allocated to female patients. The Emergency Response Centre for COVID-19 Patients ...
Aswan, the third biggest city in Egypt, is a busy market and tourist centre on the east bank of the Nile River. But while opportunities exist, there is a large disconnect between training that is available and the skills and products in demand in an Egypt that is both quickly modernising and grappling with the challenge of climate change. For Aswan's ...
Because many migrants in Lisbon do not speak Portuguese, they cannot gain access to key COVID-19 health messages. The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) in Portugal has been working with the government and volunteer translators to ensure that they do. AKF's Sandra Almeida discusses the work being done by AKF and volunteers. Briefly, what is the current situation in Lisbon as it ...
More than a month after the COVID-19 pandemic forced unexpected shutdowns of schools around the world, parents from the Aga Khan School, Dhaka (AKSD) remain grateful to the teachers who have made the transition to online school a smooth one. Parents acknowledged that their children would not have been able to complete the academic year without hardworking AKSD teachers. They are ...
Booni, Pakistan, 19 May 2020 - A newly established, 28-bed COVID-19 care facility, named "Emergency Response Centre for COVID-19 patients", was today inaugurated in Booni, Upper Chitral. The Centre has been established by the Aga Khan Health Service in Pakistan (AKHS,P). The new facility, which offers separate accommodations for female and male patients, will treat patients with moderate, severe and critical ...
Told from the perspective of Gulnara Abdieva, English teacher ad Professional Development Trainer at Aga Khan School in Osh, Kyrgyzstan. 2020 has brought drastic changes to the education system not only in Kyrgyzstan, but also in schools all over the world. Our (physical) school closed on 16 March 2020, as soon as our country began to take quarantine and lockdown precautions. ...
Over 25,000 women and girls have improved their knowledge and practice of menstrual hygiene in India, thanks to the AKDN's Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) programme. akf-india-mhm_sangeeta.jpgSangeeta, Bokadthambha Village, Gujarat, India.Copyright: AKDN"I used to be plagued by menstrual cramps," says Sangeet of Bokadthambha Village, Gujarat, "and I thought there was no way to ease them. However, after joining a Kishori group for ...
Mahek Shah, a Diploma Programme 1 student at the Aga Khan Academy (AKA) Mombasa, has had a love of flying for as long as she can remember. As a young aviator, Mahek was driven to change the fact that aviation was a predominantly male industry. Through her Middle Years Programme (MYP) curriculum, a part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) at AKA ...
The University of Central Asia's (UCA) Co-operative Education Programme offers work placements to students where they apply in-class learning to real life professional experiences within their field of study across private, public and community-based sectors. This story was written by Zarrina Gafurova as part of a series of personal reflections from UCA students on their internship experiences. My journey started with ...
The Aga Khan Development Network today partnered with the Oeiras Municipal Council to provide medical and individual protection equipment to Guinea-Bissau, in support to the country's response to the coronavirus pandemic. The contribution is the first of a series of five in-kind contributions to Lusophone Africa. In a joint initiative envisaging cooperation with African Portuguese-speaking Countries (PALOP), the Aga Khan Development ...
Afroj Alam works alongside the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) and farmers in Bihar to improve the quality of pulse crops and increase the incomes of farmers. In ths interview, he explains how this work has been disrupted by the pandemic and how he and his partners are adapting to support farmers in the region. When did you first hear about COVID-19? ...
On 26 March, the Government of Bangladesh announced a shutdown of all schools across the country to combat Covid-19. Like teachers around the world who are missing being physically present in the classroom with their students, Anjuman Ara and her colleagues at the Aga Khan School, Dhaka have no choice but to embrace virtual classrooms. "I used to grumble about how ...
The Aga Khan Foundation has been working with youth groups in northern Kenya for a number of years to help create opportunities for its young people. We spoke to Walid Ahmed, Director of Lamu Youth Alliance, to find out how his organisation is working to keep people safe during the pandemic. When did you first hear about COVID-19? What did you ...
Lahore, Pakistan, 18 May 2020 - The restoration of the Shah Burj Gate, located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Lahore Fort, was completed in March 2020 by the Aga Trust for Culture (AKTC). In addition to instilling national pride and identity, the project is expected to improve socio-economic conditions and tourism. The Shah Burj Gate, which forms part ...
20 May 2020, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania - Aga Khan Health Services and Aga Khan University have launched CoronaCheck, a new mobile app for android and iPhone that will help Tanzanians easily and safely evaluate symptoms with an in-home screening tool and understand the next steps to looking after themselves. This app can be downloaded free of cost. The app which ...
Khorog, Tajikistan, 12 May 2020 - The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) in Tajikistan, the Government of Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO) and their partners have launched the construction of critical social infrastructure in Khorog Town. The total of nine infrastructure projects to be constructed include six playgrounds across the town, the #5 secondary school on Saidmir Abdurahmonov Street, a ...
Jacqueline Tindi is at the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. She leads the critical care unit at the new Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral & Research Hospital that is serving the growing population of Nairobi and central Kenya. In response to the ongoing increase in coronavirus cases in Kenya, she is tirelessly working to ensure that her team is fully prepared and ...
Samira Kabani, a nurse manager at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, was one of the key team members behind the launch of 24/7 services for coronavirus patients. In these uncertain times, she is always on the move as she coordinates the care of patients provided by over 50 on-campus and off-campus nurses. The marks from her tight-fitting protective ...
For those who wish to support our efforts to respond to the pandemic, the agencies and affiliates of the Aga Khan Development Network, including Focus Humanitarian Assistance, have launched the Global Pandemic Relief Fund. The Fund has been established to respond to the outpouring of generosity from our supporters and creates a one-stop portal to support this critical work across all AKDN ...
In 1860, Florence Nightingale laid the foundation of modern nursing with the establishment of a nursing school at St Thomas' Hospital in London. Ever since, nurses and midwives have played a vital, central role in providing health services - not least at Aga Khan hospitals in Asia and Africa. From newborns to the elderly, nurses are often the first and only ...
In April 2012, in the throes of what was perhaps the most difficult period of his life, Hassan Kassim contemplated dropping out of the programme he'd just enrolled into at the Aga Khan University School of Nursery and Midwifery (AKU-SONAM). His wife had just died while delivering a set of preterm triplets at Coast General Hospital. Shortly afterwards, he also lost ...
Ramla Vuai Khamis is a scrub nurse at Mnazi Mmoja - the largest and main referral hospital in Zanzibar. Her calm demeanour is well-suited for her work, where organisation and preparedness are critical factors of success. Each day Ramla prepares for her duties by going through detailed checklists to ensure that surgical tools and patient lists are ready for the surgeons ...
In 2001, upon receiving the prestigious Archon Award from the international nursing honour society, Sigma Theta Tau International, His Highness said in a speech that "I have long felt the enhancement of the nursing profession to be absolutely critical to the improvement of health care in the developing world, and the Islamic world. The way forward was to professionalise, to institutionalise, ...
In Bagrote, a village located in a valley in the farthest reaches of Gilgit District, northern Pakistan, most agricultural tasks and household chores are done by women, leaving little time to care for the health needs of mothers and children. As a result, maternal and child mortality, especially in remote locations like Bagrote, is considered high - in a country that ...
Aga Khan Agency for Habitat provides refresher courses for CERTs Rasht, Tajikistan, 23 April 2020 - The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) Tajikistan, through the financial support of the Government of Switzerland, completed refresher trainings for the Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) formed in Rasht valley. The trainings, which were conducted within the Integrated Health and Habitat Improvement (IHHI) project, ...
