Aga Khan Foundation
Founded1967
FounderPrince Shah Karim Al Hussaini, Aga Khan IV
TypeNon-governmental organization
FocusInternational development, Sustainable development
Location
  • International
Area served
South and Central Asia, Eastern Africa, Europe and the Middle East
Websitewww.akdn.org/AKF

The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) is a private, not-for-profit international development agency,[1] which was founded in 1967[2] by Shah Karim Al Hussaini, Aga Khan IV, the 49th Hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims.[3] AKF seeks to provide long-term solutions to problems of poverty, hunger, illiteracy and ill health in the poorest parts of South and Central Asia, Eastern and Western Africa, and the Middle East. In these regions, the needs of rural communities in mountainous, coastal and resource poor areas are given particular attention. The Foundation's activities often reinforce the work of other sister agencies within the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). While these agencies are guided by different mandates pertaining to their respective fields of expertise (the environment, culture, microfinance, health, education, architecture, rural development), their activities are often coordinated with one another in order to "multiply" the overall effect that the Network has in any given place or community. AKF also collaborates with local, national and international partners in order to bring about sustainable improvements of life in the 14 countries in which it implements programmes. The Foundation's head office is located in Geneva, Switzerland.[4]

Areas of focus

The Foundation has seven areas of focus that include: early childhood development, education,[5] health[6] and nutrition, agriculture and food security, civil society,[7] work and enterprise, and climate resilience. Seeking innovative approaches to complex problems, it tries to identify solutions that can be adapted to conditions in many different regions and replicated.[8]

Cross-cutting issues that are also addressed by the Foundation include human resource development, community participation, and gender and development.[9]

Funding

The Aga Khan provides the Foundation with regular funding for administration as well as making contributions to its endowment. Grants from government, institutional and private sector partners including from the United Nations, Global Affairs Canada, USAID, the UK's FCDO, the German Federal Foreign Office, Agence Française de Développment and others represent substantial sources of funding. The Ismaili community also contributes financial resources as well as volunteers, time, and professional services.

Awards and recognition

Among other recognition for its work, the Foundation received the 2005 Award for Most Innovative Development Project from the Global Development Network for the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP). The AKRSP has successfully been replicated to form the Rural Support Programmes Network in Pakistan.[10][11]

Geographic focus

The Aga Khan Foundation has a presence in 17 countries globally, implementing programmes in 14 of those including in: Eastern Africa (Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda); Central & South Asia (Afghanistan, India, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan and Tajikistan); the Middle East (Egypt and Syria); and Europe (Portugal). The Foundation has fundraising and technical support offices in Canada, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

References

  1. ↑ Anderson, S. E. (2002-01-01). Improving Schools Through Teacher Development: Case Studies of the Aga Khan Foundation Projects in East Africa. CRC Press. ISBN 9789026519369.
  2. ↑ Anheier, Helmut K.; Toepler, Stefan (2009-11-24). International Encyclopedia of Civil Society. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 9780387939964.
  3. ↑ Cherry, Stephen M.; Ebaugh, Helen Rose (2016-04-22). Global Religious Movements Across Borders: Sacred Service. Routledge. ISBN 9781317127338.
  4. ↑ Ebrahim, Alnoor (2005-05-12). NGOs and Organizational Change: Discourse, Reporting, and Learning. Cambridge University Press. p. 147. ISBN 9780521671576.
  5. ↑ "Lessons from the lockdown: Equality, equity in education". Daily Monitor. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
  6. ↑ "Policies needed to tackle nutrition challenge". The Express Tribune. 2021-02-07. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
  7. ↑ "AKF supports development of civil society in Tajikistan | Tajikistan News ASIA-Plus". asiaplustj.info. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
  8. ↑ Teaching Korea: Modernization, Model Minorities, and American Internationalism in the Cold War Era. 2008-01-01. p. 172. ISBN 9781109098709.
  9. ↑ "Refugees to benefit from new education programme". Daily Monitor. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
  10. ↑ Global Development Network: Global Development Awards at www.gdnet.org
  11. ↑ Narayan-Parker, Deepa; Glinskaya, Elena E. (2007-01-01). Ending Poverty in South Asia: Ideas that Work. World Bank Publications. ISBN 9780821368770.

Sources

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