Aga Khan Foundation

Last updated
Aga Khan Foundation
Founded1967
FounderPrince Shah Karim Al Hussaini, Aga Khan IV
Type Non-governmental organization
Focus International development, Sustainable development
Location
  • International
Area served
South and Central Asia, Eastern Africa, Europe and the Middle East
Website www.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]

Contents

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 Développement 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.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aga Khan IV</span> 49th Imam of the Ismaili (born 1936)

Shah Karim al-Husayni (Arabic: شاه كريم الحسيني, romanized: Shāh Karīm al-Ḥusaynī; born 13 December 1936; known as Aga Khan IV is the 49th and current imam of Nizari Isma'ilis. He has held the position of Imam and the title of Aga Khan since 11 July 1957 when, at the age of 20, he succeeded his grandfather, Aga Khan III. The Aga Khan claims direct lineal descent from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, Ali, who is considered an Imam by Nizari Isma'ilis, and Ali's wife Fatima, Muhammad's daughter from his first marriage. Aga Khan IV is also known by the religious title Mawlānā Hazar Imam by his Isma'ili followers.

Nizari Isma'ilism are the largest segment of the Ismaili Muslims, who are the second-largest branch of Shia Islam after the Twelvers. Nizari teachings emphasize independent reasoning or ijtihad; pluralism—the acceptance of racial, ethnic, cultural and inter-religious differences; and social justice. Nizaris, along with Twelvers, adhere to the Jaʽfari school of jurisprudence. The Aga Khan, currently Aga Khan IV, is the spiritual leader and Imam of the Nizaris. The global seat of the Ismaili Imamate is in Lisbon, Portugal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zahra Aga Khan</span> Swiss princess (born 1970)

Princess Zahra Aga Khan is the eldest child of Aga Khan IV and his first wife, Princess Salimah Aga Khan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aga Khan Development Network</span> Network of development agencies founded by the Aga Khan

The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is a network of private, non-denominational development agencies founded by the Aga Khan, with the primary focus of improving the quality of life in different regions of Asia and Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aga Khan University</span> University in Karachi, Pakistan, with campuses in various countries

Aga Khan University is a not-for-profit institution and an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network. It was founded in 1983 as Pakistan's first private university. Starting in 2000, the university expanded to Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, the United Kingdom and Afghanistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rahim Aga Khan</span> Eldest son of Aga Khan IV (born 1971)

Prince Rahim Aga Khan is the second of the Aga Khan IV’s four children. Based in Geneva, Switzerland, he has been actively involved for many years in the governance of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hussain Aga Khan</span> Son of Aga Khan IV and Prince of Iranian Qajar dynasty

Prince Hussain Aga Khan is a nature photographer, third child, and second son of Aga Khan IV and his first wife, Princess Salimah Aga Khan.

Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance (AKAM) is a microfinancing agency of the Aga Khan Development Network.

The Aga Khan Health Services is an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) that supports activities in the health field, and manages more than 200 health facilities, including a network of Aga Khan Hospitals.

Aga Khan Education Services (AKES) is one of the agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) supporting activities in the field of education. The others are the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), the Aga Khan University (AKU), the University of Central Asia (UCA), and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC).

The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) is an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), a family of institutions created by Aga Khan IV with distinct but complementary mandates to improve the welfare and prospects of people in the developing world, particularly in Asia and Africa. It focuses on the revitalization of communities in the Muslim world—physical, social, cultural, and economic. The AKTC was founded in 1988 and is registered in Geneva, Switzerland, as a private non-denominational philanthropic foundation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development</span> Swiss for-profit entity

Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development SA is a Swiss for-profit entity and international development finance institution which invests in countries of East Africa, West Africa, Central Asia, and South Asia. It is based in Geneva, Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shia Islam in Afghanistan</span> Islam in Afghanistan

Shia Islam in Afghanistan is practiced by a significant minority of the population. According to a PEW 2021 survey, 7% of Afghans followed Shia Islam, but other estimates have put the number as high as 35%. Afghanistan's Shia are primarily the Twelvers, while a minority are Ismailis.

Aga Khan Academy, Hyderabad is an international school in Hyderabad, India. It is located near Rajiv Gandhi International Airport and also Pahadi Shareef.

The Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) is a private, non profit organization, established by the Aga Khan Foundation in 1982 to help improve the quality of life of the villagers of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral. It is a Non Governmental Organization which is part of the Rural Support Programmes Network in Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shoaib Sultan Khan</span>

Shoaib Sultan Khan NI is one of the pioneers of rural development programmes in Pakistan. As a CSP Officer, he worked with the Government of Pakistan for 25 years, later on he served Geneva based Aga Khan Foundation for 12 years, then UNICEF and UNDP for 14 years. Since his retirement, he has been involved with the Rural Support Programmes (RSPs) of Pakistan full-time, on voluntary basis. Today, the Rural Support Programmes have helped form 297,000 community organisations in 110 districts including two Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan.

Shamsh Kassim-Lakha' is a Pakistani businessman, politician, and educational leader. He led the planning, building, and operation of the University of Central Asia (UCA), a regional institution founded by the Presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and His Highness the Aga Khan with campuses in the mountain areas of the three countries. He was the Diplomatic Representative of the Aga Khan Development Network in the Kyrgyz Republic from 2014-2017. He is currently Senior Advisor, Aga Khan Foundation Canada, in which capacity he is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University of Central Asia and advises the Foundation on its work in Central and South Asia as well as Eastern Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Central Asia</span> A private, not-for-profit, secular university in Central Asia

The University of Central Asia (UCA) (Russian: Университет Центральной Азии) is a secular, non-profit, research university in Central Asia. It was founded by an international charter between the governments of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan in partnership with the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) in 2000. UCA's first undergraduate campus opened in 2016 in Naryn, Kyrgyzstan, and was followed by a second campus in Khorog, Tajikistan (2017). The University has three schools: School of Arts and Sciences (SAS), Graduate School of Development (GSD) and School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPCE). The School of Arts and Sciences offers four undergraduate programmes on its two campuses. A third campus in Tekeli, Kazakhstan is currently in the planning phase.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aly Muhammad Aga Khan</span> British cinematographer; fourth child of Aga Khan IV (born 2000)

Prince Aly Muhammad Aga Khan is a British cinematographer, the fourth child of Aga Khan IV and his second wife, Gabriele Renate Homey.

The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) was established in 2016 and is part of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). It is an umbrella of AKDN agencies and programs that have provided aid and delivered training on habitat and disaster preparedness since the 1990s.

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. March 2021. 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. 3 February 2021. 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.

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