Growing up in Jalal-Abad, the Kyrgyz Republic, Baisal spent his childhood with school friends and helping his mother care for his two younger siblings....

In Tajikistan, a landlocked country in Central Asia, over 55% of the population is under 25. While progress has been made to reduce poverty,...

Nestled in the remote mountains of northern Pakistan, Chipurson Valley has a total population of 4,000 people. Through the School Improvement Program (SIP), the...

For people living in poor, remote areas, access to formal financial institutions to borrow or save money is considered a luxury. Yet families in...

In Chitral, the farthest most district of the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in northern Pakistan, a sea change of transformational teaching and learning is...

Meet Rukhshod, the leader of a national micro-lending organization (MLO) in Tajikistan, with five branches across three regions. In a country where the majority...

Aariz Ali, age 9, lives in Austin, Texas and attends a Montessori School. He likes mathematics and sports, especially basketball, and the San Antonio...

Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) launched a five-year program of agricultural development and nutrition support in the remote mountains of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan entitled...

Sarah Habib and Alisha Somani are co-presidents of the Aga Khan Foundation Youth Ambassadors in the Dallas area, and seniors in high school. Recently...

There is nothing that parents love more in this world than their children. Parents everywhere want our children to grow up safe, healthy, and...

As the holidays approach and the fall semester comes to a close at universities around the world, we’d like to feature a post from...

Jedidah always arrived early at the office. Some of her colleagues called her ambitious, but for her, the job was fulfilling as she saw...

“More important than speed, economic growth that is inclusive is crucial for a healthy and stable society.” In Central Asia, Aga Khan Foundation USA...

Aman Vadhwaniya grew up in a family that valued enterprise and education. When he graduated high school, he and his father embarked on a...

Kadiatou Diarra, age 8, is a smart girl who lives in Ballabougou with her mother, two sisters, and a brother. Where she lives is...

Tajikistan, a landlocked country in Central Asia, is often characterized by its peaks, rugged terrain, and untouched landscapes. The country is rich in fresh...

Portio is a village in northern Côte d’Ivoire. Located roughly 30 miles from the border of Mali, Portio is nested in a remote region...

When Aisha Sethi was young, she had one goal: to apply to university. Now Director of the Dermatology Global Health Program at Yale University’s...

When most Americans think of what it’s like to be a doctor, they picture long, exhausting days in medical school, endless nights in residency,...

Dilangez grew up in a family of six in a small village in Tajikistan. From a young age, she was passionate about design. Her...

Alyna is one of the undergraduates who have brought life to the new Naryn campus of the University of Central Asia in the Kyrgyz...

Viola is a Grade 9 student at Joy Primary School in Mathare, a notoriously poor neighborhood in Nairobi, Kenya. There, few families have books. Even...

One fall afternoon, five women in the playroom of the new kindergarten in the Kyrgyz Republic talked about the changes they saw with the...

For over 100 years, the AKDN has worked to ensure that students of all ages have access to quality learning at every rung of...

Munavvar Shamirov was a teacher in Tajikistan when he realized he needed to return to his parents’ village to help them as they were...

Right after school, 10-year-old Bakhtiyor Misharovob rushes home to meet his father at the workshop, a primitive-looking building with old equipment, broken sewage pipes,...

Ham Serunjogi, a graduate of the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa, Kenya, previously shared his journey from Uganda to Iowa to Facebook. In this...

Rasheed Hooda is redefining what it means to age in today’s world. This year the Houstonian is dedicating a remarkable journey to mark his...

When Kiran Lakhani and Aly Manji decided to get married, they wanted to make the occasion both a celebration and a gift for good. For their...

Sara is seven years old and lives in one of the world’s most remote areas—in northern Afghanistan. She dreams of becoming a doctor. But...

Dr. Touré is the sole doctor at the medical center in Kouto, a rural community in northern Côte d’Ivoire. He lives over 440 miles...

Salim Bhojani, an Aga Khan Foundation volunteer in Dallas, Texas, spoke recently about starting the We Care team, which hosts an annual dinner to...

In every country, every city, and every village around the world, we find strong, compassionate, and loving dads who are the heroes in their...

Though many African cultures regard orphans as the responsibility of the community, often only academically gifted orphans have a shot at making a better...

A child’s start in life can define a society’s growth and prosperity. The evidence is overwhelming: investing in early childhood (the period between pregnancy...

In an effort to help women gain financial independence, Project Mesha launched in Bihar, India, in 2016 to train women to rear goats and...

Zohir Shomusalamov, a young man from Khorog, Tajikistan, dreamed of finding a way to make use of his passion for cycling and the outdoors,...

The new executive director of the Afghanistan Institute for Civil Society, Zakir Stanikzai, is a familiar face in Afghanistan’s civil society community and across...

A Single Mother in Mombasa I ask you to picture in your mind a house with no ceiling, just aluminum sheets for a roof....

Stone Gates of Pamir I come from a small city in Tajikistan called Khorog. It’s a place locked in by protective mountains, so not...

The event also celebrated the successful conclusion of the Aga Khan Development Network’s (AKDN) largest partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID):...

In remote areas, a medical disaster can have a domino effect, causing families emotional and financial disaster as well. In northern Afghanistan, for example,...

Talant Niyazov, a graduate of the University of Central Asia (UCA)’s School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPCE), is a social entrepreneur in the...

It is a cloudy day in southern Tanzania as we head to a meeting with the Nema Digital Savings Group. The sky is grey,...

Goal 4, Inclusive and quality education for all, sets high standards to ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning. For...

In Gujarat, India the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) provides young people opportunities to explore a variety of livelihoods beyond traditional agriculture through its Yuva...

Goal 6, Adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all, aims to ensure everyone has access to clean water and sanitation. The Aga Khan...

Goal 3, Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being, sets out ambitious targets to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages....

Can television get people to engage with books? TV often lures people – especially young people – away from reading. But one educator in...

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), sometimes called the Global Goals, are a worldwide movement to break the cycle of poverty and ensure all people...

As a nurse with a clinic in northern Côte d’Ivoire, Vehi Pierre has his hands full helping patients. So when his supervisors signed him...

Hurricane Harvey struck the southern Texas coastline on August 25, 2017. The deadly storm became the costliest tropical storm on record, causing $200 billion...

In our civil society programs, we highlight the public and private energies that come together for the public good. A key part of that...

It was very special for me to return to Tanzania last week and participate in the 2nd International Conference on Early Childhood Development (ECD)...

At the recent Global Partners Forum 2017 in Washington, D.C., civil society groups gathered to review the field of social accountability. In a session...

For several years the Aga Khan Foundation, in partnership with Cargill, has helped to grow the Agrarian Institute of Bilibiza and its career development...

Social cohesion — trust and cooperation in society — can be essential in tackling the underlying issues of fragility and conflict. On September 18,...

Universal health coverage is part of the world’s movement toward improved quality of life. The Sustainable Development Goals embody that vision for a healthier...

This is the next in our series about our civil society programs and community philanthropy, which means working with communities to develop local solutions...

This is the third in our series about our civil society programs and community philanthropy, which means working with communities to develop local solutions...

We are thrilled to continue #humansoftheworld, tales we can relate to and marvel at. Throughout this series, we share stories of appreciation, self-reliance, and...

This is the second in our series about our civil society programs and community philanthropy, which means working with communities to develop local solutions...

In our civil society programs, we highlight the public and private energies that come together for the public good. A key part of that...

With your generous support, the Aga Khan Foundation celebrated a remarkable year in 2016. It was a year of progress in providing quality education,...

In Tajikistan, we are focusing on addressing the cornerstones of thriving communities in a Global Development Alliance with the U.S. Agency for International Development...

The Project In late 2013, the Aga Khan Foundation partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Technoserve, the U.S. Embassy in Mozambique and the...

Social cohesion — trust and cooperation in society — can be essential in tackling the underlying issues that can increase the risk of fragility...

Mrs. Ouandja Kone is the president of a women’s water users group in northern Cote d’Ivoire. Her community of Ouazomon has almost 5,000 residents...

The people of India are fully engaged to reaching the government’s goal of increasing sanitation coverage by building 120 million toilets in rural areas. The...

In Tajikistan, we are focusing on addressing the cornerstones of thriving communities in a Global Development Alliance with the U.S. Agency for International Development...

Karishma Bhagani, a graduate of the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa and current New York University student, understands that at the end of the...

This post continues our series on education and child development, highlighting “Skills for a Changing World” a new report, and reflections on Kenyan education included...

In Atlanta, Georgia the leaders at Circle K Atlanta, a group of convenience stores in the Circle K franchise, have been supporters of the...

Rayana Fazli is the grants portfolio manager for education with the Aga Khan Foundation in Afghanistan, focusing on girls’ education, community-based education, pre-primary education,...

Here we feature Bahor Marodalieva, the dynamo behind Green Nature, a sustainable, women-run venture in Tajikistan. Learn more about Green Nature, lead firms, and...

Happy World Water Day! This year we’re highlighting the Aga Khan Development Network Comprehensive Sanitation Initiative in India. In April 2015, Aga Khan Development...

Ham Serunjogi, a recent graduate of Grinnell College in Iowa, traveled widely before landing a job at Facebook. He has a passion for making...

This is the fourth in a series on how the Aga Khan Development Network is building capacity from local governance to regional economic growth....

Here we follow-up with newlyweds Shehzaan and Zainab Chunara, whom we featured last Valentine’s Day for their wedding gift to Aga Khan Foundation. They...

Aleem Mawji is a graduate of the Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa currently in his final year of study at the University of British Columbia.