Enhancing Youth potential in Northern Pakistan
A new generation of leaders is taking shape in Northern Pakistan, thanks to a Canadian-sponsored program that is fostering new approaches to engaging youth in the social and economic life of their communities. With amazing results. Enhancing Employability and Leadership for Youth (EELY) focused its efforts on skills and leadership training for youth in the Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral regions in Northern Pakistan. Recent regional elections saw a large number of youth who participated in the training, elected to village councils.
eHealth Initiatives Saving Time, Money and Lives
In the past decade, strengthening health care services in developing countries has been bolstered by technology. A big part of those advancements has been the result of eHealth, which utilizes communications technologies to create better access to services and provides opportunities for knowledge sharing among healthcare professionals.
These advancements are saving time, money, and most importantly, lives. Rural communities in particular are benefiting.
Investing in Higher Education Key to Economic Growth in Africa
One of the biggest challenges for governments and industry throughout the world is matching the skill-sets of workers to the demands of the labour market.
In the developing world, there is a growing call for much greater investment in higher education to create a workforce that can contribute to economic growth.
One of the leading voices on this front is Alex Awiti, Director of the East Africa Institute at the Aga Khan University in Nairobi. Listen to hear about why investing in education is essential for development.
Developing Relationships with African Reporters Key to North American Coverage
Open any newspaper or tune into international television news coverage in North America and the stories coming out of Africa can be pretty predictable. Poverty, hunger, violence. The images and stories can be pretty lacking in depth.
“Often times the coverage is very one-dimensional so characters are very often not fleshed out so it is the same story of suffering, suffering and more suffering,” says Chika Oduah, a freelance journalist based in Nairobi who was in Canada last June to deliver a keynote address to the Canadian Association of Journalists, in partnership with Aga Khan Foundation Canada. Listen to her audio interview to learn more.
Review of International Best Practices in Public Engagement and Learning Measurement
The report is a summary of best practice related to public engagement and learning measurement. In particular, best practices are drawn from innovative approaches to elaborating models of social change, and articulating related outcomes, indicators, and data collection methodologies.
Aga Khan Foundation Canada Teacher Institute Needs Assessment Report
This report outlines the key findings and recommendations for developing a teacher institute and for providing ongoing support for a growing community of educator’s global education and international development. The research included an environment scan, document review, a survey and more than 45 interviews with educators and representatives from civil society organizations.
Environmental Scan & Scoping for AKFC’s International Journalism Fellowship
This research study was undertaken to assess the need and demand for a media fellowship program focused on international development reporting. The research included an environmental scan, document review and interviews with journalists, media managers, editors and publishers. The report provides key findings and best practices for designing and implementing a journalism fellowship in the Canadian media landscape.
Canadians as Global Citizens
While 75% of Canadians say international development is important to them, Canadians’ knowledge of the issues remains low.
This research study included a public opinion survey, media analysis, key informant interviews and in-depth digital analysis. Based on the research findings, key insights and opportunities for engaging Canadians on international development issues are presented.
The Role of Development Finance Institutions and the Canadian Development Context
Alongside the Post-2015 discussions, a parallel conversation has been taking place on how a new ambitious development agenda will be financed. Donor countries including Canada are exploring new ways to bolster investments in developing countries to align with current development priorities. This summary document highlights the key issues and outcomes that emerged from a half-day roundtable on The Role of Development Finance Institutions and the Canadian Development Context.
Innovative Finance for Health: Expanding Resources for Greater Impact
The recent outbreak of the deadly Ebola disease in West Africa underscores the importance of timely and sufficient resources to combat epidemics wherever and whenever they occur – as well as to strengthen the overall capacities of health systems in developing countries. While impressive gains have improved the health of citizens of developing countries, traditional sources of funding – primarily from foreign aid and government grants – are clearly insufficient to fully address health challenges worldwide. That is why interest has been growing in innovative ways of mobilizing financial resources to support improved global health outcomes.
School Improvement in Developing Countries: Experiences and Lessons Learned
This report was developed to stimulate a discussion about best practices in the delivery of programs that support improvements in education access and quality at the pre-tertiary education levels in developing countries. Looking at the experience of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and others, it synthesizes evidence, experiences, and lessons learned in the broad field of pre-primary, primary and secondary school education.
Linking home and school for improved literacy in Pakistan
There is overwhelming evidence globally that early childhood learning is essential to later success in school. But current teaching methods in Pakistan emphasize rote learning, few teachers receive training in early literacy, and the most experienced typically teach in the upper grades.
Early Human Development: Nutrition
Access to a nurturing environment, stimulation of the mind, and good nutrition throughout fetal development and childhood shape how an individual is able to learn and respond to future challenges.
Health Worker Training as a First Step towards Healthier Mothers and Children
The availability of qualified health professionals is central to the delivery of effective health care. From administrative support to medical specialists, every level of staff is key. But many developing and fragile states suffer from a lack of trained staff needed to build a coherent health system.
eHealth: Finding the Right Solutions for Local Needs
A growing number of practitioners are exploring eHealth – leveraging advances in communications technology to strengthen health systems across the globe. Aiming to promote improved health service provision, especially in difficult-to-access rural and remote communities, these innovations have resulted in a suite of programs from health messages delivered to mobile phones to video conferencing between doctors on different continents.
Changing Behaviour to Ensure Better Health for Mothers and Children
Ensuring healthier lives, especially for women and children, begins at home. Women and children die every day of diseases such as diarrhea, which are easily preventable with better hygiene practices. But how can the health care community spur a change towards healthier practices? Changing traditional behaviours takes a lot of time, effort and contextual knowledge to be successful in any country.
Building an appetite for urban food systems
Africa has the highest rate of urban growth in the world. By 2030, half of its people are expected to live in cities, up from just over one-third in 2010. As cities grow, their ecological footprint also increases: urban sprawl consumes land and water available for agriculture, even as the pressure on food supplies increases.
