Education

The challenge: Worldwide, 600 million children and teenagers fail to reach basic levels of learning proficiency. Nearly half of them remain out of school. However, even those in school are not being prepared to succeed in or contribute to society. Among illiterate youth, nearly two out of three are girls – a fact that has remained largely unchanged for the last 20 years. These gaps in education translate to a world where people of all ages are left out of opportunity, and do not reach their full potential as adults.

Our solution: We strengthen education systems to equip girls and boys with the knowledge and skills to help them interact effectively with the world and contribute to a pluralist society. From preschool programs to advanced education for adults, our investments train teachers and administrators, and improve classrooms and schools, with a focus on dismantling the barriers to education for women and girls. We support policy and research to develop and scale affordable, innovative solutions that raise the quality and accessibility of public school systems for the most marginalized children worldwide.

Aswan Skills Development Program (ASDP)

The Aswan Skills Development Program aims to improve livelihoods and economic opportunities for youth in Egypt.

Afghanistan Women’s Empowerment Program (AWEP)

Duration: 2016-2020 Location: Afghanistan Reach: 235,100 people (213,050 women; 22,050 men) Budget: $12 million (Global Affairs Canada: $10.5 million; AKFC: $1.5 million) Description:

Pathways to Innovation: Strengthening Mathematics, Science, and Economic Policy Capacity in Afghanistan and Central Asia (P2I)

Duration: 2017-2020 Location: Afghanistan, Tajikistan Reach: 51,175 people Budget:  $2.2 million (International Development Research Centre: $1.5 million; AKFC: $500,000; Ministry of

Scaling Up Affordable, Quality, and Contextually Relevant Preschool Provision in Kenya (MECP)

Duration: 2018-2021 Location: Kenya Reach: 10,000 children aged 4 to 6 (5,000 girls and 5,000 boys) Budget: $2 million (Grand Challenges

Assessment of Different Implementation Models of Health and Health-related Sustainable Development Goals (IM-SDG)

Duration: 2018-2019 Location: Global Reach: This is a research project with no direct beneficiaries. Budget: $560,000 (International Development Research Centre: $280,000;

It takes a village

We were all once children. We were all once young, full of hope and potential.

Dispatch from the field: Finding inspiration from your office

Emma Bell-Scollan was part of the 2016-2017 cohort of the International Youth Fellowship Program. She was placed with the University

Dispatch from the field: From the framework to the field

Marc Lombardi was part of the 2016-2017 cohort of the International Youth Fellowship Program. He was placed as a Monitoring and Evaluation Fellow in Aga Khan Foundation Uganda.

“There is so much good going on…”

As September turned into October, six Canadians from different walks of life embarked on a journey through Kenya to get a glimpse into the work AKFC is supporting around the world.