Gender Equality

The challenge: We have seen significant reductions in global poverty since 1990, but not everyone has benefitted equally. Hundreds of millions of women and girls are still poor and remain disproportionately affected by poverty, including unequal access to resources, opportunities, and choices. According to UN women, not a single country in the world can claim to have achieved gender equality. Women and girls continue to face obstacles in law and culture which translate to a world where they are undervalued, work more, earn less, have fewer choices, and experience violence at home and in public.

Our solution: We strive towards a future where gender does not determine status, power to make decisions, or access to resources and services – a world where women, men, girls, and boys can all reach their full potential. We promote gender equality in all of our programs by engaging women and men, girls and boys, to address the underlying beliefs and practices that create and reinforce gender inequalities. We also empower the disadvantaged, whether male or female, to develop confidence and skills and take control over their lives, and invest in institutions and relationships that facilitate an environment that supports gender equality.

Women delivering change

Jane Wanyama is the CEO of Aga Khan Hospital in Kisumu. Her position is rare for a woman in East Africa – or for that matter, anywhere in the world.

Sowing the seeds of potential

The first 1,000 days of a child’s life, it is said, sets the stage for all future growth.

Daring to Deliver: Midwives on the Frontlines

Midwives are often on the frontlines of health care in developing countries, delivering crucial patient-centered care to women and their

Meet Mwatime: How this 7-year-old can get access to quality education

The world’s 1.1 billion girls are a source of power, energy, and creativity.

Dispatch from the field: What do you want to be when you grow up?

Allie Shier was part of the 2017-2018 cohort of the International Youth Fellowship Program. She participated in the International Development

Projet d’amélioration de l’accès à des services éducatifs de qualité (PASEQ)

Duration: 2014-2017 Location: Mali Reach: 160,500 people (16,200 children and 144,300 parents and adults) Budget: $5.3 million (Global Affairs Canada: $4.5

Enhancing Employability And Leadership For Youth (EELY)

Duration: 2011-2017 Location: Pakistan Reach: 252,000 people (114,200 women and 137,800 men) Budget: $19 million (Global Affairs Canada: $16 million; AKFC:

Partnership For Advancing Human Development In Africa And Asia (PAHDAA)

Duration: 2012-2018 Location: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Canada, Egypt, Uganda, India, Kenya, Kyrgyz Republic, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Tanzania

Health Action Plan For Afghanistan (HAPA)

Duration: 2015-2020 Location: Afghanistan Reach: 1.26 million (619,250 women and girls; 640,750 men and boys) Budget: $75.2 million (Global Affairs Canada: $55