What We Do

Nearly half of the world’s population — more than 3.5 billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day. More than 700 million people live in extreme poverty (less than USD $1.90 a day), the majority of whom are in Africa and Asia.

Aga Khan Foundation Canada tackles the root causes of this poverty through a holistic and interconnected set of programs. These initiatives address people’s most pressing needs and enable them to unlock their full potential, with a particular focus on marginalized groups like women and girls.

Our programs aim to ensure access to high-quality education and health care, ensure food security, improve economic well-being, and develop resilient communities and societies. We bring together human, financial, and technical resources to some of the poorest and most marginalized communities, with an emphasis on women and girls, investing in human potential, expanding opportunity, and improving quality of life.

Higher education and COVID-19: How Aga Khan University has risen to the challenge

“Among the founding principles that were set out by the Chancellor, was that AKU…should be able to serve [the] populations in which

Building partnerships through a pandemic

In many ways, the COVID-19 pandemic is a shared global experience. For students, the pandemic continues to disrupt their educational

Supporting early learners in challenging circumstances

Over the past months, we’ve learned that COVID-19 is more than a health crisis. The pandemic has disrupted our regular

Primary health care and the COVID-19 pandemic

By Fawad Akbari, MD, MPH, Senior Program Manager
COVID-19 has underscored the importance of primary health care systems, both in the global response to the pandemic and in keeping people healthy through the delivery of essential services.

Side effects: How COVID-19 is putting gender equality gains at risk

By Lindsay Mossman, Senior Gender Equality Advisor
How old you are, where you live, your race, your ethnic background, and your socioeconomic status all affect how your world has changed since the pandemic began. Gender is no exception.

Back-to-school, but not back to normal: Lessons from our field programs

By Tracey Evans, Program Manager, Education
Educators, parents, and policymakers around the world have grappled with a common question for months: how to keep children safe while learning?

A Canadian in Kenya

When he first heard about the coronavirus in early February, Liam Thorne was working as a monitoring and evaluation fellow supporting health programming in Kisii, Kenya.

Bridging the gap by supporting communities

Community health volunteers (CHVs) play a crucial role in the healthcare system in Kenya.

“Each of us can contribute.”

As a vaccine for COVID-19 has yet to be produced, prevention is the only way to stop the spread of this disease. Community awareness is key to the success of such initiatives.