We work in more than a dozen countries in Africa and Asia, promoting innovative, sustainable solutions to critical development challenges. Countries do not exist in isolation from the complexities of their region, and many communities straddle porous borders. For this reason, we take a regional approach to program design, connecting sustainable improvements to quality of life to the development of the region as a whole.
These are the keys to a lockbox where 12 members of a savings group in Mozambique are investing their earnings. With the return on their investments, they have been able to make basic improvements to their homes, like a freezer, an oven, a table and chairs, bowls and plates, and a roof that doesn’t leak.
East Africa is facing a growing threat: By 2030, cardiovascular diseases are expected to surpass infectious diseases like malaria and HIV/AIDS as a leading cause of death in the region.
Earlier this month, Deborah Lyons, Canadian Ambassador to Afghanistan, and Nurjehan Mawani, Diplomatic Representative of His Highness the Aga Khan to Afghanistan, met with Governor Tahir Zohair and local officials in the province of Bamyan in Northern Afghanistan.
Four years ago, Laya Hoor took a walk through the village of Ghulmet, on the banks of the Hunza River. The craggy peaks of northern Pakistan’s mountain ranges rose around her on all sides, so high that they skimmed the clouds drifting by.
On February 22 of this year, I woke up like every other day. I had a coffee, took a shower, and ate breakfast. Except that day I drove five hours to a small rural town in Tanzania called Kilwa to see how Canadians are improving the quality of education for children in East Africa.
Several wooden spoons and forks are perched on a table as Fatima puts the finishing touches on another one. Around her, other carpenters are carving signs, measuring material, and smoothing out large pieces of wood for new projects.
We all have a favourite teacher from when we went to school. They inspired in us a sense of boundless wonder, and motivated us to reach new heights.
It sits nestled in the palm of my hand, a shrunken, wrinkled russet sphere that rattles softly when I shake it. I find it in Zeverdashd, a Tajik village wedged between the towering Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan and Afghanistan. It represents a livelihood for 15 women and their families.
Apendiwe Momade sits in the shade outside her home in rural Mozambique, next to a billowing pile of dried grass.
Her legs are outstretched on one of her homemade mats, her fingers a blur as she expertly twists the grass into intricate patterns.
