The month in pictures: October

To celebrate World Teachers’ Day, AKF facilitated an action-packed event in Kwale County in collaboration with national and county government. In attendance were teachers and students from schools across the county, as well as members of local civil society organisations. Throughout the day there were musical performances, traditional dances, poetry and speeches, tree planting, and a march to honour the tireless work of these Kenyan teachers. 

This curious goat is one of many reared by communities in Tajikistan’s Roshtqala District. Cashgora goats are native to Tajikistan and thrive in cold mountain climates. They are a cross-breed of cashmere and angora goats and communities here spin their fur into valuable cashgora yarn. To bolster this process, AKF and Mountain Societies Development Support Programme (MSDSP) established LLC Pamir Cashmere, an innovative high-tech fibre processing facility which is providing permanent jobs for local residents and provides access to markets for over 1,000 goat herders.

Here, women are spinning the cashgora yarn of the goats. They are part of one of the spinning groups that receives dehaired fibre from the Pamir Cashmere facility. Whilst some of the yarn is spun in the factory using machinery, the rest is carefully spun by hand. The facility sells and exports the yarn, in this case to the USA, providing stable employment opportunities for both women and men in the Roshtqala District and strengthening Tajikistan’s textile value chain.

A civil society group in Tartous, which supports young people and people living with disabilities hosts an arts and crafts workshop. For organisations like this, access to electricity is extremely limited, meaning that many have no choice but to reduce or even stop their activities altogether. AKF is working with civil society organisations by providing solar power systems so that they can continue their vital work in bringing communities together.

Sonia, 22, is a part of a team of girls training in motorcycle mechanics at St. John’s Institute of Science and Technology. In this northern region of Uganda, AKF partners with local civil society organisations to offer vocational, entrepreneurial, and financial literary training for young women so they can learn new skills, earn a livelihood, and gain financial independence.  

In Harpur Mukund village, women in a local Self-Help Group (SHG) hold up their passbooks, which they use to keep a record of their financial transactions. The Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) has played an instrumental role in the promotion of SHGs like this one, specifically for women, to support access to financial services. The groups create a locally led and sustainable platform to save money through collective efforts. The savings accumulated have been used in a variety of ways, from agricultural inputs to securing their children’s education or starting businesses. To date, AKRSP has established and supported more than 8,000 SHGs, comprising over 98,000 women. 

Members of a Seed Fund in Kyrgyz Republic’s Uzgen district. Seed Funds are community-led institutions comprising of several farmers. These groups support the value chain by growing fodder seeds – including barley, maize and wheat – and supplying them to fellow farmers. Members also provide consultations for farmers on using agrotechnology (agricultural machinery like seeders, grain cleaners and harvesters) to grow quality fodder crops. AKF and MSDSP support Kyrgyz Seed Funds in a number of ways, including equipping them with agrotechnology.