The month in pictures: August

Last month, the Olivais Children’s Centre (CIOS) received a visit from His Excellency the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, accompanied by the Minister of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security, Maria do Rosário Palma Ramalho, and the President and Vice-President of the Social Security Institute, Dr. Otávio Félix de Oliveira and Dr. Catarina Marcelino.

After visiting the rooms and talking to the children and the educational teams, it was time to watch a short film about the 15 years of CIOS under AKF Portugal’s management. The guests also received souvenirs, made specifically for the occasion, and ended their visit by recording a memory of the moment in the CIOS guest book!

AKF Portugal has supported CIOS since August 2009, when it took over the management of the centre.

Farmers in Al Mufaker village participate in training on regenerative agriculture – with a specific focus on learning about the optimal methods for manufacturing organic pesticides. As part of this process, active substances are extracted from plants widespread in the immediate environment and used to fertilise plants and control pests. This approach helps farmers to move towards organic agriculture, reduce reliance on chemical fertilisers and pesticides, and save on input costs – with increased crop harvests and soil regeneration.

The initiative forms a part of AKF’s broader work in the region, improving agriculture and livestock productivity by providing sustainable inputs and technical assistance to farmers and communities.

At an incubation event, teachers from across Lamu and Mombasa, Kenya, were supported by Schools2030 educators in developing classroom innovations. Once developed, teachers showcased their designs, made specifically to suit their classroom contexts, and engaged in discussion about how these innovations worked to improve learning outcomes.

Schools2030 is AKF’s global education initiative, putting schools at the heart of social change.

Pinki Devi harvests herbs from her Poshan Vatika (Kitchen Garden) in Narauli Kalyan village in Muzaffarpur, Bihar. These kitchen gardens play a crucial role in ensuring the nutrition of rural households by providing a steady supply of vegetables and greens for home consumption, significantly enhancing diet diversity. Currently, there are 3,399 such Poshan Vatikas across Bihar – supported by AKF’s community-based programme, Project Mesha.

Syrian youth participate in a community workshop with TEDx Baron St aimed at developing volunteer teams’ experiences and enhancing the voices of young men and women in Aleppo.

The event formed a part of the broader work of the Adolescent Girls’ Education in Crisis Initiative (AGENCI) – a joint initiative of AKF and World University Service of Canada – which addresses the gender, social, cultural, and economic barriers faced by adolescent girls and young women, in conflict-affected countries, in accessing education and making pivotal life decisions.

19-year-old Awa Amine dances and raises her hands with fellow participants of the Girls’ Safe Space Group, one of the initiatives of the SPARC project. SPARC – a programme led by AKF Canada – addresses some of the main sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) barriers facing women and girls in Mozambique, and works to improve the quality of sexual and reproductive services across the country.

Kulwa, an AKF “Green Champion” – a young community advocate who cascades knowledge of climate resilient agriculture to smallholder farmers – guides a group of school learners through experiential learning, transplanting saplings and reviewing low-cost tools, at a regenerative farming plot in Morogoro, Tanzania.

The initiative is a part of AKF’s Maendeleo Project, a two-year pilot project supporting smallholder farmers to improve farming techniques, transition to regenerative agriculture, and strengthen their climate resilience.