Our year in pictures 2024

January

Bitti is a 25-year-old widow from Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh. This year, she joined Project Lehar, where women and girls can learn new skills, grow in confidence and build their economic resilience. Along with nine other women, Bitti was selected to receive a 50% subsidy from the government to purchase an e-rickshaw after obtaining her driving license. Now, Bitti proudly serves as a skilled female driver, earning a stable monthly income to support herself and her family. Project Lehar is a partnership between AKF and The King’s Trust International.

February

Ahtamov Subhonqul joined his community in planting 533 Paulownia (foxglove) trees in Panjakent city. The trees have seen impressive growth, reaching heights of more than 1.5 metres. With the support of the Mountain Societies Development Support Programme and the State Forest Enterprise of Panjakent city, AKF is implementing environmental stewardship initiatives so that people like Subhonqul can develop their experience in these skills.

March

On International Women’s Day, Lisandra said, “Being a woman is being a fighter, being a mother, and being strong in very difficult moments.”

Lisandra recently pitched her idea for a device that helps women in situations of violence seek support. She presented her idea at a Bloom Your Biz event, an AKF-supported programme which supports entrepreneurs to develop and launch new businesses. Lisandra was able to conceptualise her idea after graduating from Bytes4Future, a digital upskilling programme for youth out of employment, training or education, also supported by AKF.

April

From the clouds: the Pamir Mountain range, taken 3,000 meters above sea level. The Pamir Mountains are a range of mountains between Central Asia and South Asia, and much of the range lies in the Gorno-Badakhshan Province (GBAO) of Tajikistan. With peaks exceeding 7,500 metres, they are among the world’s highest mountains and are often referred to as ‘the roof of the world’.

May

A Vezo family searches the reef flats for octopus in the early morning sun. The Vezo are a Malagasy migratory tribal community, for whom the ocean and fishing are intrinsic to their culture. For several months of the year, many Vezo migrate from Madagascar’s mainland to the Barren Isles – a chain of nine islands so remote that even many Malagasy do not know they exist. To support the fishers and their families who live on these islands, AKF is working with technical and local partners to conserve the marine environment and identify alternative sources of income that complement small-scale fishing.

June

Kyrgyz dance, Ergime, performed by the National Exemplary Dance Ensemble Shattyk at a cultural concert hosted by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic during the Schools2030 Global Forum. Hosted at the National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre in Bishkek, an evening of music, drama and art showcased the culture of the Kyrgyz Republic with performances in ballet, opera, symphony, and traditional Kyrgyz dance.

July

The Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) in India is leading efforts to green some of the most degraded and toughest landscapes in the country. Here, a one-year-old microforest, planted in partnership with the local community in Dhalsalgaon village, Madhya Pradesh, sits in stark contrast with the surrounding terrain, degraded by climate change. Under AKF’s GROW initiative, AKRSP India – with active community participation – has established more than 1,400 micro-forests and planted more than 3,224,000 trees.

August

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.

September

After nine years of success in Mozambique, AKF’s civil society initiative – Juntos! – has kickstarted a new phase Portugal. This event, featuring workshops and lectures, brought together civil society organisations from across Porto to explore innovative solutions for the social challenges they face. They formed new networks – represented by a web of colourful strings – from which they can build collaborative community projects juntos! (meaning ‘together!’). The initiative is supported by ”la Caixa” Foundation.

October

Kaleem Ullah and his mother, Jamjur, tend to a small plantation of vegetables in their garden. The produce they grow helps Jamjur feed her young family healthy and nutritious meals. They are participants of the Central Asia Stunting Initiative (CASI) run by Aga Khan Health Service and AKF. CASI is currently partnered with 475 remote communities in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan to prevent as well as treat stunting and improve nutrition.

November

Members of Pwani Youth Network proudly show off their colourful, climate-friendly art. These young people spent an afternoon painting recycled bottles – an activity facilitated by the network’s newly established community library, which caters to learners in and out of school. Pwani Youth Network supports youth, children, women and people living with disabilities. The organisation is a long-term partner of AKF, most recently through the Schools2030 programme, which supported the process of setting up the community library, including providing storybooks and leading participatory training sessions for staff.

December

Jendile, a village elder in Mayumbe, and Dorcas, headteacher at the Mayumbe village primary school, show off the harvest from Teacher Dorcas’ smallholder farm. Both Jendile and Dorcas have been working with AKF to boost climate resilience in the village, achieving great success in their regenerative farming practice.