The month in pictures: August

Students at Al-Nassrudin Primary School sing with their teacher, Rashid Salum Khamis, during morning assembly. Through AKF’s Foundations for Education and Empowerment programme, supported by Global Affairs Canada, pre-primary teachers receive training and mentoring through the Madrasa Early Childhood Programme (MECP). Rashid, an MECP alumnus, now volunteers as a teacher mentor, visiting classrooms to guide new teachers and help spread quality teaching across Zanzibar. Established over 40 years ago, MECP continues to give children across East Africa the best possible start in life.

In Ak-Bulung village, solar panels power water pumps that bring irrigation to farmland previously out of reach. With many fields lying above water sources, diesel pumps are costly, both financially and for the environment. Additionally, croplands are typically far from electricity infrastructure, making solar-powered pump stations an especially practical solution. AKF’s solar-powered pump stations provide a clean, affordable, and climate-friendly solution – turning dry land into productive farms and boosting food security for rural communities.

An aerial view of Chitral Town in lower Chitral, with the Chew Bridge connecting the town to Denin. Chitral Town is the district’s main hub, surrounded by small villages and home to government offices, Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) agency offices, hospitals, and many families. In this mountainous region, the environment is prone to flash floods, landslides, and other climate-related hazards, putting communities and livelihoods at risk. AKF and Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) are strengthening disaster preparedness across lower and upper Chitral through awareness-raising, skills training, early warning systems, structural mitigation like protective walls and channelization, and innovative initiatives such as shock-responsive cash assistance and data dashboards to improve coordination with local authorities.

Rukia Mnyachi Mohamed (left) is her village’s Chairperson – a rare leadership role for women in communities like Rukia’s. Shungi Selemani (right) carries water from a point organised by Rukia, showing how Rukia’s leadership is already benefiting the village. In partnership with the Tanzania Gender Networking Programme (TGNP), AKF is supporting women like Rukia with mentoring and training to step into leadership roles and challenge traditional attitudes.

Supported by Global Affairs Canada.

Batool Koser is the owner of Dast-e-Hunar, a business creating Early Childhood Development toys and products from discarded pieces of wooden furniture. She creatively repurposes the wood, turning what would otherwise be waste into valuable educational resources. Batool learned wood carving through the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme’s (AKRSP) skill development programme in Pakistan, and with further support from AKRSP, she has now turned her craft into a thriving business – already securing a major order from a local school system.

As part of the Egypt Day celebrations at the Ismaili Centre in Lisbon, a knowledge-sharing session brought together two master artisans – one in mother-of-pearl and the other in traditional Egyptian embroidery – with the Bandim cooperative. Based in Lisbon, Bandim empowers migrant women and refugees through traditional crafts, helping members blend their cultural heritage with modern design. The proceeds from sales go directly to the artisans, supporting economic independence, social inclusion, and the preservation of traditional arts.

As part of AKF’s efforts to support rural communities in Syria to become more climate resilient, the team is supporting the construction of 10 rainwater harvesting reservoirs. In this arid region, the reservoirs collect and store rainwater to support irrigation and agriculture during dry periods, strengthening local farmers’ livelihoods, improving water management, and enhancing climate resilience.