The month in pictures: June

Elizabeth Maina, AKF’s Regional Programme Advisor in East Africa, recently visited Kenya’s Coast region to assess the progress of the mangroves planted at Tudor Creek – a tidal creek separating Mombasa Island from the Kenyan mainland. The mangroves have been planted in partnership with Big Ship, a local civil society organisation leading environmental conservation across Mombasa.

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.

Colleagues from AKF UK and AKF Pakistan meet with a community participating in a programme supporting climate resilience in remote and vulnerable areas of northern Pakistan. The community presented a map which shows how their local river has been channelised (or redirected) to prevent the risk of flooding in surrounding villages. The programme is supported by UBS.

A new ‘medical checkpoint’ has been established in the village of Kochon, giving residents easy access to healthcare. The checkpoint is a welcome addition to the community, ensuring vital services are close at hand. The checkpoint – which is one of 13 built in the area – offers vaccinations, basic health tests, and emergency first aid. Crucially, pregnant women in Kochon village no longer need to travel long distances for ongoing care at hospitals, which are typically far away from where they live.

On World Environment Day, AKF co-hosted a microforest planting event with a new corporate partner, Jubilee Insurance. The event marked the launch of our partnership, where 350 seedlings were planted at Drive Inn Primary school in Nairobi County. AKF’s Regional Programme Advisor in East Africa, Elizabeth Maina, is pictured planting one of the seedlings.

Students and teachers from General Secondary School 69 in Bishkek performing traditional Kyrgyz folk music at the Schools2030 Global Forum. The performance was organised with the Centre Ustatshakirt – a long-term partner of the Aga Khan Music Programme in Kyrgyz Republic. The Aga Khan Music Programme supports a network of curriculum development centres and music schools in the Kyrgyz Republic, whose visionary programmes and projects aim to ensure the transmission and ongoing evolution of local musical heritage.

Nasimova and her daughter stand proudly in front of their greenhouse, which was completed in January. Since the beginning of the year, the family has been cultivating fresh green vegetables. It is one of 221 greenhouses built by AKF in this area of Tajikistan. The greenhouses play a vital role in ensuring food security and climate resilience, providing a controlled environment for year-round crop production which benefits both the local economy and the nutritional health of local communities.

Delegates at the Schools2030 Global Forum Opening Ceremony raise their hands to show if they are or have been teachers. The Schools2030 Global Forum, organised in partnership with AKF and the Ministry of Education and Science for the Kyrgyz Republic, gathered over 200 delegates including teachers from 10 countries to dialogue with civil society, international organisations, donors and government leaders. The Opening Ceremony was hosted at the Ala Archa State Residence.

Through an initiative supporting the wellbeing of Sintra’s senior citizens, AKF hosted a two-day residence in partnership with ARPIMS (Association of Retirees, Pensioners and Elderly People of Mira Sintra). The event included simulations of activities, including a board game room and a computer room, so that the participants could test out new solutions using Human Centered Design. The ultimate aim is to bring more effective health and wellbeing services closer to Sintra’s elderly people, with the senior citizens themselves as active participants in design and decision-making.