The month in pictures: March

Amongst the vibrant mangroves of Gazi Bay, a women’s group ventures through the trees to harvest propagules. Once collected, the women keep the propagules in a seedling nursery to prepare them for planting in less dense areas of forest. The work of community groups like this replicates and fast tracks the natural propagation process, enabling these coastal forests to restore further and faster. Across East Africa, AKF is working with local Green Champions, young people from nearby communities, to support coastal residents with mangrove restoration efforts.

20-year-old Mbolatiana (left) and her family. After finishing high school, Mbolatiana struggled to find stable and secure income. She participated in skills and vocational training offered by AKF, focusing on carpentry and woodwork, a trade where women remain underrepresented. Mbolatiana now works in inventory and production and is earning to provide for herself and her family.

Mbolatiana’s training was delivered through AKF’s Foundations for Education and Empowerment programme, funded by Global Affairs Canada.

A young girl stands at the front of her classroom reading aloud – a moment made possible by the newly rehabilitated Agareb School in Salamieh. Through AKF’s education and built environment projects, the school’s learning spaces have been restored to create a safer, more supportive environment where girls and boys can build confidence, strengthen their literacy skills and participate more fully in their education.

By improving school infrastructure and promoting holistic learning, the initiative helps children thrive academically and emotionally while fostering stronger, more resilient communities.

A member of a women’s group stands in the doorway of their seagrass production unit. Her group produces various products from seagrass, from salads to soaps, and other health and hygiene products. At low tide, the women harvest seagrass from the beach opposite the unit. Once harvested, they process the seagrass into marketable products to sell to their communities and at local markets.

Like many Indian Ocean communities, this community depends on the ocean for livelihoods. Through the ReGeneration initiative, AKF is supporting communities across the region to enhance existing coastal livelihoods and protect the ecosystem upon which they rely.

Four young women hold menstrual cup products – part of a pilot initiative focused on community-led solutions to support school attendance, supporting girls’ well-being and education. In their community, menstrual health is a key barrier to education, so, with AKF’s support, the community is providing menstrual cups to young women and increasing menstrual health awareness to help girls stay in school.

The pilot initiative is part of AKF’s Foundations for Education and Empowerment programme, funded by Global Affairs Canada.

Rukia Mnyachi of Mkunwa Ward in Mtwara stands with women from her community. Last year, Rukia (front) made history by becoming the first woman chairperson in her village since Tanzania’s independence in 1961. Within three months of taking office, she secured clean water services in her village and obtained land for a new school through collective community efforts and income from local cashew sales. Rukia’s guidance has since inspired more women in her village to pursue leadership roles in both their households and communities with greater confidence.

Earlier this month, Rukia spoke at a roundtable hosted by AKF, sharing how the leadership training she received through AKF’s Advancing Gender Equality and Civil Society (AGECS) initiative empowered her to run for village chairperson.

A Community-Based Saving Group (CBSGs) meets in Chitral. These groups provide women with a trusted and culturally appropriate platform to save regularly, access small loans and collectively manage household finances and emergency needs.

Across Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral, the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme in Pakistan has supported the establishment of 1,926 CBSGs, engaging more than 38,000 women members. These serve as an important pathway for women’s economic participation, enabling greater involvement in household decision-making and community life while building confidence and solidarity.

Women leaders from the Khalva Roshni Women’s Federation stand proudly in bright orange outfits, each wearing a traditional turban typically worn by men. By claiming this symbol of pride and honour for themselves, these Bhil tribal women signal how far they have come in breaking social barriers.

As marginal farmers engaged in small‑scale agriculture and livestock rearing, the women have come together into a federation, with support from the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme in India. This year, they organised and funded their own International Women’s Day celebration in Khandwa, highlighting women’s contributions to regenerative agriculture and livelihood enhancement. Their leadership reflects a growing movement of rural women shaping development in their villages on their own terms.

Christina sits in her home in Mozambique. Christina is the president of AMETRAMO (Association of Traditional Healers of Mozambique), and a community champion for women’s rights. After participating in training offered by AKF, she has started to work to raise awareness about early marriages, teenage pregnancy and domestic violence in her community.

AKF’s Foundations for Education and Empowerment programme supports women leaders like Christina to improve the quality of life of women in their communities, funded by Global Affairs Canada.

Young women settle in front of their laptops as they begin a Bytes4Future programming class. They are part of a cohort of 40 trainees – including many young women entering the digital economy for the first time – starting a new cycle of coding and employability training designed for Syrian youth who are currently out of employment, education or training.

AKF’s Bytes4Future initiative supports young women and men gain market‑relevant digital skills that strengthen their confidence, expand their career options and help break cycles of exclusion by opening pathways into Syria’s growing tech sector.

Women from Bahi Makulu village gather under a tree for a community health session led by community health workers. This support forms part of a comprehensive cancer care project, led by AKF and Aga Khan Health Services, which has a particular focus on women.

Supported by AKF, community health workers are increasing awareness of breast and cervical cancer, promoting HPV vaccinations for girls and strengthening community-level service uptake. Gatherings like this one encourage open dialogue, learning and engagement, helping to strengthen awareness and encourage women to seek preventive services and share the knowledge within their households and communities.

Participants of the Foundations for Health and Empowerment programme’s closing event stand together in Bishkek, celebrating progress toward gender equality and stronger community systems for women, youth and vulnerable communities in remote mountainous regions of the Kyrgyz Republic. The gathering brought together more than 80 guests – including Rosa Otunbaeva, former President of the Kyrgyz Republic; Dogdurkul Kendirbaeva, Minister of Education of the Kyrgyz Republic; and Dr. Barkat Fazal, AKDN Representative – to reflect on how women’s equal participation and leadership are driving change across the country.

The event highlighted the programme’s achievements, from expanding access to quality health services for women to strengthening early childhood development and promoting more inclusive community engagement. It also underscored the importance of shifting patriarchal norms by encouraging men’s active involvement in caregiving and early childhood, helping create a more equitable future for girls and women.