The month in pictures: November

In rural Kenya, a woman uses her new cookstove to prepare a meal for her family. Before, like most families in her community, she used a three-stone fire – literally three stones holding up a pot. This method is easy to use but fuel-hungry, burning through wood quickly and filling homes with smoke, causing respiratory issues and deforestation. AKF is supporting rural communities to switch to ‘improved cookstoves’, seen here, which use half the wood and produce nearly no smoke.

First, AKF trains young people to construct and install the improved cookstoves, who then go household to household marketing the benefits they bring. If they get a sale, the household pays for the cost of the materials and the labour – creating an income stream for the salesperson.

Muniba Alam, a black belt in Taekwondo, leads a class at the Hunza Fit and Fight Club. She is the inspiring force behind the club, which she opened with support from the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP). Muniba’s goal is to help women and youth build confidence, strength and resilience through martial arts.

The club began with just three students but has since trained more than 250 young women and men within one year. The club has represented Gilgit-Baltistan in two national competitions, and many of its athletes have earned university admissions on sports scholarships.

A farmer feeds his pigeons in front of his pigeon tower, constructed using locally available resources. In rural Hama, pigeon breeding is emerging as a climate-adapted livelihood, with pigeons providing a sustainable source of protein and a steady income in increasingly arid areas. Surplus birds and chicks can be sold on, further strengthening the income stream.

AKF is promoting pigeon breeding through a programme funded by the EU, which aims to support an important shift in Syria from focusing on short-term humanitarian support to longer-term resilience building.

“My childhood smelled of apricots. Whenever I catch that scent, I remember the orchard, my father’s hard work and our dream that one day these fruits would reach far beyond our village. With each shipment, I think of my father and the orchards.”

Navruz (left) presents his sweet, dried apricots to an international buyer at an investment exhibition in Tajikistan’s capital, Dushanbe. Each year, Navruz currently exports 200-250 tons of dried apricots, mulberries, cherries and more to Russia, Belarus and Turkey. His business, which started small in his home village of Ponghoz – a place famous for its fragrant orchards – now employs 60 people, including 54 women, and is recognised for its quality on a global stage.

Navruz has been supported by AKF through a livelihood promotion programme, funded by the Governments of Japan and Finland and implemented by UNDP.

The Schools2030 Kenya National Showcase brought together teachers, civil society partners, and government officials to celebrate school-driven learning innovations. This year’s theme spotlighted 18 design teams using low-cost, locally available materials to create solutions in climate resilience (seen here), health and nutrition, parental engagement, inclusivity, numeracy and sports. The event also gave teams a platform to share their innovation journeys with other educators eager to adopt the process.

Schools2030 is AKF’s flagship education programme, supporting teachers to innovate to enhance learning outcomes.

One of four off-grid solar power systems installed by AKF in Syria’s coastal Tartous governorate. As part of a community-based solar energy initiative, battery energy storage systems fuelled by solar power, have been established to bolster a stable and efficient energy supply.

In Syria, renewable energy is not only clean, but it is also affordable, enabling communities to invest in other areas of life and unlock opportunity.

The third edition of Bloom Your Biz wrapped up after six weeks of training, mentorship and hands-on guidance, supporting determined entrepreneurs as they shaped their ideas into impactful solutions. The Demo Day, seen here, brought the cohort together for final pitches before a jury of experts and investors. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners won investment, business incubation and access to free coworking spaces.

Bloom Your Biz is an initiative of AKF in Portugal, delivered in partnership with Unicorn Factory Lisboa, supporting early-stage entrepreneurs to accelerate their businesses.