The month in pictures: September

A dairy farmer and one of his four cows gaze through a barn door. As a smallholder farmer in rural Afghanistan, his livelihood is fragile; if even one cow falls sick, a quarter of his income could be at risk. Through a nearby Livestock Development Centre – initially established by AKF and now run privately by local veterinarians – he has accessed artificial insemination services to improve the health and productivity of his cows. By mixing indigenous cow breeds (producing around 4-5 litres of milk per day) with pure Friesian cows (producing up to 30 litres), he can produce more milk using the same amount of feed. In turn, the farmer welcomes a higher income per cow, improved nutrition, and a reduced carbon footprint.

Rani Devi leads a meeting for young people in her village to better understand their aspirations and the challenges they face. Rani Devi is the elected Sarpanch (community leader) in her village; during the meeting Rani demonstrated her proactive approach and growing commitment to inclusive community-driven development. With AKF’s support, Rani has been building her leadership skills alongside other elected women leaders from nearby villages. Together, they are working to integrate the needs of women and children into local governance plans.

Members of a Community Interest Group (CIG) collect honey from their beehives – a sustainable and climate-friendly income-generating activity. Against Syria’s complex economic backdrop, CIGs offer communities an opportunity to come together and establish small businesses and income-generating cooperatives to build financial resilience. AKF is supporting CIGs with grants, market access, and business plan development, strengthening production, profitability, and community engagement.

His Highness Prince Rahim Aga Khan V is welcomed to Uganda by Dr Jane Aceng, Minister of Health. During his first official visit to the country as 50th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, His Highness was awarded Uganda’s highest civilian honour, ‘The Most Excellent Order of the Pearl of Africa (Grand Master)’. Conferred by President Yoweri Museveni, the honour recognises His Highness’s and the Aga Khan Development Network’s near century-long contributions to the country’s social and economic development.

Members of AKF’s team in Madagascar race across the waves towards the Barren Isles – a chain of nine islands so remote that even many Malagasy do not know they exist. Here, we are working with small-scale fishing communities to develop alternative livelihoods that complement locally led marine conservation and climate resilience efforts. This work is delivered in partnership with Blue Ventures, funded by the Blue Action Fund.

Rural Hama’s ‘desert’ from above. Much of the area has been experiencing a multi-year drought, making it increasingly difficult to grow crops. In response, AKF is working with farmers to access new sources of water through solar-powered pumps, using water as economically as possible. Farmers are also adopting drip irrigation, building greenhouses, planting more climate resilient crops, and diversifying livestock to adapt to the rapidly changing climate.

During a lively workshop for school nutrition teams, participants build plates featuring a variety of locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables, including papayas, spinach, coconuts and more. Across southern Tanzania’s Lindi district, AKF is facilitating workshops for teachers and school committee members to grow their nutritional knowledge and improve school meals at their respective schools. This initiative is an effort to address student malnutrition, improve academic performance, and increase school attendance by providing healthy, balanced meals.

Supported by Global Affairs Canada.

Across two hectares of land, a community living in Tajikistan’s mountainous Sughd region have planted a flourishing apple orchard. With AKF’s support, the community has installed a drip irrigation system to maximise water use and boost productivity. The orchard is being cultivated using an intensive growth method and is expected to yield more than 20 tonnes of apples by its fourth year of growth. By then, the community managing the orchard will be able to take the apples to market for widespread distribution.

During the Amálgama Fair in Serra das Minas Market, participants join a sewing workshop to craft their own tote bags. The event, supported by AKF’s Creative Industries HUB initiative, celebrated art, creative skills, and community. This was the third edition of the fair, bring together more than 25 artists working in areas such as illustration, literature, screen printing, tattooing, clothing, and music, among others.

Laure Bedecarrax (right), Senior Partnerships Manager at AKF UK, speaks with a visitor to AKF’s booth at La Fabrique de la Diplomatie. The event was organised by France’s Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs to promote the missions and professions of diplomacy and encourage dialogue around international affairs and global cooperation. AKF’s booth showcased our diverse geographies and areas of work, with our participation reflecting our commitment to inspiring action for a more inclusive, peaceful and sustainable world.

AKF staff and local government officials play a handmade version of draughts/chequers at a regional showcase event in coastal Kenya. The game is one of many educational solutions developed by community design teams to encourage learning in a playful way. For the event, AKF brought together government officials from Kwale, Kilifi, and Mombasa counties, as well as community members, civil society organisations and educators. Design teams – supported through AKF’s Human-Centred Design process – presented their innovative solutions already improving school attendance, learning outcomes, career pathways and parental engagement within their schools and communities.

Supported by Global Affairs Canada.