Growing up in Jalal-Abad, the Kyrgyz Republic, Baisal spent his childhood with school friends and helping his mother care for his two younger siblings. His favorite memories, however, featured admiring his mother’s paintings that seemingly came to life in their living room.

Aariz Ali, age 9, lives in Austin, Texas and attends a Montessori School. He likes mathematics and sports, especially basketball, and the San Antonio Spurs. He has a younger sister, Ayza.

Sarah Habib and Alisha Somani are co-presidents of the Aga Khan Foundation Youth Ambassadors in the Dallas area, and seniors in high school. Recently they spoke with us about the group’s local programs, aspirations, and public recognition they have received.

A 2016 graduate of Aga Khan Academy (AKA) in Mombasa, Kenya, Barbara Nasila found her way to a leadership role as an architecture student at the University of California, Berkeley. Recently she spoke with us about her education journey from Kenya to California. You grew up in Mombasa, Kenya. How did you first encounter...

Jedidah always arrived early at the office. Some of her colleagues called her ambitious, but for her, the job was fulfilling as she saw herself in every girl that was being supported by her organization. Having joined the Kenyan nonprofit Merti Integrated Development Programme (MID-P) three months earlier as a Girl Education Officer, she...

Aman Vadhwaniya grew up in a family that valued enterprise and education. When he graduated high school, he and his father embarked on a dream – to open their own restaurant. Then they saw an opportunity to make that venture a way to give back to a favorite philanthropy.

When Aisha Sethi was young, she had one goal: to apply to university. Now Director of the Dermatology Global Health Program at Yale University’s School of Medicine, Aisha credits her experience at the Aga Khan University not only for a quality education, but for helping her forge a career in global health, with a...

Munavvar Shamirov was a teacher in Tajikistan when he realized he needed to return to his parents’ village to help them as they were getting older. That decision led him to a crossroads and ultimately to a new vocation in beekeeping. Now a graduate of the University of Central Asia (UCA)’s School of Professional...

Ham Serunjogi, a graduate of the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa, Kenya, previously shared his journey from Uganda to Iowa to Facebook. In this post, he talks about his new startup Chipper, a peer-to-peer payments platform that helps people in Africa make payments with each other across borders. Read his story below.

Rasheed Hooda is redefining what it means to age in today’s world. This year the Houstonian is dedicating a remarkable journey to mark his 64th year, where he will walk hundreds of miles to highlight the values that have sustained him in his life. Rasheed has partnered with the Aga Khan Foundation USA to use...

Salim Bhojani, an Aga Khan Foundation volunteer in Dallas, Texas, spoke recently about starting the We Care team, which hosts an annual dinner to raise funds for the Foundation’s programs.

Though many African cultures regard orphans as the responsibility of the community, often only academically gifted orphans have a shot at making a better life for themselves. They may even have access to the numerous bursaries and scholarships offered by the government and various organizations. So, what happens to the average orphan?

Zohir Shomusalamov, a young man from Khorog, Tajikistan, dreamed of finding a way to make use of his passion for cycling and the outdoors, but had little idea of what skills and knowledge he might need to do so. In 2015, Zohir discovered the Small and Medium Business Management (SMBM) program offered by the...

A Single Mother in Mombasa I ask you to picture in your mind a house with no ceiling, just aluminum sheets for a roof. For the floor, no tiles, just sand. Walls with no paint, just stone bricks cemented together. A bathroom with no shower or tiles, just a hole at the corner to...

Stone Gates of Pamir I come from a small city in Tajikistan called Khorog. It’s a place locked in by protective mountains, so not many outsiders know about it. Until a few years ago, those mountains were stone gates that refused the outside world any access into the Pamir region.

Talant Niyazov, a graduate of the University of Central Asia (UCA)’s School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPCE), is a social entrepreneur in the Kyrgyz Republic who sees great possibilities in the year ahead for his hometown of Naryn. In 2017, he was named Youth representative in the Naryn governor’s office, with a portfolio...

Karishma Bhagani, a graduate of the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa and current New York University student, understands that at the end of the day, it comes down to how we change the world we live in and make it better for future generations.

In Atlanta, Georgia the leaders at Circle K Atlanta, a group of convenience stores in the Circle K franchise, have been supporters of the Aga Khan Foundation for years. Four of the leadership team and staff there recently stepped up their involvement with the Foundation. They have individually been donors for years, but this...

Ham Serunjogi, a recent graduate of Grinnell College in Iowa, traveled widely before landing a job at Facebook. He has a passion for making connections that give back.

Here we follow-up with newlyweds Shehzaan and Zainab Chunara, whom we featured last Valentine’s Day for their wedding gift to Aga Khan Foundation. They reflect on a recent trip to Tajikistan where they met with people about the Aga Khan Development Network’s impact.

Aleem Mawji is a graduate of the Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa currently in his final year of study at the University of British Columbia.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), sometimes called the Global Goals, are a worldwide movement to break the cycle of poverty and ensure all people can fulfill their potential. For fifty years, the Aga Khan Foundation, as a part of the Aga Khan Development Network, has been working to do that. We are thrilled to...

Thomas (Tom) Orr is a Programme Officer with the Aga Khan Foundation Tajikistan in Dushanbe, who first came to Tajikistan as a fellow through the Aga Khan Foundation Canada’s International Youth Fellowship Program.

Najma Shah, a Maryland resident, was a U.S. educator for two decades before moving to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania as Early Years Coordinator at the Aga Khan Nursery School, part of the Aga Khan Education Service.