Partnerships to Strengthen Civil Society for a Better Quality of Life
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), consisting of many locally rooted institutions, approaches civil society from a long history of fostering pluralism, local representation and resilience. The approach sees a need in many countries for public forums based on merit and inclusion. The Network’s emphasis has emerged from its values and grown through its work […]
Standing with Civil Society: USAID and Aga Khan Foundation Convene High Profile Event on Global Civil Society Trends
WASHINGTON, D.C., DECEMBER 11, 2014 – Yesterday Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A. (AKF USA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) convened an interactive panel discussion with over 100 representatives of civil society, academia, development partners, and think tanks at the Global Trends in Civil Society Resilience: Opportunities and Challenges. The panel highlighted the latest findings […]
Aga Khan Foundation and USAID Launch Partnership to Strengthen Civil Society in East Africa
NAIROBI, KENYA, OCTOBER 10, 2014 – The Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A. (AKF USA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) signed a partnership agreement in Nairobi to support a four-year activity called the Yetu Initiative. Designed to empower Kenyan civil society organizations, the $6 million program will help Kenyan communities and civil society organizations jointly tackle […]
Toward New Strategies for Civil Society Development in Africa
Civil society organizations (CSOs) around the world play a key role in providing local services, building community cohesion, and helping communities better engage with governments. However, in many places CSOs also face steep challenges. This is especially true in Africa, where civil society has an incredibly important function in improving the quality of life for […]
New Civil Society Partnership Announced with U.S. Government and the Aga Khan Development Network
New York –President Barack Obama yesterday announced a partnership among the United States government, the Swedish government, and the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) to foster a dynamic and sustainable civil society globally through initiatives of citizen groups, in Asia, Africa and Latin America. AKDN is committed to global civil society development. His Highness the […]
Social Cohesion as a Process
The growing number of conflict zones around the world highlights the need to better understand the dynamics of social cohesion, especially for preserving peace-time progress in developing countries. In our work, the term social cohesion refers to the process of strengthening communities so people can work together to resolve shared challenges in a way that promotes a […]
Part 2: What Can Community Philanthropy Do?
The News from Kenya The drought in California is a leading news story this summer. However, another story of water scarcity from drought-prone Kenya illustrates a possible path for finding solutions to water shortages. The story from Kenya offers a prime example of the practice known as community philanthropy, in which communities come together to solve problems. A […]
Part 1: What Can Community Philanthropy Do?
When communities pull together to solve problems, it rarely makes headlines (especially in developing countries) but this month such an example did draw media attention, along with an international event spotlighting community philanthropy. Earlier in July, America Abroad featured a story of a Kenyan community’s success managing a water crisis with local assets. (Listen to Kenyan […]
Fellows Spotlight: Values – the Binding Component
A little over one year ago to the day, I had my final Fellows interview with Dr. Mirza Jahani, the CEO of the Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A. (AKF USA) along with the Fellowship Coordinator. It was a nerve-racking 45-minutes, and my textbook answer to his real-life question seemed to satisfy for a few moments, until he asked […]
Making Local Ownership Real: Moving Beyond the Buzzwords
“Local ownership” has been a buzzword for a long time and is widely touted as a better way forward for international development. For the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), local ownership is much more than a buzzword; it is a guiding force to reach long-term impact. Local initiative reduces the dependency of local organizations on […]