In the news

Interventions by speakers from different backgrounds - experts, sociologists, urban planners, business leaders, mayors, politicians - all converged on the power of culture to support aspirations and widen opportunities. One of the key messages to emerge is the need for more public-private partnerships for the development of infrastructure, museums, libraries and access to culture for all.

An exhibition on Art, Culture and Mughal Empire opened in the Queen Castle of Babir Garden here yesterday. In his opening remarks the cultural deputy of the ministry for information and culture, Musadiq Khalili said that exhibition was opened in cooperation with Agha Khan Foundation, Norwegian Embassy, British Library and the ministry for information and culture. Read the full article from Bakhtar News here.

A just-opened exhibit is providing residents of Kabul with a glimpse into a time when Afghanistan belonged to a large empire made up of a wide range religions and nationalities. “The exhibit is important because it sheds light on Afghanistan’s long history and culture,” said Mohammad Shafiq Mashai, a documentation officer with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), one of the exhibit's organizers and sponsors.

The Vancouver Sun sits down with Dr. Shafik Dharamsi, the former Regional Program Director of the Aga Khan Foundation’s Madrasa Early Childhood Development Program in East Africa, to talk with him about the work AKF does to help improve the lives of kids in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Read the full article from the Vancouver Sun here.

A new agricultural institute building has been inaugurated in the Baharak district of Badakhshan Province. The project was financed by the German Federal Foreign Ministry and implemented by the KfW Development Bank and its partner, the Aga Khan Foundation. Read the full article from Wadsam here.

In 2007, the Pakistani province of Gilgit-Baltistan’s Planning Department and Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) worked out a plan to establish a string of ‘women markets’ in Gilgit-Baltistan. The idea of a market exclusive for women drew its strength from the cultural, religious and ethnic sensitivities of various communities living in Gilgit-Baltistan. Read the full article from The Express Tribune here.

Villagers in Hunza Valley who lost their homes and lands to a natural lake following a 2010 landslide face the new realities of life. Read the full article in Himal Magazine here.

The Aga Khan Education Service Kenya and Festival of Friendship-Education Committee organized an initiative for a youth, titled "Brainstorm- Your Options," at the Aga Khan Pavillion, Nairobi. This forum was the first of its kind to bring different communities to collaborate on the same platform. Read the full article on All Africa here.

Acumen, a pioneering non-profit global venture firm addressing poverty across Africa and in South Asia, on Monday announced its first investment in the growing rural energy sector of Pakistan. Acumen is giving a loan of Rs 86 million to Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) to support the creation of four community-managed micro-hydel units in Chitral district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. Read the full article from the Daily Times here.

Acumen, a pioneering non-profit global venture firm addressing poverty across Africa and in South Asia, on Monday announced a loan of Rs 86 million to Aga Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP) to support the creation of four community managed micro-hydel units in Chitral district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Read the full article from the Business Recorder here.