Building for the Future
From houses to homes: Building on secure foundations in rural India
15 September 2020
As India rapidly urbanizes, pockets of rural Gujarat continue to remain home to smaller communities of the Jamat. Anchored to their land and with strong ties to their community, they often live in areas that are seismically active. Since 2012, the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat’s Rural Habitat Development Programme, has focused on working with these communities to improve the resilience and safety of their built environment. In transforming their living spaces from houses to homes, the programme has helped improve residents’ quality of life.
Coronavirus and the acceleration of innovation
17 August 2020
The current healthcare crisis is accelerating the pace of change, and new innovations that were expected to take a decade to develop are now being tested and marketed at a dizzying rate, which has consequences for almost all organisations and employees.
Innovation programme in UAE challenges youth to build for a better future
17 July 2020
Ismaili youth and young professionals have come together for the IDE8 open innovation challenge to find solutions to the world's most significant challenges. Through this process, they will learn skills that will help them prepare for a dynamic future, as well as assist those around them in need of support.
Canadian Jamat works to improve healthcare systems around the world
14 July 2020
Mawlana Hazar Imam has frequently commented on the value of sharing our time and knowledge with Jamats around the world and with the communities in which they live. Canadian Ismaili health professionals have taken that message to heart, having a long history of partnering with the agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) to improve the quality of life of people around the world.
Incubating the future: Mentorship programme nurtures students in tech
13 July 2020
Since its launch in 2016, over 200 students have participated in the Reach for the Stars Mentorship Programme in India. Through mentorship, immersion visits, and conversations with industry stalwarts, the technology track of the programme has steered students from diverse backgrounds towards niche careers, high-impact professional pathways, and stellar academic programmes.
Video: Ismailia Helping Society, India
7 March 2020
On the occasion of International Women's Day, we celebrate the work of the Ismailia Helping Society (IHS) in India. Established in 1936, under the guidance of Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah, IHS was established to promote the economic advancement of women in the Jamat. Over 80 years later, IHS continues to empower women who leverage their traditional skills in art, crafts, and beadwork to create lifestyle products.
Holistic economic planning in Afghanistan
27 February 2020
Improving quality of life requires a multifaceted-approach, of which economic empowerment represents an important piece. If an individual or community is empowered economically this can result in having access to better education, health, safety, an enabling environment, and desired working and living conditions.
Sweet success: The story of India’s United Bakers Alliance
27 February 2020
For nearly two decades, the United Bakers Co-operative Society Limited has been aggregating the interests and aspirations of local Jamati bakeries in Hyderabad. From centralised procurement to training and development, the alliance’s story illustrates that bonds of trust and collaboration can catalyse economic development. We take a look at the recipe behind their sweet story of success.
Global Encounters Expedition: Into the heart of India
17 February 2020
In December 2019, Global Encounters (GE) Expedition brought together young Ismailis from 13 countries to the rural areas of Southern Saurashtra in Gujarat to engage with the local Jamat and study the work of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). The impact of Expedition on its participants is well known, but the impact that Expedition has on the Jamat in Southern Saurashtra is equally profound.
Skills for the future: Part one
16 February 2020
The World Economic Forum predicts that millions of jobs will be lost in the coming years as artificial intelligence, robotics, nanotechnology, and other socio-economic factors replace the need for human workers. How can we begin to prepare for a future that will no doubt be more mobile, autonomous, and machine-driven than today?
Finding a balance between empowerment and wealth
16 February 2020
Often, we think of balance as a scale: having equal weights on either side. In reality, balance may not be what it seems. Instead, it can be thought of as a pendulum. It’s about finding what’s right for you. There isn’t a one size fits all, especially when it comes to wealth.
Ismaili Girl Guides engage with sustainable development goals
12 February 2020
The sustainable development goals (SDGs) set forth by the United Nations (UN) in 2015 are envisioned to make the world a better place by 2030. In order to better understand the goals and their potential, the Ismaili Girl Guides in Pakistan attended a four-day summit at the Guides’ Association headquarters in Islamabad.
