Webinar on Health Insurance by the Aga Khan Health Board for India - 2nd April, 2020
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvbB8ZqqvWM
INSTITUTIONAL ACTIVITIES IN INDIA
Cancer Awareness Seminar - Dr. Sultan Pradhan
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-8EFTYY6IE
The Aga Khan Health Board for India (Regional Board for Western India) organized a seminar on Cancer Awareness featuring renowned oncologist, Dr. Sultan Pradhan, Surgical Oncologist, Prince Aly Khan Hospital, Mumbai.
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-8EFTYY6IE
The Aga Khan Health Board for India (Regional Board for Western India) organized a seminar on Cancer Awareness featuring renowned oncologist, Dr. Sultan Pradhan, Surgical Oncologist, Prince Aly Khan Hospital, Mumbai.
Khushi Kumari: Cleaner neighbourhoods with DIY composting in India
Khushi Kumari first learned about composting through a book that belonged to her daughter. But she never thought it would be a practice that she would take up. With technical support from the Aga Khan Foundation, Khushi now not only produces compost right from her terrace garden but she has gained a new title: the “Community Cleanliness Champion”. She hopes this will motivate her neighbours to practice efficient waste management at home.
Khushi, a 29-year-old arts graduate and mother of two who lives in Khagaul, Bihar, India, has always been bothered by the piles of waste near her home and around her neighbourhood. The practice of dumping waste in open spaces is often caused by inefficient and irregular waste collection services.
For a long time, Khushi and her neighbours had no choice but to dump their household waste right outside their home. This created a health hazard for the community.
New model for waste reduction
With support from the European Union and the Bihar government, the Aga Khan Foundation is developing a sustainable and environmentally viable model for solid waste management. The programme works in urban and peri-urban areas to improve the capacity of urban government agencies for effective solid waste management. It also increases citizen participation in efficient waste management practices. The programme has focused on mobilising the community to separate waste and compost at the household level.
As a result of new practices that Khushi and her family now follow inside their home, it is a different picture outside the home. Khushi says, “Before, my family had no option but to dispose our household waste near our house in the open and wait for the waste collectors’ vehicle to come. Sometimes the collector wouldn’t show up for days.” So the waste piled up and the foul smell grew unbearable. “Now that we have learnt how to compost, we are proud we are contributing to a cleaner and greener neighbourhood.”
It all started when Khushi and her mother-in-law received an unexpected visit from the AKF team. As part of the programme, AKF team members were conducting a door-to-door awareness of the different types of waste, separation, and the composting process. The team caught the interest of Khushi’s mother-in-law, an avid gardener.
Khushi and her mother-in-law spent an afternoon with the team, learning about how they could efficiently manage waste at home, create compost for their garden, and help reduce the waste dumped outside their house. What captured their attention was the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of composting.
Composting for a win-win
After the session, that very same day, Khushi started separating wet kitchen waste from dry plastic waste. She discarded the wet waste into an old bin she found lying around the house. Over the following 45 days, with regular visits and support from the AKF team, she transformed the waste into compost using only dry leaves and soil. Her family has repeated the composting cycle seven times already, producing over 20 kilograms of organic compost for growing more produce for her family.
Khushi uses the compost to grow organic vegetables in her terrace garden, which recently received a lush makeover. Her household now produces so much compost that Khushi plans to sell the surplus. She says her family is careful about reducing their plastic consumption as well. Wherever possible, they re-use plastic containers to create planters for the garden.
Composting has made Khushi a Cleanliness Champion in her community. She regularly visits households in her neighbourhood to spread awareness about the health problems caused by open dumping. And she encourages others to compost right from their homes. Many families nearby have started composting and are reaping the benefits of a cleaner and greener neighbourhood, she says.
Asked about the effect in her community, Khushi replies, “A positive impact can be seen across the neighbourhood. Now, families are making compost with their kitchen waste instead of throwing it outside. Our passages are clean and we can feel safe with our children playing outside.”
The big picture
Since the programme started in 2017, more than 350 households in Khushi’s ward have initiated composting and they have seen a 60% decrease in the amount of waste discarded in open dumping grounds there.
Furthermore, households see monthly savings of INR 45 (USD $0.63) as families buy less fertiliser and manure, using instead their household compost. While that may not sound like much, it is enough to buy necessities like detergent for a month, or a week’s supply of rice for a family of five.
Khushi hopes that more households will adopt home composting and remains keen to share her knowledge with others. The knowledge-sharing and advocacy efforts of Community Cleanliness Champions like her are playing a vital role in spreading a community-led model for healthier living.
Photos at:
https://www.akdn.org/our-stories/khushi ... ting-india
Khushi Kumari first learned about composting through a book that belonged to her daughter. But she never thought it would be a practice that she would take up. With technical support from the Aga Khan Foundation, Khushi now not only produces compost right from her terrace garden but she has gained a new title: the “Community Cleanliness Champion”. She hopes this will motivate her neighbours to practice efficient waste management at home.
Khushi, a 29-year-old arts graduate and mother of two who lives in Khagaul, Bihar, India, has always been bothered by the piles of waste near her home and around her neighbourhood. The practice of dumping waste in open spaces is often caused by inefficient and irregular waste collection services.
For a long time, Khushi and her neighbours had no choice but to dump their household waste right outside their home. This created a health hazard for the community.
New model for waste reduction
With support from the European Union and the Bihar government, the Aga Khan Foundation is developing a sustainable and environmentally viable model for solid waste management. The programme works in urban and peri-urban areas to improve the capacity of urban government agencies for effective solid waste management. It also increases citizen participation in efficient waste management practices. The programme has focused on mobilising the community to separate waste and compost at the household level.
As a result of new practices that Khushi and her family now follow inside their home, it is a different picture outside the home. Khushi says, “Before, my family had no option but to dispose our household waste near our house in the open and wait for the waste collectors’ vehicle to come. Sometimes the collector wouldn’t show up for days.” So the waste piled up and the foul smell grew unbearable. “Now that we have learnt how to compost, we are proud we are contributing to a cleaner and greener neighbourhood.”
It all started when Khushi and her mother-in-law received an unexpected visit from the AKF team. As part of the programme, AKF team members were conducting a door-to-door awareness of the different types of waste, separation, and the composting process. The team caught the interest of Khushi’s mother-in-law, an avid gardener.
Khushi and her mother-in-law spent an afternoon with the team, learning about how they could efficiently manage waste at home, create compost for their garden, and help reduce the waste dumped outside their house. What captured their attention was the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of composting.
Composting for a win-win
After the session, that very same day, Khushi started separating wet kitchen waste from dry plastic waste. She discarded the wet waste into an old bin she found lying around the house. Over the following 45 days, with regular visits and support from the AKF team, she transformed the waste into compost using only dry leaves and soil. Her family has repeated the composting cycle seven times already, producing over 20 kilograms of organic compost for growing more produce for her family.
Khushi uses the compost to grow organic vegetables in her terrace garden, which recently received a lush makeover. Her household now produces so much compost that Khushi plans to sell the surplus. She says her family is careful about reducing their plastic consumption as well. Wherever possible, they re-use plastic containers to create planters for the garden.
Composting has made Khushi a Cleanliness Champion in her community. She regularly visits households in her neighbourhood to spread awareness about the health problems caused by open dumping. And she encourages others to compost right from their homes. Many families nearby have started composting and are reaping the benefits of a cleaner and greener neighbourhood, she says.
Asked about the effect in her community, Khushi replies, “A positive impact can be seen across the neighbourhood. Now, families are making compost with their kitchen waste instead of throwing it outside. Our passages are clean and we can feel safe with our children playing outside.”
The big picture
Since the programme started in 2017, more than 350 households in Khushi’s ward have initiated composting and they have seen a 60% decrease in the amount of waste discarded in open dumping grounds there.
Furthermore, households see monthly savings of INR 45 (USD $0.63) as families buy less fertiliser and manure, using instead their household compost. While that may not sound like much, it is enough to buy necessities like detergent for a month, or a week’s supply of rice for a family of five.
Khushi hopes that more households will adopt home composting and remains keen to share her knowledge with others. The knowledge-sharing and advocacy efforts of Community Cleanliness Champions like her are playing a vital role in spreading a community-led model for healthier living.
Photos at:
https://www.akdn.org/our-stories/khushi ... ting-india
Incubating the future: Mentorship programme nurtures students in tech
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.
“People always say ‘not every opportunity is made for you’, but they don't say that every opportunity you grab makes you. This past year has made me realise that every opportunity that life throws at me is an opportunity to evolve,” said Rahim Panjwani, an engineering student from Surendranagar. Rahim, an alumni of the programme, joined when he was in the final year of his engineering degree. A self-professed techie, Rahim was curious to explore the field but lacked guidance and confidence. After participating in the programme late last year, Rahim’s enthusiasm for tech transformed into a concrete plan for a career in machine learning.
Since its launch in 2016, Reach for the Stars, run by the Aga Khan Education Board for India, has tapped the talent, potential, and promise of students from across the India Jamat. Structured as a nine-month initiative, the programme seeks to inspire Ismaili youth to pursue high-quality tertiary education by pairing academically-driven youth between the ages of 18-25, with mentors from their field of study.
Each student is offered access to a dedicated mentor, immersion learning, seminars and events, and internships where possible. Students are divided into “tracks” or subject-specific groups, allowing the opportunity for collaborative events and peer mentoring. One among the many tracks of the programme is the technology track.
“India is home to the third largest number of unicorns (private startup companies valued at USD $1 billion or more). The opportunities are endless. It is very important to promote and nurture tech talent in India given the young demography of the country and its ability to adapt to tech-based solutions,” said Aslam Hirani, Chairman of the Aga Khan Education Board for India.
By the end of the programme, Rahim had landed a job at Tata Consultancy Services, a multinational information technology service and consulting company. Another alumni, Tamanna Patharwalla, a mechanical engineer, won the Pratibha Award for exceptional women engineers; and Akbar Surani, an aspiring data scientist received multiple scholarships to pursue a top-tier academic programme.
Interventions are carefully curated to the needs of each individual student on the programme. Therefore, for example, Akbar was given the opportunity to attend a writing residency programme by Dr Fayyaz Vellani, Lecturer in Critical Writing at the University of Pennsylvania. An essential part of the overall programme, the residency was designed to help students develop the vital skills of writing, for academic and admission essay requirements. This coupled with working with a writing tutor, helped Akbar articulate his goals and aspirations while applying for a unique multidisciplinary programme called the Plaksha Tech Leaders Fellowship. Guided by strong mentors, Akbar not only gained acceptance to the programme, but also won scholarships.
Surrounded and guided by the best of mentors and facilitators, the programme ensures that the students always have someone to reach out to for help and guidance.
“Saumil Barolia, my facilitator, was basically in the passenger seat for me. In spite of his personal and professional commitments, he was always so approachable and willing to go the extra mile and help out. At times, we have stayed up till the early hours of dawn working together on my applications,” said Rahim.
The mentor-mentee relationship is a two-way street, which often ends up being a learning experience for many mentors as well. Speaking of intrinsic rewards, one of the mentors said, “The mentees’ curiosity, enthusiasm, and drive to achieve is contagious and has helped me in my career too. Mentoring has also helped me strengthen the concepts and lessons I learnt.”
The willingness of mentors and facilitators to open up their networks for immersion visits has been vital to the success of the programme. These immersion visits (structured as two or three day visits that aggregate students across the same track) have enabled participants to get a closer look at niche specializations, emerging opportunities, and the finer nuances of the start-up ecosystem.
Participants of Cycle 3 had the opportunity to engage in discussions with Abhinav Aggarwal and Suveer Bajaj, CEOs of Fluid AI and Foxymoron. An inspiring conversation with CIO of Alkem Labs, Ganesh Ramachandran, took them through the journey of his life and showed them how unpredictable corporate careers can be and how being open to every opportunity can help achieve great heights.
For Akbar, one of the highlights of his journey was the opportunity to speak to Shailesh Kumar, the Chief Data Scientist at Reliance Jio.
“Sailesh helped me chalk out my short-term career plan, and gave me useful advice about nanodegrees, projects, and PhDs. Incredibly, that hour-long conversation has helped me shape my career over the past year and beyond,” said Akbar.
The idea is to not only make these opportunities available for the participants, but to empower them to seek such opportunities on their own.
“One thing I’ve learnt is that people absolutely love to talk and help. So ask! You’re bound to learn something new and come out richer from the experience,” said Tamanna.
A byproduct of the immersion programmes was the networking opportunity the participants had among themselves.
“Problems, solutions, discussions, and debates – this was the cycle of events that took place late at night during our immersion visits,” said Rahim, when asked about one of his most enjoyable experiences.
The bonds that they made at these immersion visits transcend the programme itself. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Tamanna’s father, a retailer, had to shut down his business just like everyone else. Tamanna reached out to her programme fellows asking if they could help build a website for her father. She was greeted with an overwhelming response and, remarkably, the website is almost ready to launch.
The mentorship cycle is a self-sustaining one. When the students receive the vast expanse of knowledge and exposure through their experience in the programme, it has the potential to turn them into future mentors who are more than willing to help.
As a testament to this, Rahim, is now on the Reach for the Stars student committee and hopes to help as many students as possible, especially those that have the potential but lack the confidence, to believe in themselves. Akbar recently hosted a webinar for the current batch of students on how to get started with a career in data science.
Now in its fourth cycle, Reach for the Stars has evolved every year. While the tracks are well established, the programme hopes to move towards convergence; mixing students across tracks and disciplines to break up the artificial silos that are so often created by the educational system.
“It would be exciting to see interdisciplinary tracks which allow students to collaborate across disciplines and learn,” said Chairman Aslam. “That’s our next small step for Reach for the Stars and a giant leap for our students.”
https://the.ismaili/global/news/communi ... dents-tech
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.
“People always say ‘not every opportunity is made for you’, but they don't say that every opportunity you grab makes you. This past year has made me realise that every opportunity that life throws at me is an opportunity to evolve,” said Rahim Panjwani, an engineering student from Surendranagar. Rahim, an alumni of the programme, joined when he was in the final year of his engineering degree. A self-professed techie, Rahim was curious to explore the field but lacked guidance and confidence. After participating in the programme late last year, Rahim’s enthusiasm for tech transformed into a concrete plan for a career in machine learning.
Since its launch in 2016, Reach for the Stars, run by the Aga Khan Education Board for India, has tapped the talent, potential, and promise of students from across the India Jamat. Structured as a nine-month initiative, the programme seeks to inspire Ismaili youth to pursue high-quality tertiary education by pairing academically-driven youth between the ages of 18-25, with mentors from their field of study.
Each student is offered access to a dedicated mentor, immersion learning, seminars and events, and internships where possible. Students are divided into “tracks” or subject-specific groups, allowing the opportunity for collaborative events and peer mentoring. One among the many tracks of the programme is the technology track.
“India is home to the third largest number of unicorns (private startup companies valued at USD $1 billion or more). The opportunities are endless. It is very important to promote and nurture tech talent in India given the young demography of the country and its ability to adapt to tech-based solutions,” said Aslam Hirani, Chairman of the Aga Khan Education Board for India.
By the end of the programme, Rahim had landed a job at Tata Consultancy Services, a multinational information technology service and consulting company. Another alumni, Tamanna Patharwalla, a mechanical engineer, won the Pratibha Award for exceptional women engineers; and Akbar Surani, an aspiring data scientist received multiple scholarships to pursue a top-tier academic programme.
Interventions are carefully curated to the needs of each individual student on the programme. Therefore, for example, Akbar was given the opportunity to attend a writing residency programme by Dr Fayyaz Vellani, Lecturer in Critical Writing at the University of Pennsylvania. An essential part of the overall programme, the residency was designed to help students develop the vital skills of writing, for academic and admission essay requirements. This coupled with working with a writing tutor, helped Akbar articulate his goals and aspirations while applying for a unique multidisciplinary programme called the Plaksha Tech Leaders Fellowship. Guided by strong mentors, Akbar not only gained acceptance to the programme, but also won scholarships.
Surrounded and guided by the best of mentors and facilitators, the programme ensures that the students always have someone to reach out to for help and guidance.
“Saumil Barolia, my facilitator, was basically in the passenger seat for me. In spite of his personal and professional commitments, he was always so approachable and willing to go the extra mile and help out. At times, we have stayed up till the early hours of dawn working together on my applications,” said Rahim.
The mentor-mentee relationship is a two-way street, which often ends up being a learning experience for many mentors as well. Speaking of intrinsic rewards, one of the mentors said, “The mentees’ curiosity, enthusiasm, and drive to achieve is contagious and has helped me in my career too. Mentoring has also helped me strengthen the concepts and lessons I learnt.”
The willingness of mentors and facilitators to open up their networks for immersion visits has been vital to the success of the programme. These immersion visits (structured as two or three day visits that aggregate students across the same track) have enabled participants to get a closer look at niche specializations, emerging opportunities, and the finer nuances of the start-up ecosystem.
Participants of Cycle 3 had the opportunity to engage in discussions with Abhinav Aggarwal and Suveer Bajaj, CEOs of Fluid AI and Foxymoron. An inspiring conversation with CIO of Alkem Labs, Ganesh Ramachandran, took them through the journey of his life and showed them how unpredictable corporate careers can be and how being open to every opportunity can help achieve great heights.
For Akbar, one of the highlights of his journey was the opportunity to speak to Shailesh Kumar, the Chief Data Scientist at Reliance Jio.
“Sailesh helped me chalk out my short-term career plan, and gave me useful advice about nanodegrees, projects, and PhDs. Incredibly, that hour-long conversation has helped me shape my career over the past year and beyond,” said Akbar.
The idea is to not only make these opportunities available for the participants, but to empower them to seek such opportunities on their own.
“One thing I’ve learnt is that people absolutely love to talk and help. So ask! You’re bound to learn something new and come out richer from the experience,” said Tamanna.
A byproduct of the immersion programmes was the networking opportunity the participants had among themselves.
“Problems, solutions, discussions, and debates – this was the cycle of events that took place late at night during our immersion visits,” said Rahim, when asked about one of his most enjoyable experiences.
The bonds that they made at these immersion visits transcend the programme itself. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Tamanna’s father, a retailer, had to shut down his business just like everyone else. Tamanna reached out to her programme fellows asking if they could help build a website for her father. She was greeted with an overwhelming response and, remarkably, the website is almost ready to launch.
The mentorship cycle is a self-sustaining one. When the students receive the vast expanse of knowledge and exposure through their experience in the programme, it has the potential to turn them into future mentors who are more than willing to help.
As a testament to this, Rahim, is now on the Reach for the Stars student committee and hopes to help as many students as possible, especially those that have the potential but lack the confidence, to believe in themselves. Akbar recently hosted a webinar for the current batch of students on how to get started with a career in data science.
Now in its fourth cycle, Reach for the Stars has evolved every year. While the tracks are well established, the programme hopes to move towards convergence; mixing students across tracks and disciplines to break up the artificial silos that are so often created by the educational system.
“It would be exciting to see interdisciplinary tracks which allow students to collaborate across disciplines and learn,” said Chairman Aslam. “That’s our next small step for Reach for the Stars and a giant leap for our students.”
https://the.ismaili/global/news/communi ... dents-tech
Women champions of AKDN’s Comprehensive Sanitation Initiative in India
When the Indian Government launched the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, or Clean India Mission, to create an open defecation free India, AKDN contributed an award-winning model of integrated block-level sanitation called the Comprehensive Sanitation Initiative. A central component of the initiative is generating demand for improved hygiene practices, tackling age-old norms and transforming long-standing behaviour change – and thereby improving the quality of life.
A key focus area has been the role of women. Women take on leadership roles in the service design, delivery and management in the Initiative with a focus on ensuring women’s active participation in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) committees and Self-Help Groups (SHG).
For example, in the state of Gujarat, SHG federations have successfully led large-scale “open defecation free” campaigns. AKDN has also demonstrated innovative financing approaches through these SHGs to reach the most marginalised.
In the state of Bihar, AKF’s Solid Waste Management Programme (in partnership with the European Union), is formalising the role of SHGs by providing them livelihood and income generating opportunities in the waste economy.
At the same time, AKF is also working to reduce the drudgery of women by ensuring that they have access to household level-drinking water – and that they do not have to walk long distances to fetch safe drinking water.
The work on Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) is AKF’s conscious effort to interlink MHM and WASH in order to effectively address the specific concerns of women and girls and strengthen their knowledge and practice of improved menstrual hygiene. Over 28,000 women and girls improved their menstrual hygiene practices as of this writing. Efforts were also made to support mechanisms that strengthen initiatives around MHM through community volunteers know as Sachet Didis and Swacchata Sakhis.
"Now that I fully understand the benefits of having a toilet and washing hands before meals and after using the toilet, I am encouraging all the children who come to the Anganwadi centre to wash their hands and motivate their parents to construct toilets so that they and their families do not have to defecate in the open and stay healthy."
Through the support provided by AKDN on building the capacity of frontline workers, Gauri first built a toilet in her house. Experiencing first-hand the benefits of safe sanitation, this Anganwadi worker is now teaching other women and children in her community about the importance of having a toilet and adopting good hygiene practices to sustain healthy outcomes.
“My self-help group provides funds for community members to take loans. Earlier, most people would need the money for medical expenses, but after convincing them about the dangers of open defecation on their health, people started utilising the funds for constructing toilets. Now that our village is declared ODF, incidences of people falling sick has drastically reduced, and they take loans for their other needs.”
Matukiya Devi is an inspiring community leader who in 2010 was the first person in her village to construct a toilet in her home, which was considered a taboo by many. She motivated all 64 households in her village to construct a toilet and started a SHG with other community women to assist people with micro-loans.
"Earlier, it was highly burdensome to wake up early in the morning and walk long distances to defecate. The walk was embarrassing, and we were in constant worry of being attacked by animals out in the open. Seven of us women decided to come together, and with the help of the Aga Khan team, learnt about finances and toilet construction in the SHG training. We now use these skills to convince people, especially women, to construct toilets in their homes."
Hansa Behen, through her SHG, is focussing on community mobilisation, awareness generation, skill building, and financial lending. She has convinced several households – especially the women – to invest in good quality toilet units. She is also trained in masonry.
“I feel proud to spread awareness on waste segregation and proper disposal practices that I learned in the orientation meeting with Aga Khan. Once we collect the waste, we convert it into organic compost at the centre. I enjoy working at the composting centre with the other members as it is giving us an additional source of income and contributing to a cleaner neighbourhood. "
Shobha Devi is working hard to keep her locality free of open dumping grounds for waste. She is part of a Self Help Group in Khagaul, Patna that is reaching out to households to segregate their waste, which is then collected and utilised in the decentralised composting centre she manages along with three other SHG members.
"Earlier, my family had no option but to dispose our waste near our house in the open. The waste collectors were not regular. Now that we have learned how to compost from kitchen waste, we utilise it in our terrace garden instead of throwing it outside. Our passages are clean and we do not have to worry about our children playing outside anymore."
Composting has made Khushi a Cleanliness Champion in her community. She regularly visits households in her neighbourhood to spread awareness about the health problems caused by open dumping of household waste. And she encourages others to compost right from their homes. Many families nearby have started composting and are reaping the benefits of a cleaner and greener neighbourhood.
"Earlier, our SMC was barely functional. But today we conduct regular meetings to discuss school sanitation issues, plan and prioritise the operation and maintenance of the WASH facilities, and budget for repair work within the school development plan."
When, Rubi Devi took on the role of the School Management Committee (SMC) president of the school, the toilets were in a dismal state and unusable. Taking matter into her own hands, she leveraged external funds to get the toilets renovated and ensured provisions for water through the construction of a water pump. She now makes routine inspection visits to the school and oversees the operation and maintenance of school facilities so that children have access to their hygiene needs at all times. Under the School Hygiene Education Programme, in partnership with Reckitt Benckiser, under the Dettol Banega Swachh India Initiative, AKF India is strengthening School Management Committees to plan and prioritise investments for the operation and maintenance of school WASH facilities.
For more information about AKDN’s Comprehensive Sanitation Initiative, please watch
https://www.akdn.org/our-stories/women- ... tive-india
When the Indian Government launched the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, or Clean India Mission, to create an open defecation free India, AKDN contributed an award-winning model of integrated block-level sanitation called the Comprehensive Sanitation Initiative. A central component of the initiative is generating demand for improved hygiene practices, tackling age-old norms and transforming long-standing behaviour change – and thereby improving the quality of life.
A key focus area has been the role of women. Women take on leadership roles in the service design, delivery and management in the Initiative with a focus on ensuring women’s active participation in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) committees and Self-Help Groups (SHG).
For example, in the state of Gujarat, SHG federations have successfully led large-scale “open defecation free” campaigns. AKDN has also demonstrated innovative financing approaches through these SHGs to reach the most marginalised.
In the state of Bihar, AKF’s Solid Waste Management Programme (in partnership with the European Union), is formalising the role of SHGs by providing them livelihood and income generating opportunities in the waste economy.
At the same time, AKF is also working to reduce the drudgery of women by ensuring that they have access to household level-drinking water – and that they do not have to walk long distances to fetch safe drinking water.
The work on Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) is AKF’s conscious effort to interlink MHM and WASH in order to effectively address the specific concerns of women and girls and strengthen their knowledge and practice of improved menstrual hygiene. Over 28,000 women and girls improved their menstrual hygiene practices as of this writing. Efforts were also made to support mechanisms that strengthen initiatives around MHM through community volunteers know as Sachet Didis and Swacchata Sakhis.
"Now that I fully understand the benefits of having a toilet and washing hands before meals and after using the toilet, I am encouraging all the children who come to the Anganwadi centre to wash their hands and motivate their parents to construct toilets so that they and their families do not have to defecate in the open and stay healthy."
Through the support provided by AKDN on building the capacity of frontline workers, Gauri first built a toilet in her house. Experiencing first-hand the benefits of safe sanitation, this Anganwadi worker is now teaching other women and children in her community about the importance of having a toilet and adopting good hygiene practices to sustain healthy outcomes.
“My self-help group provides funds for community members to take loans. Earlier, most people would need the money for medical expenses, but after convincing them about the dangers of open defecation on their health, people started utilising the funds for constructing toilets. Now that our village is declared ODF, incidences of people falling sick has drastically reduced, and they take loans for their other needs.”
Matukiya Devi is an inspiring community leader who in 2010 was the first person in her village to construct a toilet in her home, which was considered a taboo by many. She motivated all 64 households in her village to construct a toilet and started a SHG with other community women to assist people with micro-loans.
"Earlier, it was highly burdensome to wake up early in the morning and walk long distances to defecate. The walk was embarrassing, and we were in constant worry of being attacked by animals out in the open. Seven of us women decided to come together, and with the help of the Aga Khan team, learnt about finances and toilet construction in the SHG training. We now use these skills to convince people, especially women, to construct toilets in their homes."
Hansa Behen, through her SHG, is focussing on community mobilisation, awareness generation, skill building, and financial lending. She has convinced several households – especially the women – to invest in good quality toilet units. She is also trained in masonry.
“I feel proud to spread awareness on waste segregation and proper disposal practices that I learned in the orientation meeting with Aga Khan. Once we collect the waste, we convert it into organic compost at the centre. I enjoy working at the composting centre with the other members as it is giving us an additional source of income and contributing to a cleaner neighbourhood. "
Shobha Devi is working hard to keep her locality free of open dumping grounds for waste. She is part of a Self Help Group in Khagaul, Patna that is reaching out to households to segregate their waste, which is then collected and utilised in the decentralised composting centre she manages along with three other SHG members.
"Earlier, my family had no option but to dispose our waste near our house in the open. The waste collectors were not regular. Now that we have learned how to compost from kitchen waste, we utilise it in our terrace garden instead of throwing it outside. Our passages are clean and we do not have to worry about our children playing outside anymore."
Composting has made Khushi a Cleanliness Champion in her community. She regularly visits households in her neighbourhood to spread awareness about the health problems caused by open dumping of household waste. And she encourages others to compost right from their homes. Many families nearby have started composting and are reaping the benefits of a cleaner and greener neighbourhood.
"Earlier, our SMC was barely functional. But today we conduct regular meetings to discuss school sanitation issues, plan and prioritise the operation and maintenance of the WASH facilities, and budget for repair work within the school development plan."
When, Rubi Devi took on the role of the School Management Committee (SMC) president of the school, the toilets were in a dismal state and unusable. Taking matter into her own hands, she leveraged external funds to get the toilets renovated and ensured provisions for water through the construction of a water pump. She now makes routine inspection visits to the school and oversees the operation and maintenance of school facilities so that children have access to their hygiene needs at all times. Under the School Hygiene Education Programme, in partnership with Reckitt Benckiser, under the Dettol Banega Swachh India Initiative, AKF India is strengthening School Management Committees to plan and prioritise investments for the operation and maintenance of school WASH facilities.
For more information about AKDN’s Comprehensive Sanitation Initiative, please watch
https://www.akdn.org/our-stories/women- ... tive-india
COVID-19 WASH response in two Indian states
Published on: 03/09/2020
The Aga Khan Foundation is organising WASH interventions in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in response to the pandemic.
This blog is written by Dr Asad Umar, Senior Programme Officer WASH and Health, Aga Khan Foundation and Ms Satviki Varma, Senior Programme Officer Health and Nutrition, Aga Khan Foundation
With a presence in seven districts across two states, Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) has been responding to the WASH COVID-19 situation with the aim to build capacities and local resilience in rural and urban communities. The organisation works with governments at different levels and local leaders in communities on the ground. The organisation’s focus is on:
- Hygiene messaging to address COVID-19 concerns – to reach each household, front line workers and other functionaries
- Hygiene infrastructure - innovations to ensure handwashing with soap (without touch)
- Safety of frontline workers and functionaries
These interventions were informed by a rapid assessment that was conducted in April 2020 across four districts in two states (Uttar Pradesh and Bihar) to understand the WASH, health and nutrition constraints being faced during the pandemic. The respondents, reached via phone calls, included frontline workers, ragpickers and sanitary workers, healthcare facility providers, those in charge of quarantine centres, community members including SMC members, ward councillors, self-help group members and young adolescent girls.
Hygiene messaging to address COVID concerns
Hygiene messaging using digital posters and audio messages were developed and aimed to reach over 40,000 people. There were eight core areas for hygiene messaging: hygiene during water collection/handling; during use of community toilets; handwashing; importance of physical distancing; respiratory hygiene; precautions at healthcare facilities and management of waste at healthcare facilities and hygiene measures for ragpickers and waste pickers.
Handwashing device (Aga Khan Foundation)
Support on hygiene infrastructure
AKF designed an innovative foot-operated “no touch” handwashing stations. In three districts of Uttar Pradesh, AKF installed 31 of these handwashing stations, covering all 28 community health centres, district hospitals and district development offices. This innovation has been documented as best practice model within the University of Sussex’s Handwashing compendium for Low Resource Settings and has been adopted by other development partners (Centre for Science and Environment, WaterAid) in their implementation areas in India.
Safety of frontline workers
In addition to the information and trainings with frontline workers, AKF made available personal protective equipment (PPE) to ensure safety of essential service providers (including sanitation workers and also ragpickers), 8000 facemasks, 2500 gloves and sanitisers, and 51000 bars of soap.
We have come to understand COVID-19 as a highly contagious virus. Information on preventive steps need to reach everyone, the engagement with government at different levels was crucial for this. The following engagements with government were taken from the start of this crisis:
Regular communication with functionaries: A database of 22,000 frontline workers and functionaries was developed. The aim was to keep them informed and updated on the Government advisories and other COVID-19 information for their safety and the safety of communities they are responsible for.
Collaboration with district government: A 15 day-awareness campaign, in close collaboration with three district governments, was undertaken around COVID-19 (it covered dos and don’ts). This was linked to training of leadership of local self-governments, which then highlighted the steps they need to take to ensure safety of people in public places within their jurisdiction.
Capacity building of Government stakeholders on COVID-19: Over 7200 functionaries at district level and below, Chief Development Officers, Block Development Officers, ASHA, Angandwadi workers, Panchayat Secretary and Gram Pradhans amongst others, were trained on COVID-19. The orientations focused on building an understanding of transmission of infection, contact tracing of people infected with COVID-19, preventive measures (hand and respiratory hygiene), general guidance on dos and don’ts, importance of handwashing, precautionary measures for health workers, disinfection, and safe disposal of waste.
Hygiene is preventive measure
This pandemic has clearly highlighted the importance of hygiene as a preventive measure for communicable infections and brought it to a whole new level. It is key that the efforts made need to be sustained and not looked at as only a response to this crisis. Government authorities need to consider:
- Communication awareness on hygiene behaviours and practices in addition to building hygiene infrastructure;
- Appropriate budgets need to be factored in by Government towards these efforts;
- People providing essential services like sanitation workers, ragpickers, etc. are in the informal sector, they need to be recognised as essential service providers and be supported with provisions accordingly;
- While the Government presently is focused on strengthening WASH access within healthcare facilities. This effort needs to be considered as a long-term perspective, not only a response to this crisis.
Hygiene must be made business as usual, not a response to a crisis!
https://www.ircwash.org/blog/covid-19-w ... ian-states
Published on: 03/09/2020
The Aga Khan Foundation is organising WASH interventions in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in response to the pandemic.
This blog is written by Dr Asad Umar, Senior Programme Officer WASH and Health, Aga Khan Foundation and Ms Satviki Varma, Senior Programme Officer Health and Nutrition, Aga Khan Foundation
With a presence in seven districts across two states, Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) has been responding to the WASH COVID-19 situation with the aim to build capacities and local resilience in rural and urban communities. The organisation works with governments at different levels and local leaders in communities on the ground. The organisation’s focus is on:
- Hygiene messaging to address COVID-19 concerns – to reach each household, front line workers and other functionaries
- Hygiene infrastructure - innovations to ensure handwashing with soap (without touch)
- Safety of frontline workers and functionaries
These interventions were informed by a rapid assessment that was conducted in April 2020 across four districts in two states (Uttar Pradesh and Bihar) to understand the WASH, health and nutrition constraints being faced during the pandemic. The respondents, reached via phone calls, included frontline workers, ragpickers and sanitary workers, healthcare facility providers, those in charge of quarantine centres, community members including SMC members, ward councillors, self-help group members and young adolescent girls.
Hygiene messaging to address COVID concerns
Hygiene messaging using digital posters and audio messages were developed and aimed to reach over 40,000 people. There were eight core areas for hygiene messaging: hygiene during water collection/handling; during use of community toilets; handwashing; importance of physical distancing; respiratory hygiene; precautions at healthcare facilities and management of waste at healthcare facilities and hygiene measures for ragpickers and waste pickers.
Handwashing device (Aga Khan Foundation)
Support on hygiene infrastructure
AKF designed an innovative foot-operated “no touch” handwashing stations. In three districts of Uttar Pradesh, AKF installed 31 of these handwashing stations, covering all 28 community health centres, district hospitals and district development offices. This innovation has been documented as best practice model within the University of Sussex’s Handwashing compendium for Low Resource Settings and has been adopted by other development partners (Centre for Science and Environment, WaterAid) in their implementation areas in India.
Safety of frontline workers
In addition to the information and trainings with frontline workers, AKF made available personal protective equipment (PPE) to ensure safety of essential service providers (including sanitation workers and also ragpickers), 8000 facemasks, 2500 gloves and sanitisers, and 51000 bars of soap.
We have come to understand COVID-19 as a highly contagious virus. Information on preventive steps need to reach everyone, the engagement with government at different levels was crucial for this. The following engagements with government were taken from the start of this crisis:
Regular communication with functionaries: A database of 22,000 frontline workers and functionaries was developed. The aim was to keep them informed and updated on the Government advisories and other COVID-19 information for their safety and the safety of communities they are responsible for.
Collaboration with district government: A 15 day-awareness campaign, in close collaboration with three district governments, was undertaken around COVID-19 (it covered dos and don’ts). This was linked to training of leadership of local self-governments, which then highlighted the steps they need to take to ensure safety of people in public places within their jurisdiction.
Capacity building of Government stakeholders on COVID-19: Over 7200 functionaries at district level and below, Chief Development Officers, Block Development Officers, ASHA, Angandwadi workers, Panchayat Secretary and Gram Pradhans amongst others, were trained on COVID-19. The orientations focused on building an understanding of transmission of infection, contact tracing of people infected with COVID-19, preventive measures (hand and respiratory hygiene), general guidance on dos and don’ts, importance of handwashing, precautionary measures for health workers, disinfection, and safe disposal of waste.
Hygiene is preventive measure
This pandemic has clearly highlighted the importance of hygiene as a preventive measure for communicable infections and brought it to a whole new level. It is key that the efforts made need to be sustained and not looked at as only a response to this crisis. Government authorities need to consider:
- Communication awareness on hygiene behaviours and practices in addition to building hygiene infrastructure;
- Appropriate budgets need to be factored in by Government towards these efforts;
- People providing essential services like sanitation workers, ragpickers, etc. are in the informal sector, they need to be recognised as essential service providers and be supported with provisions accordingly;
- While the Government presently is focused on strengthening WASH access within healthcare facilities. This effort needs to be considered as a long-term perspective, not only a response to this crisis.
Hygiene must be made business as usual, not a response to a crisis!
https://www.ircwash.org/blog/covid-19-w ... ian-states
Building Immunity From Within | National Nutrition Week Webinar | AKHB,I
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CuNqvLtEWE
In this video brought to you by the Aga Khan Health Board for India, Jinal Shah (Senior Nutritionist with Rujuta Diwekar) explains how we can build immunity from within by making basic changes to our diet. This session is hosted by Tehzeeb Lalani (Member, Aga Khan Health Board for India).
We hope you find this webinar insightful! Do like, subscribe and share with your friends!
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CuNqvLtEWE
In this video brought to you by the Aga Khan Health Board for India, Jinal Shah (Senior Nutritionist with Rujuta Diwekar) explains how we can build immunity from within by making basic changes to our diet. This session is hosted by Tehzeeb Lalani (Member, Aga Khan Health Board for India).
We hope you find this webinar insightful! Do like, subscribe and share with your friends!
Second Innings Mubarak Ho | Episode 4 - Happiness in Hope | AKSWB,I
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSXzsXs2pkA
The Aga Khan Social Welfare Board for India presents: “Second Innings Mubarak Ho”: a series by motivational speaker Salim Virani.
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSXzsXs2pkA
The Aga Khan Social Welfare Board for India presents: “Second Innings Mubarak Ho”: a series by motivational speaker Salim Virani.
From Gondia To IIT Kharagpur
Want to pursue a great education but need financial support? For many years the Aga Khan Education Board’s (AKEB,I) Tertiary Scholarship Programme (TSP) has helped support the hopes and aspirations of students from the India Jamat. Three TSP alumni share their story on how the scholarship programme has helped bridge the gap between dreams and reality.
“One might my think my journey to IIT, Kharagpur started in the early 2000s. But let me tell you, it started when Mawlana Hazar Imam introduced the word ‘meritocracy’ to the India Jamat way back in 1992. I was barely a month old at the time but since then my father swore to himself that whatever my career path might be, it had to be from the best institutes in India”, says Sahil Sorathiya, a TSP alum. Originally from Gondia, Sahil won the TSP to pursue his engineering degree at IIT Kharagpur. The rest as they say, is history.
Sahil Sorathiya, Azim Dinani and Anisha Khiyani are just a few among the many recipients of AKEB,I’s Tertiary Scholarship Programme (TSP). While their stories could not be more different; one common thread unites them: the decision to leave their home towns in search of the best possible education; and their ability to persevere in spite of challenging circumstances.
Every year AKEB,I provides a limited number of scholarships to outstanding undergraduate students, who have no other means of financing their education. Scholarships are awarded on a 50% grant: 50% loan basis, the payback period for which is five years, starting six months after the student graduates.
But before you apply to TSP, you have to land an offer of admission; and in country where lakhs compete for a few hundred seats; that’s always a challenge. For Sahil to be accepted at IIT, he followed a rigorous academic schedule; studying 15 (sometimes 17) hours a day, relentlessly working towards achieving an all India 671 rank that helped him land a seat at IIT.
But when the admission came through tragedy struck. Sahil’s father met with an unfortunate accident during the crucial year of his admission. That’s when TSP stepped in. “I never gave up”, says Sahil. “I put in hours of research and applications for every scholarship I could find”, he says. His never-give-up attitude not only got him to IIT, it also landed him different roles in leading startups across the country. He was part of Flipkart, Meesho and Aasan.
Sahil’s determination is shared by many other TSP alumni; all of whom remain driven and confident that the returns on their education will offset the long struggle to get there.
“I know what I will earn in a month at the end of my four years of graduation will be equal to six months of my family income, if not more”, says Azim currently interning with Upkey, a Chicago based education company while completing his second year of engineering at National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli.
Azim took up engineering after the 12th grade. His enthusiasm for the subject went far beyond the classroom. “The internet has been my biggest teacher”, says Azim. “Since I started college, I invested in data packs and watched videos of every lesson or subject that interested me. I embraced everything new beyond the ambit of what’s considered conventional”, he says.
Indeed, breaking convention is nothing new for Anisha Khiyani, another TSP alum. Originally from Mundra, Anisha grew up seeing many of her friends get married soon after they turned 18. As an aspiring designer, Anisha shelved her dreams to pursue design school because of the exorbitant price tag. Instead, she moved to Anand to pursue her undergraduate degree in engineering.
But her love for the field of design stayed on, and soon after she graduated she applied and landed a seat at the National Institute of Design (NID). She funded her Masters with her savings, the TSP and a scholarship awarded by the college for her outstanding performance in Semester one.
Now, after having graduated, Anisha has founded her own company called Organic Symmetry, an Apparel & Lifestyle brand. She believes that pursuing her dreams has made a huge difference to her family's life. "Education is undoubtedly the best investment my family made. Not an expenditure, but an investment", reiterates Anisha. During the early days of the pandemic when people were struggling to sustain themselves, Anisha sold over 80,000 designer cloth masks across the world.
"We live in a much more beautiful house, my mother has house help- something we never saw or imagined growing up, and my parents can now sit back and relax”, she says, proud of the fact that she is able to financially support her family.
None of these amazing stories would have taken shape without TSP; and its alumni and students remain committed to giving back to the programme. “Once I repay my loan I want to contribute 50% of my grant to TSP”, says Anisha. “My hope is that another deserving student gets a fair shot at quality education the way I did. It’s my way of giving back and hoping that another family improves their quality of life.”
https://the.ismaili/india/gondia-iit-kharagpur
Want to pursue a great education but need financial support? For many years the Aga Khan Education Board’s (AKEB,I) Tertiary Scholarship Programme (TSP) has helped support the hopes and aspirations of students from the India Jamat. Three TSP alumni share their story on how the scholarship programme has helped bridge the gap between dreams and reality.
“One might my think my journey to IIT, Kharagpur started in the early 2000s. But let me tell you, it started when Mawlana Hazar Imam introduced the word ‘meritocracy’ to the India Jamat way back in 1992. I was barely a month old at the time but since then my father swore to himself that whatever my career path might be, it had to be from the best institutes in India”, says Sahil Sorathiya, a TSP alum. Originally from Gondia, Sahil won the TSP to pursue his engineering degree at IIT Kharagpur. The rest as they say, is history.
Sahil Sorathiya, Azim Dinani and Anisha Khiyani are just a few among the many recipients of AKEB,I’s Tertiary Scholarship Programme (TSP). While their stories could not be more different; one common thread unites them: the decision to leave their home towns in search of the best possible education; and their ability to persevere in spite of challenging circumstances.
Every year AKEB,I provides a limited number of scholarships to outstanding undergraduate students, who have no other means of financing their education. Scholarships are awarded on a 50% grant: 50% loan basis, the payback period for which is five years, starting six months after the student graduates.
But before you apply to TSP, you have to land an offer of admission; and in country where lakhs compete for a few hundred seats; that’s always a challenge. For Sahil to be accepted at IIT, he followed a rigorous academic schedule; studying 15 (sometimes 17) hours a day, relentlessly working towards achieving an all India 671 rank that helped him land a seat at IIT.
But when the admission came through tragedy struck. Sahil’s father met with an unfortunate accident during the crucial year of his admission. That’s when TSP stepped in. “I never gave up”, says Sahil. “I put in hours of research and applications for every scholarship I could find”, he says. His never-give-up attitude not only got him to IIT, it also landed him different roles in leading startups across the country. He was part of Flipkart, Meesho and Aasan.
Sahil’s determination is shared by many other TSP alumni; all of whom remain driven and confident that the returns on their education will offset the long struggle to get there.
“I know what I will earn in a month at the end of my four years of graduation will be equal to six months of my family income, if not more”, says Azim currently interning with Upkey, a Chicago based education company while completing his second year of engineering at National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli.
Azim took up engineering after the 12th grade. His enthusiasm for the subject went far beyond the classroom. “The internet has been my biggest teacher”, says Azim. “Since I started college, I invested in data packs and watched videos of every lesson or subject that interested me. I embraced everything new beyond the ambit of what’s considered conventional”, he says.
Indeed, breaking convention is nothing new for Anisha Khiyani, another TSP alum. Originally from Mundra, Anisha grew up seeing many of her friends get married soon after they turned 18. As an aspiring designer, Anisha shelved her dreams to pursue design school because of the exorbitant price tag. Instead, she moved to Anand to pursue her undergraduate degree in engineering.
But her love for the field of design stayed on, and soon after she graduated she applied and landed a seat at the National Institute of Design (NID). She funded her Masters with her savings, the TSP and a scholarship awarded by the college for her outstanding performance in Semester one.
Now, after having graduated, Anisha has founded her own company called Organic Symmetry, an Apparel & Lifestyle brand. She believes that pursuing her dreams has made a huge difference to her family's life. "Education is undoubtedly the best investment my family made. Not an expenditure, but an investment", reiterates Anisha. During the early days of the pandemic when people were struggling to sustain themselves, Anisha sold over 80,000 designer cloth masks across the world.
"We live in a much more beautiful house, my mother has house help- something we never saw or imagined growing up, and my parents can now sit back and relax”, she says, proud of the fact that she is able to financially support her family.
None of these amazing stories would have taken shape without TSP; and its alumni and students remain committed to giving back to the programme. “Once I repay my loan I want to contribute 50% of my grant to TSP”, says Anisha. “My hope is that another deserving student gets a fair shot at quality education the way I did. It’s my way of giving back and hoping that another family improves their quality of life.”
https://the.ismaili/india/gondia-iit-kharagpur
New report reveals impact of AKF & Reckitt Benckiser School Hygiene Education Programme in India
The partnership is in its fourth year, and is now reaching over 800,000 children across 4000+ schools
The School Hygiene Education Programme is a joint initiative between the Aga Khan Foundation and Reckitt Benckiser under the Dettol Banega Swachh India campaign, a flagship, nation-wide sanitation and hygiene campaign initiated by RB.
The campaign seeks to drive behaviour change through a multifaceted approach, which targets schools and the community at large. The school programme within the flagship national initiative by RB has been designed in recognition of the fact that, by changing the mindset and behaviour of school students, they can become a catalyst for change in schools, homes and neighbourhoods. By working with teachers and principals, the right knowledge can be passed on to build good habits in children and future generations.
The programme at a glance
3 States
(Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Bihar)
4000+ schools
800,000+ children
The continuation of the RB-AKF partnership in the fourth year has evolved and is being scaled to impact over 800,000 children across 4000+schools in the three states of Bihar, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. This is being undertaken by combining on-the-ground implementation in schools along with technical assistance to education departments as they develop the hygiene curriculum in schools.
Dettol Banega Swachh India is an ambitious 5-year programme which seeks to address the hygiene and sanitation concerns throughout India.
This programme aims to ensure that children have good hygiene and sanitation practices instilled in them from an early age, making them a catalyst for change in their respective families. Through this programme, government school teachers are delivering sanitation and hygiene curriculum, aimed at driving behavioural change in students and building awareness in the surrounding communities the schools operate in. For this to be successful, local governments must be involved to ensure that basic sanitation infrastructure is available in schools.
Dettol Banega Swachh India is an ambitious 5-year programme which seeks to address hygiene and sanitation concerns throughout India. The initiative aims to:
- Drive behaviour change towards hand hygiene, through numerous awareness initiatives such as the School Hand Wash Programme and Young Mother’s Programme.
- Improve sanitation facilities by working with NGO partners to identify areas across the country, to support the development and maintenance of cleaner toilets.
More...
https://www.akf.org.uk/new-report-revea ... 25c8c5fc8d
The partnership is in its fourth year, and is now reaching over 800,000 children across 4000+ schools
The School Hygiene Education Programme is a joint initiative between the Aga Khan Foundation and Reckitt Benckiser under the Dettol Banega Swachh India campaign, a flagship, nation-wide sanitation and hygiene campaign initiated by RB.
The campaign seeks to drive behaviour change through a multifaceted approach, which targets schools and the community at large. The school programme within the flagship national initiative by RB has been designed in recognition of the fact that, by changing the mindset and behaviour of school students, they can become a catalyst for change in schools, homes and neighbourhoods. By working with teachers and principals, the right knowledge can be passed on to build good habits in children and future generations.
The programme at a glance
3 States
(Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Bihar)
4000+ schools
800,000+ children
The continuation of the RB-AKF partnership in the fourth year has evolved and is being scaled to impact over 800,000 children across 4000+schools in the three states of Bihar, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. This is being undertaken by combining on-the-ground implementation in schools along with technical assistance to education departments as they develop the hygiene curriculum in schools.
Dettol Banega Swachh India is an ambitious 5-year programme which seeks to address the hygiene and sanitation concerns throughout India.
This programme aims to ensure that children have good hygiene and sanitation practices instilled in them from an early age, making them a catalyst for change in their respective families. Through this programme, government school teachers are delivering sanitation and hygiene curriculum, aimed at driving behavioural change in students and building awareness in the surrounding communities the schools operate in. For this to be successful, local governments must be involved to ensure that basic sanitation infrastructure is available in schools.
Dettol Banega Swachh India is an ambitious 5-year programme which seeks to address hygiene and sanitation concerns throughout India. The initiative aims to:
- Drive behaviour change towards hand hygiene, through numerous awareness initiatives such as the School Hand Wash Programme and Young Mother’s Programme.
- Improve sanitation facilities by working with NGO partners to identify areas across the country, to support the development and maintenance of cleaner toilets.
More...
https://www.akf.org.uk/new-report-revea ... 25c8c5fc8d
Leadership Address: Ashish Merchant, President, National Council for India
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSZR4LO-pz8
Re: INSTITUTIONAL ACTIVITIES IN INDIA
AKEB, I presents: Pursuing Higher education in Australia & New Zealand - a session by Mr. Anish L
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTSRwI-o0Eo
This webinar covers important topics like cost of living, maintaining a student status, work laws and more!
******
AKEB, I presents: Blockchain Technology - a session by Mr.Aman Sanduja
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGjmZbVHoOo
*********
AKEB, I presents: Break The MBA Code - a session by Ms.Vibha Kagzi
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR85ak33tsI
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTSRwI-o0Eo
This webinar covers important topics like cost of living, maintaining a student status, work laws and more!
******
AKEB, I presents: Blockchain Technology - a session by Mr.Aman Sanduja
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGjmZbVHoOo
*********
AKEB, I presents: Break The MBA Code - a session by Ms.Vibha Kagzi
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR85ak33tsI
Re: INSTITUTIONAL ACTIVITIES IN INDIA
VIDEO: AKEB, I presents: Career Options for Chartered Accountants - a session by Amrin
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwwWk4pd2Nw
This webinar will help students and professionals explore and learn more about the emerging career opportunities in the field of accountancy.
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwwWk4pd2Nw
This webinar will help students and professionals explore and learn more about the emerging career opportunities in the field of accountancy.
Understanding Our Minds with Dr. Malik Merchant
Understanding Our Minds with Dr. Malik Merchant | Mental Health | AKHB,I
4 waiting Scheduled for Aug 6, 2022 Mental Health is as important as your Physical Health. In this live session, Dr. Malik Merchant (Psychiatrist, Prince Aly Khan Hospital) will answer all your questions about mental health - diagnosis, treatment, therapy, counseling, good habits, etc. This session will be hosted by Natasha Surani, Clinical Psychologist and Counsellor at International Institute for Population Sciences.
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msQRQOnL10o
4 waiting Scheduled for Aug 6, 2022 Mental Health is as important as your Physical Health. In this live session, Dr. Malik Merchant (Psychiatrist, Prince Aly Khan Hospital) will answer all your questions about mental health - diagnosis, treatment, therapy, counseling, good habits, etc. This session will be hosted by Natasha Surani, Clinical Psychologist and Counsellor at International Institute for Population Sciences.
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msQRQOnL10o
India AKF awarded prestigious Mahatma Award
Congratulations to the AKF team in India which has received the prestigious
@mahatmaaward
for Social Good & Impact in #CleanWater & #Sanitation.
The award celebrates impact leaders & change-makers that are making a social impact & leading the way to a #sustainable future.
https://twitter.com/AKF_Global/status/1 ... 25c8c5fc8d
@mahatmaaward
for Social Good & Impact in #CleanWater & #Sanitation.
The award celebrates impact leaders & change-makers that are making a social impact & leading the way to a #sustainable future.https://twitter.com/AKF_Global/status/1 ... 25c8c5fc8d
Prince Rahim and Prince Aly Muhammad visit Mumbai
In his remarks, President of the Ismaili Council for India Asif Porbanderwala thanked the princes for their visit to India.
Prince Rahim and Prince Aly Muhammad applaud a performance by members of the Jamat at an Institutional Dinner in Mumbai, India.
On the second day of their working visit to India, Prince Rahim and Prince Aly Muhammad attended a dinner hosted by the Jamat institutions in Mumbai.
Guests at the dinner were treated to a unique musical rendition that combined classical and modern Indian styles, a graceful dance performance, and a poetic folk song from Afghanistan accompanied by traditional Persian instruments. The performing artists represented different age groups and showcased the depth of artistic talent in the Jamat.
President of the Ismaili Council for India, Asif Porbanderwala, thanked the princes for their visit to India, and for their continuous efforts, support and keen interest in the AKDN projects in several parts of the country.
“Today, AKDN in India is recognised for its mosaic of activities across various sectors,” he said. “They are in health, in education, in habitat, disaster preparedness, climate resilience, and climate change. And all these organisations have won awards, and government agencies today are very happy and satisfied with the contribution that AKDN has been making.”
In his remarks, Prince Rahim thanked the government of India for its warm welcome and expressed his deep appreciation to the leaders, staff, donors and many volunteers for their work over decades to enhance the quality of life and improve the standing of the Jamat.
“It’s nice for my brother Aly and I to be here with you – it’s our first trip together to see projects and… we’re really happy to be here,” he said.
“Hazar Imam is going to be very happy to know that the institutions are doing great work here,” he added. “We look forward to sharing what we’ve seen with him.”
The following day, Prince Rahim and Prince Aly Muhammad visited the Aga Hall Estate to review progress on construction.
Aga Hall is a revitalisation project rooted in legacy. Originally established by Mawlana Hasan Ali Shah in the 1860s, the site was also a home to Mawlana Ali Shah and Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah. Over the years, it has witnessed Mumbai’s evolution into a thriving international hub, while symbolising the city's historic roots.
In 2012, Mawlana Hazar Imam originally approved plans to redevelop the site for the benefit of residents and their neighbours. Alongside a new, enlarged Jamatkhana, a new international-standard school, and a new hospital, the estate’s two residential towers will offer a convenient and holistic lifestyle, with lush gardens that will cover more than half of the site’s total area, creating a green oasis in the densely urbanised area. The aim is to enhance the quality of life for current and prospective residents and provide a safe, community-oriented living experience.
The Aga Hall design applies AKDN’s Green Building Guidelines, incorporating energy-efficient and environmentally sensitive features, while reducing waste and carbon emissions. One of the two towers will be allocated to existing residents of the estate, who will progress from being tenants of their old apartments to owners of their new ones.
The surplus from the sale of apartments will be allocated to further development of the complex, including the new state-of-the-art hospital, which will benefit thousands of local citizens regardless of their background.
More photos at
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Princess Zahra visits education projects in India
Last week, Princess Zahra and her daughter Sara completed a five-day working visit to India, where, accompanied by members of the Aga Khan Schools board, they observed the progress of education projects in Telangana, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
In Hyderabad, Telangana, Princess Zahra visited the two campuses of the Diamond Jubilee High School, the Aga Khan Hostel in Kompally, and the Aga Khan Academy. They also spent time at the Garden Society in Kompally, which provides housing to hundreds of families, and includes a Jamatkhana, a Learning Resource Centre (LRC) for elder members of the Jamat, a Medical Centre, and a Learning Centre that hosts after-school programmes run by the Aga Khan Education Board.
While in Gujarat, Princess Zahra visited a pre-school in Keshod, the Malia Hatina Hostel and the Girnar School, and the Aga Khan School in Chitravad. There, she also inaugurated the 16th LRC in the country, which offers a recreational and learning space for senior citizens of the Jamat, thus helping to enhance their quality of life.
The breadth and diversity of the educational institutions they visited underscores the Imamat’s commitment to ensuring widespread access to high-quality education, in order to help nurture and develop future leaders of India.
AKDN has a long and rich history in India, with strong educational institutions dating back to 1905, when the first Aga Khan school was founded in Mundra. In the 1940s, during the Diamond Jubilee of Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah, several more schools were established across South Asia.
The network of schools has continued to grow under the guidance of Mawlana Hazar Imam. Today, in India, AKDN operates eight state and national curriculum schools, 19 pre-schools, one hostel and one Academy, which together serve more than 8,000 students from different backgrounds.
In Mumbai, visits were arranged to the Diamond Jubilee High School for Girls and the coeducational Diamond Jubilee High School. While in Mumbai, Princess Zahra also visited the Aga Hall Estate to review progress on construction. Aga Hall is a revitalisation project rooted in legacy. Originally established by Mawlana Hasan Ali Shah in the 1860s, the site was also a home to Mawlana Ali Shah and Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah. Over the years, it has witnessed Mumbai’s evolution into a thriving international hub, while symbolising the city's historic roots.
Alongside a new, enlarged Jamatkhana, a new international-standard school, and a new hospital, the Aga Hall Estate’s two residential towers will offer a convenient and holistic lifestyle, with lush gardens that will cover more than half of the site’s total area, creating a green oasis in the densely urbanised area. The aim is to enhance the quality of life for current and prospective residents and provide a safe, community-oriented living experience.
At an institutional dinner in Mumbai, President Asif Porbanderwala of the Ismaili Council for India welcomed Princess Zahra and her daughter Sara, and conveyed the Jamat’s joy and gratitude for their visit to the country. He also thanked Princess Zahra for her tireless efforts and commitment for more than 30 years:
“You have been a pillar in supporting the vision of our Imam, and more importantly, leading by example,” he said.
The Ismaili Council screened a short film and presented a photo gallery recounting Princess Zahra’s previous visits to India to honour her contributions and pay tribute to her many years of work.
Princess Zahra expressed her thanks to the many volunteers who made the visit possible, and commended the artists who performed at the dinner. “It’s my honour and my pleasure to be here with all of you,” she said. Princess Zahra also spoke about the visit, the progress of AKDN in India, and Mawlana Hazar Imam’s vision.
“I think we all follow the same vision,” she added. “We are all inspired by that vision, we’re all trying to live up to that vision and contribute to it as best we can. And it’s not a question of choice. It’s a question of vocation, and calling, and duty.”
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