DEUTSCHE WELLE
The Djinguereber Mosque in Timbuktu, Mali. This structure is almost entirely made of mud and other organic materials like straw and wood. Built in 1327 it has two minarets and space for 2,000. A restoration of the complex was undertaken in 2006 by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture
Prince Karim will celebrate his diamond jubilee as the Aga Khan this July. From the beginning of his time as Imam, he has been quietly supporting humanitarian and environmental work throughout Africa.
“We can say with conviction that Africa’s moment has come.” With this the Aga Khan brought a 2016 keynote address to a culmination. While he commended the continent’s resilience, economic progress and a widening acceptance of diversity, it was this one sentence that summed up his optimism about the continent.
And his opinion matters, since there is hardly any other person who has as much experience in Africa over such a long period. Yet this is a far cry from Uganda in 1972 when under then President Idi Amin, Ismailis and other Asians were expelled for no reason other than fear and closed-mindedness, despite their having lived in the country for generations.
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The Aga Khan Development Network
The Aga Khan’s family has long served society. Among other things, his grandfather was president of the League of Nations and established major social welfare institutions and schools as early as 1905 chiefly in India and Africa. His uncle, Prince Sadruddin, was the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Refugees.
Following in his grandfather’s footsteps, Prince Karim officially founded the Aga Khan Foundation over 50 years ago. It was the first of 10 agencies which today make up the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN).
This group of private for and non-profit institutions now employs 80,000 and works in over 30 counties, across Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and North America, and combines business know-how with social goals. The Ismaili community also plays a role in these efforts; over 100,000 of them contribute volunteer time or professional services, not to mention direct financial aid.
Over the years the AKDN has built universities, hundreds of schools, parks, cultural centers, hydroelectric dams, and funded reforestation and rural development projects. Through its various health centers and hospitals it provides care to 1 million people annually.
In 2017 alone the AKDN and its partners plan to spend $925 million (812 million euro) on projects. This money comes from a variety of sources. The Aga Khan himself provides funding for administration, and new programs and country initiatives. Additionally, the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, which is the only part of the organization to work on a commercial basis, reinvests all surpluses into development initiatives.
The Aga Khan Development Network is an umbrella organization which includes 10 stand-alone agencies that work in different areas but compliment each other. The impulse behind this complex network comes directly from the Aga Khan
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