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FAQ

What is PartnershipsInAction?
PartnershipsInAction is an initiative of Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A. (AKF USA) and its network of volunteers across the U.S. to raise awareness and funds for innovative programs that create hope and opportunity for disadvantaged communities in the developing world. Inspired by the tremendous success of Partnership Walk, which was launched in 1995, PartnershipsInAction inform, educate and inspire Americans about the power of partnerships in creating a more secure, peaceful and prosperous future for people around the world. We live in a world where half the world’s population lives on less than $2 per day. As global citizens, you can become part of the solution to end global poverty and play an active role in helping communities become self-reliant. PartnershipsInAction events and activities give Americans an opportunity to actively take part in advancing grassroots democracy, dignity and peace around the globe. Through volunteerism, awareness-raising and contributions, events range from Partnership Walk to Partnership Golf to global education activities, involving young and old in a compassionate effort to reduce hunger, disease, illiteracy and poverty.

PartnershipsInAction unite Americans as global citizens with communities in Africa and Asia to build bridges of hope, reaching across boundaries of race, religion and gender. Participants, sponsors, partners and volunteers are part of a worldwide movement, mobilizing around the universal Millennium Development Goals to cut global poverty in half by 2015.

Why does Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A. sponsor PartnershipsInAction?

• PartnershipsInAction complement the Foundation’s mission of helping people in developing countries create long-term solutions to reduce poverty. At Partnership events, Americans learn how we can dramatically improve the quality of life for people in some of the poorest areas of Asia and Africa.
• AKF USA sponsors events to give Americans an opportunity to learn about the positive ways the Foundation contributes to creating a safer, more secure and prosperous world for our children and future generations.
• The Foundation acts as a catalyst for grassroots organizations to help themselves. Helping people and communities become self-reliant is a key factor in the Foundation’s work. It extends a helping hand, not a hand-out.
• That helping hand comes in the form of community self-help programs that enable people to improve living standards and move out of poverty. Getting to the root causes of poverty involves promoting better health care, expanding educational opportunities, and creating opportunities for people to make a decent living. It involves helping communities organize themselves so they can work together, manage resources and decide what works best for them in a joint effort to improve their local conditions.
• People who come to PartnershipsInAction events learn first-hand about the work of the Foundation and how its smart solutions bring about progress and long-term results that reduce poverty. The Foundation’s work in resourcepoor and remote communities in Africa and Asia has a direct impact on saving lives, educating girls, caring for mothers, helping farmers to grow better crops, and organizing communities to have more voice and choice in determining their future.

What is the Aga Khan Foundation and what does it do?
Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A. is a nonprofit, non-denominational international development organization that is committed to alleviating poverty, hunger, disease and illiteracy, primarily in Asia and Africa. It works with communities at the grassroots level to strengthen their capacity to solve local problems. The Foundation’s mission is to help communities transform their lives from a situation of poverty to an environment of opportunity and choice. Its programs extend to people irrespective of gender, origin or religion. The Foundation is geographically focused on selected countries in South and Central Asia, East Africa and the Middle East.Aga Khan Foundation undertakes projects in five key areas:

• health
• education
• rural development
• civil society – building the capacity of local community organizations
• environment

The Foundation seeks to address the root causes of poverty by creating and sharing solutions that help end human suffering and improve the quality of life. The Foundation is presently engaged in over 100 projects in 18 countries. Countries where its projects take place include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Kenya, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mali, Mozambique, Pakistan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, and Uganda. AKF also has offices in Canada, Portugal, United Kingdom, and United States, with its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A., a private, non-profit development agency, started in 1981 to promote sustainable and equitable social development. The Foundation was established in 1967 in Geneva by His Highness the Aga Khan, the 49thImam (spiritual leader) of the Ismaili Muslims. The Foundation is an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network, a group of private development agencies founded by His Highness the Aga Khan, with mandates ranging from health and education to architecture, culture, microfinance, disaster reduction, rural development, the promotion of private sector enterprise and the revitalization of historic cities.

The Foundation’s programs are funded with the generous assistance of more than 60 national and international development agencies and many thousands of individual and corporate donors. It collaborates with other like-minded organizations dedicated to international development, such as the U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of State, American Red Cross, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Citigroup Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Johnson & Johnson, among others. The Foundation upholds the conviction that everyone has the right to the dignity that comes from self-reliance. It operates on the principle that effective social and economic progress is based on partnership with individuals, communities, businesses, governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

How can I get more involved?

• Take part in US activities such as Partnership Walk and Partnership Golf.
• At Partnership Walk, form a team of five or more people that walks together and shows their support to help end poverty around the world.
• Participate in Partnership Golf tournaments and help raise funds that go toward making poverty history.
• Get sponsors to contribute donations.
• Become a Partnership Ambassador by promoting the Walk and Golf tournaments to your friends and associates and encourage them to support our efforts in saving lives and making a difference that creates a safer, more secure world.
• Volunteer! Partnership Walk and Golf is organized by local volunteers. The all-volunteer team welcomes your contribution of time, talent and energy in preparing and organizing the Walk.
• Organize and schedule presentations and film screenings in your office, school or community group to inform others about the impact individuals can have on building a better world and helping people help themselves.
• Call your local AKF USA volunteer office for more details on how to volunteer and take part in organizing activities.

What is Partnership Golf?
Partnership Golf is an initiative of Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A. to raise funds and awareness to help communities in some of the poorest areas of Africa and Asia create sustainable solutions to end poverty. Inspired by the tremendous success of Partnership Walk, Partnership Golf offers Americans a unique opportunity to create awareness about international development while enjoying a day out on the green with friends and colleagues. All net proceeds go directly to programs supported by the Foundation that save and improve lives.

In its inaugural year of 2007, tournaments were held in Atlanta, Birmingham, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, San Antonio and Seattle where 1,000 golfers and sponsors participated. Partnership Golf tournaments continue to expand to other cities where our partners continue to take a swing at ending global poverty.

What is the Partnership Walk?
Partnership Walk is a public event to raise awareness and show how people can make a difference in ending global poverty. Partnership Walk promotes partnerships among Americans and people in the developing world. The Walk brings together families, leaders in government, business, media and the arts as well as teams from corporations, schools, clubs and community groups for a day of learning, fun and fundraising. The Walk raises funds for innovative, cost-effective projects that improve the quality of life of the most vulnerable – especially women and children– in some of the poorest areas of Asia and Africa. The Walk is a special occasionfor people to act locally and make an impact globally. Participants take part in a global network of concerned citizens that begins at the grassroots in your own community. Partnership Walk is organized by a network of AKF USA volunteers across American communities.

What happens at the Partnership Walk?

• Partnership Walk features a 2 to 3-mile Walk with interactive activities, exhibits and performances for all ages. Walkers embark upon an exciting and engaging learning adventure, with hands-on exhibits featuring innovative projects in the developing world, along with culturally diverse music, arts, dance and food from countries where the Aga Khan Foundation is active. The exhibits and activities of the Global Village in Action showcase the innovative solutions that Aga Khan Foundation has supported in Asia and Africa.
• By taking part in these fun and educational activities, participants learn how communities in developing countries overcome the challenges of low incomes, poor health conditions and limited education opportunities. Through displays, exhibits and demonstrations, the Global Village in Action illustrates the positive results that are achieved in the Foundation’s development projects. It shows that despite the enormous challenges that the poor face, progress can happen and is being achieved. Both kids and adults learn a lot about what it means to be a global citizen.
• High profile guests and celebrities also take part in Partnership Walk to show their support for creating partnerships around the world and how reducing poverty makes our world a safer and more peaceful place.

Where and when does Partnership Walk take place?
Check the Partnership Walk website for date, location, and local start times.

How is my donation used and what does it support?
Your tax-deductible contribution goes to help poor communities help themselves. 100% of donations and all net proceeds from golf tournaments go directly to projects supported by AKF USA, such as health, education and rural development. The Foundation’s programs place great emphasis on community participation, gender equity, the environment and human resource development. Not a cent is spent on administration. Your contribution goes to support programs that give people that extra boost they need to solve their own problems and put in place long-lasting solutions to reduce poverty.

• Health programs focus on communities’ health needs, such as promoting health education; improving health services, clinics and water and sanitation facilities; and promoting early intervention, especially for children and women.
• Education programs emphasize early childhood development, girls’ education and training female teachers. Women and girls suffer the most around the world and by providing them with quality education and better nutrition, we can save lives and nurture productive citizens. Helping women achieve higher levels of education is a key investment for improving economic development.
• Programs in rural development focus on reducing poverty, promoting income-generating opportunities, engaging communities to participate in local organizations to give them more voice and choice in determining their future, and increasing food security through appropriate technologies and training.
• The Foundation supports building the capacity of civil society organizations and community-based groups. It supports programs that train people in agriculture, micro-credit, health care, teaching, constructing infrastructure, and improving the management of schools and health care facilities. The Foundation offers technical support and shares best practices with local organizations so they can become self-sustaining and financially secure over the long term.
• Environment-related programs concentrate on six main areas: environmental education; natural resource management in fragile zones; nature parks and wildlife reserves; environmentally and culturally appropriate tourism infrastructure; environmental health; and research in subjects such as identifying and developing new disease and drought-resistant crops for mountain and desert environments, non-lethal methods of reducing crop loss and destruction by animals, and appropriate technologies in areas suffering from increased salinity.

What percentage of my contribution is used for administration costs?
Not one penny. 100% of the donations at the Partnership Walk and all net proceeds from Partnership Golf go directly to the projects supported by the Foundation. No contributions are used for administrative costs.

How do I know my donation will reach the poor?
Projects supported by Aga Khan Foundation are carefully managed and monitored. The Foundation places great emphasis on effective management and accountability.

• The Foundation is actively involved in the planning and execution of its projects, and has built a solid reputation for accountable management of its grants within a clearly defined thematic strategy and geographic focus.
• The Foundation focuses on countries where it has experience and expertise, and where local staff monitors progress and ensure that resources are effectively used.
• The Foundation also utilizes the resources of affiliate institutions, such as the Aga Khan Health Services, Aga Khan Education Services and Aga Khan Planning and Building Services, non-profit organizations that have a 60-year track record of managing and building schools, hospitals and clinics in Africa and Asia.
• The Foundation invites independent evaluations from outside organizations, such as the World Bank, to ensure that the programs are actually assisting those in need. These evaluations are then published.

Isn't assistance to people in the developing world a waste of money?
On the contrary, immense progress has been made through development programs supported by AKF USA. In fact, solutions derived from the developing world such as microcredit lending (giving small loans to people especially to start businesses), have been transplanted to parts of the U.S. to help people living in poverty here. One striking example of progress is seen in the remote mountainous region of Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan in Central Asia. After AKF initiated an agricultural reform program, the food self-sufficiency ratio increased remarkably from 15% to 80% from 1993 to 2002.

The Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) in northern Pakistan is internationally recognized as having one of the most successful approaches to sustainable rural development. AKRSP has established more than 4,300 village and women’s organizations reaching 1.2 million people, which help grassroots communities plan, implement and sustain local activities that improve their livelihoods, expand opportunities for their children and enhance living conditions.

2.5 million people have benefited directly from the Foundation’s rural support programs worldwide, with indirect beneficiaries reaching close to 12 million people in over 8,400 village organizations. Initiated in northern Pakistan in 1982, AKF’s model program was expanded to nine other countries, including Afghanistan, India, Kenya, Kyrgyz Republic, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique,Syria and Tajikistan. Many development organizations working with poor communities around the world now use the AKF’s approach.

In 1989, diarrhea was the #1 killer of children under five globally. AKF was a pioneer in research and promotion of oral re-hydration therapy, an affordable treatment for diarrhea-related dehydration. By 2000, diarrhea-related deaths declined by half, preventing more than 1 million deaths every year.

What is the theme for this year?
Each year Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A. explores international development issues via a specific theme that is significant to the Foundation’s focus areas in health, education, rural development, civil society and the environment. Our 2008 theme,“Planting Our Future” spotlights the extraordinary success, expansion and impact of Aga Khan Foundation’s rural support programs, initiated in northern Pakistan in 1982 and expanded to nine other countries. The story of AKF’s rural support programs brings to light the power of partnerships and reflects the Foundation’s enduring commitment to community participation and grassroots democracy. It embraces the time-tested principle of helping people to help themselves. In 2007, our theme – Innovative Solutions to Create Hope and Opportunity – highlighted Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A.’s 25th anniversary, capturing the depth, scope and impact of a quarter century of achievements.

How does the Foundation ensure that it makes the most out of my contribution?

• Programs funded by the Foundation must meet stringent criteria that ensure the best use of limited resources. Every initiative undertaken by the Foundation must be cost-effective, effectively managed, sustainable on a long-term basis, and community-based. • Projects are consistently monitored and evaluated by both internal and independent external teams.
• The Foundation is especially interested in innovative approaches to problems of development that show promise of wider application. It funds projects that can serve as a model to be replicated and adapted in other parts of the world.
• Often initiated and always supported by the communities they serve, the Foundation’s projects aim to strengthen the capacity of people and local institutions so they are self-sustaining. This institution-building is also supported by partnerships with agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network and other organizations, both in the North and South.
• The Foundation draws on the expertise of its sister agencies in the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and collaborates with them in
  regionally focused strategies. As the AKDN agencies work in partnership in their respective areas of economic, social and cultural development, their efforts reinforce one another to make a greater impact in a given region.
• Many initiatives have come to exist through the energy, dedication and skill of volunteers. Both volunteers and professional staff are essential to the functioning of AKDN. The AKDN agencies rely on the participation of local people at all levels – in defining services needed, providing them and evaluating their effectiveness.
• The funds that you contribute to Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A. are multiplied many times because of the Foundation’s ability to obtain matching grants from other agencies, such as the U.S. Agency for International Development and U.S. Department of State as well as private foundations.

Why should Americans support and contribute to programs in developing countries?

• We all want to leave the world a better place for our children, for future generations. To do that, we must protect our global environment, working with other countries and communities around the world to find long-term solutions for security and prosperity.
• The less suffering and strife there is in the world, the better off we ALL are. We’ve made big strides in this country on important issues, but no country can go it alone in this new global environment. It takes teamwork.
• If we commit ourselves to helping people become self-sufficient, we can expect to see progress and change that will reap benefits in years to come. In the 21st century the world will continue to grow more interconnected, not less. Business people recognize this, and understand that the U.S. has a stake in the well-being of communities across the globe.
• Every American can be part of the solution to end global poverty. Every American can play a role in creating a more secure and safer world. We can work as a team across borders to help end poor health conditions, preventable diseases, illiteracy, and poverty. We can share our expertise and resources with communities that are trying to improve their conditions.
• As Americans and as compassionate people, we care about working toward a world where all people have opportunities to raise healthy families, go to school and earn decent wages. When countries have prosperous people, they make good partners. When we contribute to making communities selfsufficient, we help build stable countries that make for a safer world.
• We have experienced two wars since September 11, 2001 – in Afghanistan and Iraq. There are many ways we can reduce conflict and not end up in war. It’s important to show to our children and people of the world that we are committed to making the world a more peaceful and secure place for our children and other peoples. The actions we take today have a direct impact on the future direction of the world. In a world where borders matter less and less, we must realize that all parts must be in good shape for the world to run smoothly.

What does the Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A. do in the United States?

• AKF USA has an office in Washington, DC where it manages international development programs and operations. It works closely with other agencies such as the US Agency for International Development, US Department of Agriculture, the State Department, other development organizations, corporations and private foundations.
• AKF USA sponsors PartnershipsInAction in U.S. communities to provide an opportunity to engage the American public in activities that inform people about the work of the Foundation and help them understand how they can help bring about solutions that reduce global poverty.
• In 2007, AKF USA launched Partnership Golf Tournaments that were held in Atlanta, Birmingham, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis and San Antonio.
• AKF USA supports an all-volunteer program that encourages parent involvement, provides learning opportunities for pre-school children, supports school readiness and early childhood development. Learning Centers for Parents and Children (LCPC) are based in seven cities in the U.S. The centers help immigrant parents and children increase their skills through English language training, family seminars, and teacher training.
• The Foundation also supports youth development by offering professional internships.

How can I participate in Partnership Walk?

There are several ways that you can get involved in the Partnership Walk.

• You can register on-line.
• Fill out the form in the registration brochure. Mail it to the address listed on the brochure or bring it with you on the day of the Walk. Check your local city page to download the form.
• You can help with fundraising efforts and ask people to sponsor you. There is a form in the registration brochure to list your sponsors. Check your local city page to download the form.
• You can become a sponsor. There is a wide range of sponsorship opportunities for corporations, businesses and individuals. Sponsors receive local and national recognition on the day of the Walk as well as in materials that we distribute before and after the event. (See a list of sponsors on the website). When you become a Partnership Walk sponsor, you join a growing community of socially responsible businesspeople, corporations and organizations who understand the importance of working in global partnership to create a better world.
• You can form a team and have your team members go out and get sponsors. A team is formed when an individual recruits five or more people to register for the Walk. If your team raises more than $250 it is eligible for a chance to win great prizes that are described in the registration brochure and on the website. Many teams participate at Partnership Walk – groups of friends, school mates, co-workers, members of community organizations, corporate teams, sports teams, clubs, scout troops, and neighborhood blocks.

How long has the Walk been taking place?
Partnership Walk has taken place in the U.S. for 12 years. Partnership Walk 2008 marks the thirteenth year that it has been held in the U.S. The first U.S. Walk was launched in Los Angeles in 1995. Walk participants become part of an international network. Partnership Walks are held in over 35 cities across the U.S., Canada and Europe in a growing movement of global citizens who take a stand to fight global poverty. The very first Partnership Walk took place in Vancouver, Canada in 1985.

What impact does the Partnership Walk have?
Since 1995, 40 Walks have been held in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and Los Angeles bringing together 239,000 people and raising over $28 million. 100% of the funds raised at Partnership Walk go directly to projects supported by the Foundation. Not a cent is spent on administration. Thanks to the funds raised, millions of people in Asia and Africa have benefited directly from programs supported by Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A.

Is there a fee to register for the Partnership Walk?
There is NO registration fee. When you register, you are making a commitment to the people of the world that you will walk side-by-side with others in partnership to be part of the solution to end global poverty.

For more information related to Aga Khan Development Network, please visit the Frequent Questions section of their website.