Mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into development planning
The Challenge Afghanistan, April 2016 – “Afghanistan is prone to multiple disasters. This conference has helped us to understand the benefits of the tool of mainstreaming and create a road map for implementing mainstreaming approaches into key Afghan government ministries to achieve the goal of disaster resilient development, with the support of FOCUS and ADPC,” said Mohammad […]
FOCUS delivers emergency food assistance
The Challenge The high mountain communities residing in Big and Small Pamirs are predominantly Kyrgyz pastoralists, who maintain a nomadic lifestyle, and rely on their livestock for sustenance. Food security is an ongoing problem in this area, and the effects of climate change have heavily exacerbated the problem this year. Late snowfall limited the community’s […]
Agreement for a new phase of “creating opportunities in a safe environment”
Tajikistan, July 2016 – Focus Humanitarian Assistance (FOCUS), an affiliate of the Aga Khan Development Network, and the Swiss Cooperation Office in Tajikistan have signed an agreement to implement Phase II of a 36-month project that will directly and indirectly enhance community disaster preparedness levels of approximately 50,000 people in Tajikistan.The project, “Creating Opportunities in a […]
Focus delivers relief items to Takhar province
Afghanistan, October 2016 – Focus Humanitarian Assistance (FOCUS) donated 125 tents and 100 Non Food Item packages to the Governor of Takhar to support 750 Internally Displaced People (IDP) in Kunduz. The Governor of Takhar, Mohammad Yasin Zia, expressed his gratitude to Focus Humanitarian Assistance and other NGOs who are helping with the response on the […]
Avalanche safety and rescue teams deployed in Gbao
The Challenge Tajikistan, February 2019 – Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO), a region highly vulnerable to natural hazards, has a long history of being negatively impacted by the effects of disasters. Avalanche is among many other hazards that causes catastrophic accidents often leading to fatal consequences and leaving large segment of the population without shelter and […]
How AKAH Tajikistan is increasing emergency response readiness
TAJIKISTAN (April 2020) – The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) recently conducted refresher trainings for members of the Rasht Valley’s Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT).[1] The workshops, which were designed to enhance emergency preparedness across six districts in Tajikistan, equipped CERT volunteers in first aid, light search and rescue and evacuation techniques, all of which enable […]
AKAH organizes training for female rescuers in Dushanbe
Tajikistan, March 2019 – The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) helped support the efforts to launch a week-long training for female rescuers from Afghanistan and Tajikistan in March 2019.1 The training was held at the Republican Training Center of the Emergencies Committee which was led by professional instructors from the United Kingdom. This is the […]
AKAH helps vulnerable communities meet their food needs during covid-19 pandemic in Pakistan
PAKISTAN (March 2020) – The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) in Pakistan was enlisted as a member of the Pakistani national task force to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in the isolated mountain communities of Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan. FOCUS USA, which engages in crisis response and humanitarian relief through AKAH in developing countries, provided emergency […]
Pakistani women are key in successful rescue missions
The Challenge Middle-school teacher Shamim Bano is one of the 50,000 volunteers trained in this joint community-based disaster risk management effort since 1998. As a young girl, Bano was disturbed to learn how often women were left behind during search and rescue missions, which is why she herself became a search and rescue volunteer in […]
