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Photographer: Inayat Ali
Photographer: Zain Hansraj
Photographer: Chris Wilkins 
Photographer: Amyn Jinnah and Zeeshan Virani
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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What impact does Partnership Walk have?
How long has the Walk been taking place?
How is my donation used and what does it support?
What is the theme for this year's 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 occasion for 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 an initiative of the Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A. (AKF USA) and organized by its network of volunteers across American communities.
- Partnership Walk features an engaging 2 to 3-mile Walk with interactive activities, exhibits and performances for all ages along the route. As walkers take their first steps along the route, they will 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 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 hands-on demonstrations, the Village in Action demonstrates 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 will learn a lot about what it means to be a global citizen.
- High profile guests and celebrities will 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.
� Partnership Walk complements the Foundation�s mission of helping people in developing countries create long-term solutions to reduce poverty. At the Walk Americans learn how we can improve the quality of life for people in some of the poorest areas of Asia and Africa.
� AKF USA sponsors the Walk to give Americans an opportunity to learn about the positive ways the Foundation contributes to creating a safer, more secure and prosperous world for 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 away from poverty. Getting to the root causes of poverty involves promoting better health care, expanding educational opportunities, and creating opportunities for people to make a descent 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 the Walk learn first-hand about the work of the Foundation and howthose solutions actually take place on the ground. Through exhibits and interactive displays at the Village in Action, the work of the Foundation is showcased. The Foundation�s work in resource-poor and remote communities in Africa and Asia has a direct impact on reducing global poverty.
Partnership Walk 2007 will take place in five major U.S. cities on
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Chicago – Millennium Park
Dallas - Dallas City Hall Plaza
Los Angeles – Memorial Coliseum
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Houston – Sam Houston Park
Atlanta – Piedmont Park
*Date and locations of all Walks to be confirmed
Check back regularly for date, location, and local start times.
How do I participate in the 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, which will be available in August 2007. Mail it to the address listed on the brochure or bring it with you on the day of the Walk.
• You can help with fundraising efforts and ask people to sponsor you. There is a form in the registration brochure to list your sponsors.
• 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 Partnership Walk Corporate Brochure for details or click on “Corporate Sponsor” on the website homepage www.partnershipwalk.org). When you become a sponsor of the Partnership Walk, 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. Participating as a team makes you eligible to have your team name printed in the program booklet that is distributed on the day of 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.
What impact does Partnership Walk
have?
Over the last decade, 30 Walks have been held cumulatively in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and Los Angeles bringing together 212,000 people and raising over $26 million. Thanks to the funds raised at the Walk, millions of people in Asia and Africa have benefited directly from programs supported by Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A.
How long has the Walk been taking place?
• Partnership Walk has taken place in the U.S. for 11 years. Partnership Walk 2007 marks the twelfth 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.
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.
- Form a team of five or more people that walks together.
• Get sponsors to contribute donations.
• Become a Partnership Walk Ambassador by promoting the Walk to your friends and associates and encouraging them to support our efforts.
• Volunteer! Partnership Walk 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 in your school, office or community group about global citizenship that inform others about the impact individuals can have on building a better world and helping people help themselves.
• Call your local Partnership Walk office for more details on how to volunteer and take part in organizing activities for the Walk.
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 non-governmental and community organizations to function better and achieve self-reliance
• environment
The Foundation seeks to address the root causes of poverty by finding, using and sharing solutions that help to end human suffering and improve the quality of life. The Foundation is presently engaged in over 100 major projects and programs in 18 countries. Countries where development projects take place include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Kenya, 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 49th Imam (spiritual leader) of the Ismaili Muslims. AKF works as part of an integrated network of agencies – the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), the largest private international development network in the world.
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 agencies 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, Rockefeller Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates 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).
Your tax-deductible contribution goes to help poor communities help themselves. 100% of your donation goes to fund projects supported by AKF USA, such as in health, education, and rural development. The Foundation’s programs place great emphasis on community participation, gender equity, the environment and human resource development. 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.
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Health programs focus on the health needs of communities, such as promoting health education; improving health care practices, clinics and water and sanitation facilities; and promoting early intervention, especially for children and women.
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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, health care and better nutrition, we can save lives and nurture productive citizens. Helping women achieve higher levels of education is key to improving economic development.
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Programs in rural development focus on reducing poverty, expanding income-generating opportunities, engaging communities to participate in local organizations to determine their own development priorities, and increasing food security by using new and appropriate technologies and training.
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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.
Not one penny. 100% of the funds raised at the
Partnership Walk goes directly to the projects supported by the
Foundation. No contributions are used for administrative costs.
Administrative expenses are funded through a separate source.
Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A. is rated Number One, in overall fundraising efficiency in the nation according to Charity Navigator, America’s premier charity evaluator. Charity Navigator rates organizations to provide reliable information and guide intelligent giving in the United States. On a scale of 0-4, with 4 being exceptional, AKF USA has consistently received its highest rating of 4 stars as the most efficient charity using special events as part of their fundraising campaigns out of over 5,000 charities included in the study. Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A. spends only 0.01 for every $1 raised.
Projects supported through the Partnership Walk are carefully managed and monitored. Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A. 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 and Aga Khan Education Services, non-profit organizations that have a 60-year track record of managing 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.
On the contrary, immense progress has been made through the kind of development programs that AKF USA and the Partnership Walk support. In fact, solutions derived from the developing world such as micro-credit 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 example of striking 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.
What is the theme for this year's Partnership Walk?
Each year Partnership Walk explores international development issues via a specific theme that is significant to the Aga Khan Foundation’s work in health, education, rural development and civil society.
In 2006, our theme – Diversity is Strength – explored cultural pluralism as a cornerstone for developing a more peaceful, prosperous and secure world.
The theme for Partnership Walk 2007 is Innovative Solutions to Create Hope and Opportunity. Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A. celebrated its 25th anniversary beginning in October 2006. This year’s theme captures the depth, scope and impact of a quarter century of achievements. In every undertaking, the overriding goal of the Foundation’s work is to assist in the struggle against poverty, hunger, disease and illiteracy through the discovery and implementation of innovative solutions to development. Examples of its ground-breaking work include community-based rural support programs, early childhood development, the whole society approach, as well as integrating social development with economic and cultural development.
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 develop the capacity of people and local institutions so they are self-sustaining. This institution-building aim 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 function through 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 do you think Americans should
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 self-sufficient, 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 Partnership Walks that take place in five U.S. cities. The Walk provides 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, Chicago, Dallas, Houston 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.
What is the relationship between the Aga Khan Foundation and the Aga Khan Development Network?
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is a group of private development agencies working to empower communities and individuals, often in disadvantaged circumstances, to improve living conditions and opportunities, especially in Africa and Asia. The above organizational chart shows the network of agencies and its three branches of economic, social and cultural development. Each of the agencies has their own mandate but share a common ethical framework and guiding principles aimed at helping poor and marginalized communities to lift themselves out of poverty and improve their quality of life. The Network combines a synergy of specialized expertise and resources to build self-sustaining institutions that can respond to the challenges of social, economic and cultural development through an integrated approach. Aga Khan Foundation is an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network with the mandate to support programs in the areas of health, education, rural development, civil society and the environment. Together with its sister agencies, the Foundation promotes tolerance for pluralism in ideas, cultures and peoples.
An initiative of Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A
and
its volunteers in communities across America
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