2011 Successful Year for PartnershipsInAction Golf
Partnership Golf's 2011 season recently finished with San Antonio's Partnership Golf tournament held on Monday, October 3, 2011. We congratulate golfers and everyone who participated in golf tournaments held this summer in Houston, Dallas, Chicago, New York, Seattle, San Antonio and Austin.

Because of your generous support, 2011 Partnership Golf tournaments raised over $1 million to support Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A. (AKF USA) projects to reduce poverty, hunger, illiteracy and poor health in Africa and Asia.

  • Houston golfers competed in a crazy pants competition.
  • Dallas golfers raised $140,000 with 238 golfers playing.
  • New York welcomed keynote speaker Randall Kempner, Executive Director of the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs.
  • Chicago celebrated its fifth annual golf tournament.
  • Seattle golfers raised a record $213,000.
  • Austin golfers listened to keynote speaker Haley Rushing of the Purpose Foundation.
  • Atlanta golfers participated in a Saturday night benefit gala at the Georgia Aquarium.
  • San Antonio golfers played on a beautiful day on a course that challenged everyone's ability. 
Again, we appreciate the dedication of our volunteers and participants for successful Partnership Golf tournaments this year. Thank you for making it possible for people in Africa and Asia to create brighter futures.
 
Malian Musician Performs at Chicago Partnership Walk
 
Sidi Toure, an awards-winning blues singer and song-writer, lives just a half mile from the National Park of Bamako. He describes it as one of the greatest jewels in Mali. "The park is too beautiful for words. I always go there when I'm tired or want to rest," Toure tells us. Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A. recently spoke to the artist at Partnership Walk in Chicago where he performed his music and shared stories about life in Mali with participants.

Toure is not the only one who enjoys the park. Many Malians go there to take a break, play games and sports with friends and family and enjoy music from local artists. Before the National Park of Bamako opened last year, there was nothing like it in the area. The Aga Khan Trust for Culture, an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network, partnered with the national government to create a large green space in the capital, which has seen rapid population rises in recent years.

Sidi Toure's music reflects Mali's past and present. He writes and performs songs about peace, love and being good stewards of the earth. Toure explained to us that people are often drawn to artists like him because he can express the hardships happening around them. "People really play a big part in my music." In Mali, the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita is only $700. "So people are often waiting for the resources to build schools and better agriculture markets that provide families with steady income and food security," he told us.

But it is difficult for Toure and other artists to alleviate people's hardships with music alone. He is grateful for organizations like Aga Khan Foundation that can mobilize the resources necessary to help his country become self-reliant. The Mopti Coordinated Area Development Program is improving the lives of people in the Mopti region of Mali by training farmers in improved agricultural techniques and market skills. This training allows farmers to increase crop production, which ensures greater food security and earnings from selling surplus crops.

Sidi Toure was surprised to see so many people at the Chicago Partnership Walk who were interested in learning about and helping people in Mali. He encouraged participants to continue supporting the work of the Foundation, make a visit to Mali and, of course, listen to his music!

AKDN's activities in Mali date back to 2003. Since that time, activities have grown to encompass cultural restoration and social development projects in Bamako, Mopti, Timbuktu and Djenne, as well as economic development projects.
 
AKHS's Dr. Gijs Walraven speaks on comprehensive health
Recently, we sat down with Dr. Gijs Walraven, the director of Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS). Dr. Walraven spoke about AKHS's comprehensive health approach, success stories and innovative methods of improving healthcare in the future.

Dr. Walraven stressed the importance of AKHS's long-term view. "In some areas of Pakistan we have been working for more than 100 years," he said, "and we also work in a public-private partnership with the government of Afghanistan and have a 35-year agreement to manage their hospitals in Bamyan and Badakhshan provinces." Dr. Walraven added that AKHS also focuses on a "comprehensive health approach" rather than "vertical" programs that concentrate on only one disease.

According to Dr. Walraven, community involvement is at the heart of the success of AKHS programs. "We started in northern Pakistan in 1986 when the health indicators in those areas were very poor. Now, 20 to 25 years later you see that those indicators have improved dramatically. So really our way of thinking has had an impact on that population," he said.

One program that exemplifies the community-based approach is the community midwifery program in the Chitral region of Pakistan. Dr. Walraven said that the program allows "women who are selected by their own community to become educators in maternal and child health." He explained that this community-based model was important because in the past it had been very difficult to convince trained health professionals from Kabul to work in the remote provinces.

Dr. Walraven also talked about the importance of mobile and e-health for improving healthcare systems. He says that mobile and e-health are beneficial in the following ways:

  • They improve diagnosis by allowing health providers at district hospitals to consult with trained specialists.
  • They improve education by allowing remote healthcare providers to attend sessions which are being held at higher-level institutions.
  • They improve medical information record-keeping.
  • They improve connectivity among the different levels of the health system as well as among patients and healthcare providers.

Dr. Walraven explained that through its emphasis on "long-term commitment, multi-sector collaboration and community participation" and its usage of innovative techniques, AKHS is making a huge impact on healthcare systems in the areas where it works.
Give us your best shot! Join our Facebook photo contest.

Share and get everyone you know to vote on Facebook for your best pic from this year's Partnership Walk. Take and upload to our Facebook photo contest a pic that shows the fun of Partnership Walk and represents the work of Aga Khan Foundation to end global poverty.

The pics with the most votes on Facebook from each city will win a chance to be highlighted on our Facebook page, website and marketing material for next year (including a spotlight of the photographer)! To be a winner, share with us pics that:

  • Are fun, candid and action-packed.
  • Show walkers in action (kids, families, teams).
  • Get Walk participants interacting with exhibits that raise awareness of our programs in Africa and Asia.
  • Show cultural diversity.

Your pic should also convey how local actions make a global impact to end global poverty. To win, go to the Photo Contest tab on our Facebook page to submit your pic to the contest, view entries and vote on your favorite. Don't forget to tell your friends to "Like" our page to follow the contest.

Rules:

  1. Each person may submit only one pic. Be sure to tag your photo with your friends and AKF USA!
  2. Submit your pics now through November 17, 2011.
  3. Vote for your favorite pic from November 18 through November 28, 2011.
  4. Pics should include the city they were taken.
  5. Winners will be announced on Thursday, December 1, 2011.