Content Tagged with Our Community

Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad students planned and implemented an organic farm on school grounds during the pandemic.

A group of Ismaili students from Afghanistan and Tajikistan made the most of a difficult situation when they were unable to return home from the Aga Khan Academy in Hyderabad during the Covid-19 pandemic. With the abundance of spare time they were suddenly given, the students planned and implemented an organic farm on the school grounds.

Yaseena Khalfan, a teacher at the Aga Khan Academy in Nairobi, has had to be creative and learn new skills to transition to remote learning.

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced teachers and students around the world to make an abrupt transition from classrooms to remote learning as schools, universities, and religious education centres were closed. Teachers redesigned lessons and adapted to the new reality of keeping students engaged virtually. Meanwhile, students adjusted to learning online without the ease of classroom interactions. Ismaili teachers and students around the world have risen to this challenge and are finding ways to embrace remote learning and tap into the opportunities it offers.

Danial Asaria at a chess tournament.

In the second round of the USA National High School Senior Online Rapid Chess Tournament, chess prodigy Danial Asaria hovered over the resign button on his computer screen. He describes the moment as being “completely dead lost.” However, since this was his final chess tournament as a high school student, he did not want to regret what could have been, so he continued to play.

Amin Bhatia is an award-winning composer with nearly 50 scores to his credit. He has written music for film, TV, and album projects for over 30 years and recently won a Canadian Screen Award for his work on the Netflix show Anne with an E.

Amin Bhatia and his musical composing partner Ari Posner have been nominated for the Canadian Screen Awards for the last five consecutive years, including two nominations this year for Canadian TV shows. However, with no wins to show from the previous years, Amin wasn’t expecting to win this year.

Dr Karim Damji with Dr Sheila Marco, who graduated as a glaucoma specialist from the University of Nairobi and now works at AKUH Nairobi and the University of Nairobi.

Mawlana Hazar Imam has frequently commented on the value of sharing our time and knowledge with Jamats around the world and with the communities in which they live. Canadian Ismaili health professionals have taken that message to heart, having a long history of partnering with the agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) to improve the quality of life of people around the world.

Salma Lakhani from Edmonton will be the first Muslim Lieutenant Governor in Canadian history.

On 30 June 2020, Salma Lakhani, a member of the Jamat in Edmonton, was named as the next Lieutenant Governor of Alberta by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Dilshad Mawani (left), Sultana Sherali (top left), and Mumtaz Hirani (top right) have helped to make face coverings for physicians and families all over the Dallas region.

For Sofia Babool, a 20-year-old sophomore studying neuroscience at the University of Texas at Dallas, conversation in recent weeks has centered around Covid-19. The world seems to be on pause; her school, favorite coffee shop, everything in her life has been turned upside down.

Ghulomidinov Navruzshoh says he will continue to produce and distribute masks until everyone in his village of Emc has one.

Members of the Jamat in Tajikistan are helping their communities — which are at high risk of natural disasters — as part of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), an integral part of the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH)'s emergency management activities.

President of the Council for Kenya Shamira Dostmohamed delivers provisions to the National Police Service along with Safety and Security members Zahid Peermohamed and Sonya Nanji.

During this time, through its Ismaili CIVIC initiative, the Kenyan Jamat has come together from across the country to volunteer time and resources to help those in need.

Our Community is constituted of members from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, engaged in industry, trading and education and based from various regions across Mozambique.

Rahim Bhimani uses the industrial laser cutting machine in his basement to create thousands of face shields for healthcare workers.

In mid-March, as Covid-19 arrived in Canada amidst fear and panic, Rahim Bhimani began talking with his peers in Toronto, discussing possible ways they could help to serve health care workers in the local area and beyond.

A volunteer delivers a care package to a family as part of the partnership programme between Ismaili CIVIC and Yayasan Chow Kit in Malaysia.

Sixty Kuala Lumpur families in need were recently provided with much-needed care packages thanks to the Ismaili community in Malaysia working in partnership with Yayasan Chow Kit (YCK), a 24-hour crisis and drop-in centre.

Navroz Mubarak from the global Jamat! While we are practicing physical distancing, remain connected to each other and celebrate the new year together with these video messages from all over the world.

On the occasion of International Women's Day, we celebrate the work of the Ismailia Helping Society (IHS) in India. Established in 1936, under the guidance of Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah, IHS was established to promote the economic advancement of women in the Jamat. Over 80 years later, IHS continues to empower women who leverage their traditional skills in art, crafts, and beadwork to create lifestyle products.

International Women’s Day, celebrated around the world on the 8th of March, is dedicated to honouring women of substance and their achievements in the social, economic, cultural and political arenas. It is also a day to bring awareness to gender parity and women’s rights, regardless of one’s race, religion and culture.

Group work during the session

In the Ismaili tradition service is a way of life which is faith driven.  Volunteers are pillars of the community and strive to deliver excellence in service with humility, integrity and compassion. Not only are they dedicated but they find ways to improve what they already know to better serve the Jamat. As such, The Human Resources Portfolio launched a proactive initiative called The Volunteer Skill Development Program which took place on February 22nd, 23rd, 29th  and March 1st  2020  in Maputo, Mozambique.

To support women during the postpartum period, simple gestures such as offering to pick up groceries, making a meal, or taking the baby for a walk can have a positive impact.

“Women are twice as likely as men to experience depression and anxiety, yet three times more likely to experience barriers to accessing mental healthcare,” explained Dr Simone Vigod during a session entitled Healthy Moms, Healthy Families – Breaking Down Barriers to Maternal Mental Healthcare at the Ismaili Centre Toronto in early February. 

The United Bakers Co-operative Society Limited (UBCL) whipped up a record-breaking 940 kg cake to commemorate Mawlana Hazar Imam’s Diamond Jubilee visit to Hyderabad.

For nearly two decades, the United Bakers Co-operative Society Limited has been aggregating the interests and aspirations of local Jamati bakeries in Hyderabad. From centralised procurement to training and development, the alliance’s story illustrates that bonds of trust and collaboration can catalyse economic development. We take a look at the recipe behind their sweet story of success.