Aga Khan Agency for Habitat

The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) was established in 2016 and is part of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). It is an umbrella of AKDN agencies and programs that have provided aid and delivered training on habitat and disaster preparedness since the 1990s.[1]

History and Purpose

AKAH operates in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Syria, Pakistan and India. It bridges various AKDN initiatives, including Focus Humanitarian Assistance, and the Aga Khan Planning and Building Services.[2][3]

The Agency has provided emergency aid to communities who have suffered the consequences of hurricanes, cyclones, avalanches, tsunamis, flooding, earthquakes and civil conflict.[4] It also works alongside communities occupying high-risk areas to safety plan by providing preparation and response training on natural and man-made disasters, as well as the effects of climate change.[5]

Onno Rühl currently serves as General Manager of the Agency.[6][7]

AKAH advocates for equitable access to safe physical settings with reduced exposure to the effects of natural disasters regardless of socioeconomic status. To allow for progression and an improved quality of life, the Agency also ensures that these settings are equipped with accessible social and financial resources.[8]

Disaster Preparedness and Response

AKAH trains volunteer teams to warn and safely evacuate people before disasters strike and respond with first aid, search and rescue, and emergency relief post-disaster.[9][10][11]

These volunteers are called Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs).[12] Presently, a network of 162 CERTs and 36,000 volunteers serve as first responders. More than 50% of the volunteers are women.

In response to disasters, emergency survival relief consists of safe drinking water, temporary shelter, nutritional food, clothing, blankets and basic household items.[13]

The Agency has distributed food and established rehabilitation camps to be used as quarantine sites within the geographic regions it operates in as a response to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.[14]

Water and Sanitation

To aid with access to clean water and sanitation, AKAH collaborates with local communities through the Water and Sanitation Extension Programme (WASEP), a flagship programme that has been in operation since 1997.[15][16][17] More than 500,000 people have benefitted from the building of the water supply systems.[18]

Safe and Sustainable Construction

After consultation with local communities, the Agency has pooled resources with the Harvard University Graduate School of Design for solutions to design and construct green, energy-efficient and seismically resilient structures.

References
  1. "Aga Khan Agency for Habitat | Aga Khan Development Network". www.akdn.org. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  2. "Introduction of Aga Khan Agency for Habitat in Afghanistan". TOLOnews. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  3. "PRESS RELEASE: Better Shelter launches Structure: an emergency shelter and fundraising campaign : Better Shelter". bettershelter.org. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  4. "Aga Khan Agency for Habitat: Disaster Preparedness and Response | Aga Khan Development Network". www.akdn.org. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  5. "Pakistani women scale the heights in rescue teams". The Third Pole. 2021-02-17. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  6. "Aga Khan Agency for Habitat wins World Habitat Awards Gold Award". www.preventionweb.net. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  7. "Onno Ruhl | CAGH". cagh-acsm.org. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  8. "Resilient Khorog Steering Committee meets last week to discuss the progress on KURP | Tajikistan News ASIA-Plus". asiaplustj.info. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  9. Ebrahim, Zofeen T. (2021-02-18). "Pakistani women scale the heights in rescue teams". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  10. "Pakistan project wins award for shielding villages from natural disasters". Reuters. 2020-12-03. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  11. "Villagers 'Living Between Life And Death' As Pakistan's Glaciers Melt". RFE/RL. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  12. "Pakistani women scale the heights in rescue teams". The Third Pole. 2021-02-17. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  13. "Aga Khan Agency for Habitat: Disaster Preparedness and Response | Aga Khan Development Network". www.akdn.org. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  14. "Emergency response to COVID-19 in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) | Tajikistan News ASIA-Plus". asiaplustj.info. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  15. Ali, Manzoor (2021-02-17). "Work on mini hydropower units stuck in slow lane". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  16. "5,500 houses of central Hunza to get clean drinking water". The Express Tribune. 2020-10-08. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  17. "Aga Khan Agency for Habitat: Water and sanitation programme | Aga Khan Development Network". www.akdn.org. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  18. "The Aga Khan – 60 years of developing communities". Tribune.com.pk. 13 December 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
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