Health and Nutrition

Enabling individuals and communities to optimise their health and well-being and reach their full potential

Globally, at least 400 million people lack access to essential health services. Every year, more than one-third of them suffer financial catastrophe due to out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure. Millions more living in marginalised and resource-poor geographies still rely on unclean, unimproved water sources.

As one of AKDN’s three key agencies in health, the Aga Khan Foundation harnesses its longstanding work with communities and village organisations to enable people – particularly those living in geographically remote areas – to optimise their health and well-being, and reach their full potential.

It seeks to achieve sustainable improvements in health and nutritional status amongst vulnerable groups, especially women of childbearing age, adolescents and children under five. Its goal is to improve access and utilisation of integrated healthcare services, while enabling communities to adopt effective health practices. Worldwide, AKF supports health and nutrition services that reach over 800,000 people.

“A given population suffering from illness and high mortality frequently thinks its greatest health need is for a hospital. In fact, invariably the greatest need of such a population is not for a building, but for assistance in identifying its health problems and in designing solutions to them. In becoming part of the quest for answers to its health problems the community becomes part of the solution.”

His Highness the Aga Khan

Our Health and Nutrition programmes work towards:

Our goals

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Improved nutritional status of women, adolescents and children

Aimed at breaking intergenerational malnutrition and related health issues

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Improved access and utilisation of integrated healthcare services

Establishing new and improving existing healthcare facilities and making them more affordable

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Improved adolescent health and well-being

Particularly sexual and reproductive health for women and girls

Our impact

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MILLION
seen yearly at the 200+ AKDN-operated health centres (basic and comprehensive) and hospitals worldwide
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THOUSAND
people worldwide reached by AKF-supported water and sanitation programmes
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THOUSAND
adolescent girls in India reached through AKF health and nutrition messaging
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THOUSAND
community health/nutrition workers worldwide supported by AKF

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