Browsing: Aga Khan Academy Mombasa

Two years ago, a 16-year-old student at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, Ziyaan Virji, turned his project – Affordable and Accessible Sanitation for Women (AASW) -into an internationally-recognized organization. This project would go on to receive major international recognition including the Diana Award for going above and beyond his everyday life to create and sustain positive change. The Diana Award, which celebrates its 20^th anniversary this year, is considered one of the highest accolades for social action or humanitarian efforts that a young person can receive.

Ziyaan has since partnered with several organizations to improve the access to sanitary health.   Through Operation Period, the organizations has helped over 1,000 girls to acquire access to menstrual hygiene across six different countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Pakistan, India, Nigeria and the UAE.

Since 2014, May 28th has been recognized as Menstrual Hygiene Day, a day to bring awareness to menstrual inequity.

International

By Anusha, Anusha Lalani, Communications Fellow at Aga Khan Academies, Mombasa, Kenya.

Since 16 March 2020, the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa has been closed due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. Within two days after the government’s announcement to have all schools closed, the Academy managed to send its 260 residential students back to their home countries, such as Uganda, Pakistan, Tanzania and more. While students were on their way home, Academy teachers underwent extensive professional development within five days in relation to online learning.

One week later, on 23 March 2020, the online ‘doors’ to the Academy opened and all classes were fully transitioned online, ensuring learning was ongoing. Although the shift was challenging for both teachers and students at first, the transition has become much smoother for all.   

“Students’ lives have been turned upside down by the coronavirus pandemic,” said Head of Expressive Arts department Stella Wangu. …

Aga Khan Academy Mombasa has over the years been receiving accolades for developing positive changes and curriculum that supports community sensitive change. This has over the years been recognized by the local and international organization especially with its students being change-makers in different organizations across the globe.

Recently, Ziyaan Virji, 17, a student at the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa, was rewarded with The Diana Award for going above and beyond his everyday life to create and sustain positive change. The Diana Award, which celebrates its 20^th anniversary this year, is considered one of the highest accolades for social action or humanitarian efforts that a young person can receive.

In 2017, whilst working on his ”Personal Project” – an in-depth research-based project – for his International Baccalaureate studies at the Academy, Ziyaan was surprised to learn that 500 million girls across the world do not have access to the …