OTTAWA, March 6 /CNW Telbec/ – Today, Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC) and its national team of volunteers launched the 2009 World Partnership Walk campaign to raise funds to address the root causes of poverty in some of the world’s most isolated and impoverished regions. The campaign culminates in the annual World Partnership Walk – the largest event of its kind in Canada – held in nine cities over three weekends beginning on Sunday, May 31st. In light of the tough economic situation, the Foundation is urging its supporters to invite Canadians from all walks of life to join in a vital partnership with communities in the developing world.

“Canadians have a tradition of caring about the world beyond our borders that has found expression in the World Partnership Walk,” said Khalil Z. Shariff, Chief Executive Officer of AKFC. “For a quarter century, we have counted on the support of our volunteers and the generosity of Canadians to help AKFC bridge the gaps that deny opportunities to the poor,” he said.

This year marks the 25th edition of the popular event which has generated an impressive $45.5 million and attracted tens of thousands of Canadians in support of the cause. The Walk’s success is a tangible sign of the commitment of individual Canadians to the cause of global poverty alleviation. All of the funds raised by participants (100%) go directly to international development programs, including health, education, rural development, as well as support for community-based organizations in Asia and Africa. Not a cent is spent on administration. Support for the Walk also helps AKFC leverage additional contributions from major donors like the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

An initiative of Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC), a registered Canadian charity, the Walk is organized every year by hundreds of dedicated volunteers. The 2009 Walk will take place in Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, London, Kitchener and Montreal on May 31st, followed by Ottawa on June 7th and Calgary on June 14th.

Participants can register online, quickly and easily, at:
www.WorldPartnershipWalk.com to become Walk Ambassadors or to form a team.

World Partnership Walk history: Twenty-five years ago a group of Ismaili women from Vancouver came together to walk and support the poorest of the poor. It was a gesture of gratitude for what they had gained in coming to Canada from troubled parts of East Africa. Since then, the World Partnership Walk, fueled by the energy and dedication of committed volunteers, has engaged tens of thousands of Canadians in a vital partnership with Aga Khan Foundation Canada – transforming millions of lives in some of the poorest parts of Asia and Africa.

For further information: Jennifer Morrow, 1-800-267-532 (ext. 107),
Jennifer@akfc.ca, www.WorldPartnershipWalk.com | Source

by Farhan Devji 

The Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat was inaugurated with a ceremony on Dec. 6 on Sussex D Flags announce the Golden Jubilee of His rive ( Photo: Farhan Devji )

Highness, though we met for the first time only three years ago, I feel like I have known you a long time,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper told Prince Karim Aga Khan IV at the inauguration ceremonies of the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat on Dec. 6.

“My long-time university roommate, Alnoor Lakhani, is an Ismaili, and he kept a picture of you in our room,” added Harper, as the falling snowflakes became visible through the translucent walls of the elegant $54 million landmark.

Alnoor Lakhani isn’t the only one who keeps a reminder of His Highness the Aga Khan, spiritual leader of over 13.5 million Shia Ismaili Muslims around the world.

Among the 70,000 Ismaili Muslims in Canada, approximately 1,250 live in the Ottawa region, and roughly 35 attend Carleton University, according to Ottawa Ismaili Students Association President Shelina Jamal.

Hafiz Moledina, a public administration master’s student, says he also keeps a picture of the Aga Khan in his dorm room.

“Canada and the Aga Khan have had a very fruitful relationship since the early 1970s, and I feel this shows the level of admiration and confidence His Highness has for our country,” he says.

Flags announce the Golden Jubilee of His Highness the Aga Khan

The Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat, located on Sussex Drive in Ottawa, will serve to house the Aga Khan Development Network’s main offices. According to an official press release from the office of the Prime Minister, the AKDN is a “group of private, international, non-denominational agencies working to improve living conditions and opportunities in the developing world.” Additionally, the Delegation building will provide the Aga Khan a place of residence on his visits to the nation’s capital and operate as an embassy of sorts – the first of its kind – for the Ismaili Muslim community.

“My parents, like many Ismaili Muslims in Canada, fled their home countries in East Africa in order to escape political persecution and instability. Canada welcomed them with open arms,” Moledina says, who is originally from Vancouver, B.C.

“Therefore, I feel this building is a reflection of not only the enhancement of the Aga Khan’s relationship with Canada, but also the progress the community has made in this country.”

The opening ceremonies of the delegation building were closed to the general public, but even so, a group of Ismailis lined up on Sussex Drive in sub-zero temperatures, hoping to catch a glimpse.

Their prayers were answered, as the Aga Khan smiled and waved to them before he welcomed Harper into the building.

One particular Carleton student, however, didn’t have to wait outside. Alisha Dharshi, also an Ismaili, volunteered at the opening ceremonies as an usher.

“The experience was amazing,” says Dharshi, a second-year history and theory of architecture major. “Already I was so excited just to see the building, as it’s not open to public at the moment. I felt so honoured to be part of the building opening.”

Dharshi says while she has several positive memories from her experience at the Delegation opening, she says she’ll never forget the giant smile on the Aga Khan’s face as he saw all his volunteers celebrating after the ceremony.

“For me, it felt like he was watching his children, just enjoying seeing them celebrate.”

His Highness the Aga Khan speaks at the inauguration

Although Dharshi is proud to say she hails from Brampton, Ont., but she says she feels very fortunate to be in Ottawa for this event.

“Wow, I feel so lucky that [the building’s] here in Ottawa. I would never have been able to be involved if it was not here,” she says. “Also, the fact that the building has joined so many others on the Confederation Boulevard is momentous. It’s joining buildings that have been there for so long, holding so much history within the walls. It was time for a building like this to take its place amongst them and create history itself.”

As Moledina explains, the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat is a beacon of hope for a better and more serene future.

“It’s a demonstration of what the community can do to bring Canadians of all backgrounds together in order to help tackle and solve some of the world’s most serious challenges, namely global poverty.”

“I would like to extend warm birthday wishes to His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan.

As a spiritual leader of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslim people, the Aga Khan is an extraordinary example of compassion and tolerance. This is most evident in the Aga Khan Development Network, which he founded and now chairs. The network, which works towards social, economic and cultural development in Asia and Africa, will be headquartered in Ottawa at a new Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat. This stunning building was officially opened by the Aga Khan and Prime Minister Harper just a few days ago on December 6. I am proud that Canada was chosen to house such a significant structure, the first of its kind in the world.

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting with the Aga Khan several times, most recently during his latest visit to Canada. Each time, I was impressed by a man who has done so much for the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslim people and humanity. In the words of Prime Minister Harper, “his name has become synonymous with humanitarian aid and development in countries beset by conflict and poverty. Just as importantly, he has worked tirelessly as a bridge-builder between faiths and cultures.”

His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan is truly an inspiration and I wish him a long, healthy and blessed life.”

Source: http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/
Citizenship-And-Immigration-Canada-929781.html

The Aga Khan, the Ismaili Muslim spiritual leader who ended an eight-day Canadian tour in Vancouver less than two weeks ago, is back in Ottawa today to open a new architectural landmark on Sussex Drive.

The $50-million building is to be the permanent home of the Ismaili Imamat delegation – in effect, an embassy for representatives of his 15 million followers who are scattered in 25 or 30 countries around the globe.

It’s the first such Ismaili delegation anywhere, though another is planned for Portugal, and the Aga Khan says more will be eventually built in other places.

Canada got the first one, he said in an interview during his earlier visit, because it has long been a strong partner of Ismailis.

“We wanted to start having a significant presence in the capital, with all our institutions established in the capital and being able to do two things.

“One is to be able to serve Canada, insofar as we can,” he said. “Secondly, it’s to create even greater relationships between Canada and what we are doing in various parts of the world.”

This relationship initially focused on helping needy Ismailis, but has expanded to encompass people of widely differing cultures and faiths.

It began in the early 1970s under former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, who personally worked with the Aga Khan to pave the way for Ismaili immigrants who were being driven from their homes in newly independent parts of eastern Africa. This was highly successful, as the new immigrants quickly found financial success and integrated into the life of their new country. Thus it quickly evolved into Canada supporting many of the good works undertaken in the developing world by agencies of the $500-million-a-year Aga Khan Development Network. Various AKDN agencies, including the Aga Khan Foundation Canada, will be housed in the new delegation building.

It was designed by the renowned Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki, with Moriyama & Teshima of Toronto. Though it’s not a public building, it will be unfenced and inviting – a rarity on the street that is home to Canada’s prime minister and has come to be lined with virtual fortresses, such as the Saudi Arabian embassy next door.

The Aga Khan has long been a champion of thoughtful architecture, and he asked that the design take its inspiration from the qualities of a rock crystal. The result is a simple rectilinear structure resting on a granite podium and featuring an asymmetric, crystalline dome, a huge interior atrium to host public events, and an outdoor courtyard. The exterior is white neoparies, a modern material that changes colour with the changes in natural light.

The building occupies about a third of the one-hectare site. The rest will be publicly accessible landscaped grounds.

It is one of four Aga Khan building projects under way in Canada.

Also in Ottawa is the Global Centre for Pluralism, being built in the former Canadian War Museum. It’s to be an international centre for research, education and exchange about the values, practices and policies that underpin pluralist societies. Two other buildings are planned as part of a $200-million complex in Toronto. An Ismaili community centre and place of worship will share a seven-hectare site with a new Aga Khan Museum dedicated to acquiring, preserving and displaying artifacts from various periods and places relating to the intellectual, cultural, artistic and religious heritage of Islam.

Source: http://www.financialpost.com/story.html?id=1039409