8 September is International Literacy Day. Around the world, agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network work with children and adults to enhance literacy. From providing school books to running educational programmes, from teaching grandparents to read to their grandchildren to teaching young boys and girls to read to their younger siblings, we recognise that reading from an early age is an important foundation for a student’s progress through the formal education process.

Pakistan, 3 August 2018 - On 17^th July, Badswat and Bilhanz villages in Immit Valley of Ghizer Distrcit in Gilgit-Baltistan were hit by a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF), which led to the formation of an artificial lake. As a result, over 40 houses were damaged and road access for around 10 villages was blocked from the rest of the Immit Valley. However, due to the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat’s (AKAH) ongoing awareness on disaster risk mitigation and the early mobilization of the Community Emergency Response teams (CERTS), around 1,000 people were evacuated to safer areas prior to the disaster.  No lives were lost because of the disaster.