In Kiswahili, the local language spoken throughout East Africa, the awali means ‘beginning’.
Some philanthropically-minded Calgarians took the term to heart and set a goal of creating a new beginning for children and their teachers in that part of the world. The group embarked on a fundraising mission to raise $5 million to aid in the establishment of the Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development, Eastern Africa. The focus—to develop a teacher education program in Tanzania.
Calgary businessman Jim Gray, one of the leaders of the Awali Group, explains the genesis of the project: “We were inspired by the education ventures of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). We were especially interested in the idea of creating an Institute for Educational Development in East Africa modelled on a similar institute in Karachi, Pakistan.”
More at the source: Making a difference at home and abroad | News & Events | University of Calgary.
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