A vibrant and competent civil society is the cornerstone of a healthy and prosperous nation. It is essential to improving the quality of human life because people themselves know best how to drive progress. Yet, in many parts of the world, civil society suffers from a dearth of technical knowledge, human resources and financial means. To address these gaps, for over 50 years the AKDN has been carefully building robust institutions that experiment, adapt and accommodate diversity. Founded on the ethics and values that drive progress and positive change, these civil society institutions – of education, health, science and research, and culture, to name a few – harness the private energies of citizens committed to the public good.