School greenhouses and construction of a new airport terminal: The Bulat Utemuratov’s Foundation summed up the year’s results

Dr. Almaz Sharman, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation, spoke about eighteen projects of the Foundation in 2021. These include the expansion of the “Autism.  One World for All” Program, “Green School” and “Jas Leader Akademiiasy” projects, assistance to victims of natural disasters and provision of housing for families in need.

“The Foundation has launched two new projects for schoolchildren of 5-11 grades: “Jas Leader Akademiiasy” and “Green School”, – said Mr. Sharman. According to him, “Jas Leader Akademiiasy” helps children develop and improve their communication, teamwork, public speaking and time management skills. 50 schools of Shymkent and Turkestan Region are participating in the pilot project. Within five years, schools from Zhambyl, Kyzylorda, Atyrau, Mangystau, West Kazakhstan, Aktobe and Almaty Regions will join the project with a total budget of KZT 2.1 billion.

The “Green School” environmental project for children was launched in 16 public schools in Almaty, where the Foundation built greenhouses with smart drip irrigation, lighting and heating systems. “The Foundation has published textbooks for schoolchildren of 5-7 grades and a study guide for teachers with step-by-step instructions on how to grow and care for plants. Now children are contentedly engaged in optional classes in greenhouses and master classes on environment-friendly lifestyle,” said Mr. Sharman. In 2022, school greenhouses will be equipped in Nur-Sultan, in 2023 – in Shymkent, and the budget for three years will be KZT 1 billion.
The Foundation helped the Aral Region during the drought by allocating KZT 300 million for the purchase of livestock fodder and agricultural equipment for water supply for pastures and hayfields. A milestone event for the Aral Region was the restoration of the Aspay spillway, due to which water flows into the Small Aral Sea.
Families of Aral city of the Kyzylorda Region got new houses under the Balameken Project. The Foundation financed the purchase of 40 new apartments for large and needy families for a total amount of KZT 300 million.
The network of Asyl Miras autism centers continues to expand. By the end of the year, the tenth center will be opened in Taraz in addition to the existing ones in Nur-Sultan, Almaty, Kyzylorda, Ust-Kamenogorsk, Aktobe, Uralsk, Shymkent, Petropavlovsk and Pavlodar. A new autism center in Karaganda will open its doors next year. In 2021, 2,152 children were trained under the intervention programs in the centers, and 11,076 children completed training during the entire period of the program existence.

Jointly with the Red Crescent of Kazakhstan the Foundation continues the Aid Card project. Flood victims in the North Kazakhstan and Kostanay Regions received financial aid in the amount of KZT 53 million. Families of Ridder in the East Kazakhstan region, whose houses were burned down during a forest fire, received the Aid Cards for a total amount of KZT 30 million.

The Bulat Utemuratov’s Foundation continues to support the projects of the Foundation named after Batyrkhan Shukenov. These include the release of the Otan Ana vinyl album, the holding of the first musical residence for composers and the awarding of personal scholarships for gifted students of music universities and schools. “The culmination of our cooperation with the Foundation named after Batyrkhan Shukenov will be the creation of a public space dedicated to the memory of Batyr, which we plan to open next May. This is a gift to the residents and guests of the capital, which will really please the fans of the great musician,” Zhaniya Aubakirova, member of the Board of Trustees, People’s Artist of the Republic of Kazakhstan, shared the Foundation’s plans for the next year.
The Foundation signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Akimat of the Kyzylorda Region on construction of a new modern airport terminal in Kyzylorda. After construction completion, the terminal will be put onto the books of the Akimat of the Kyzylorda Region and will be able to serve up to 300 passengers per hour, which is twice as much as the current capacity. “The current airport of Kyzylorda needs expansion, because the region is developing dynamically and attracts investors, including foreign ones. We are sure that the residents and guests of Kyzylorda will like the new air gateway and will allow more guests visiting this region,” said Marat Aitmagambetov, Director of the Bulat Utemuratov’s Foundation.
In 2022, the Bulat Utemuratov’s Foundation will continue to expand its activities in new directions, traditionally providing a systematic approach and sustainable development of each project.