From January 1 to December 22, 2013, the “Young Agronomists and Farmers Station” career guidance and educational program was implemented in Talgar, Almaty Region, with funding from the “Bota” Public Foundation.

The project was based at the “Nur” Charitable Family Children’s Home. Five groups of 10 participants were formed, involving children from two non-governmental children’s homes: “Nur” and “Kovcheg.”

Over the course of the year, the children were introduced to new professions and developed practical skills that could help them make informed career choices in the future. Children growing up in residential care understand that their starting opportunities in adult life are more limited compared with those of children who have parents. For them, every opportunity to acquire a profession is a chance to build an independent future.

Project Results

The “Nur” Charitable Family Children’s Home implemented a project aimed at developing the professional and creative skills of 50 children from two children’s homes — “Nur” and “Kovcheg” in Talgar.

Over 12 months, weekly classes were held in three areas: Farming, Agricultural Business, and Psychology. Upon completion of the training, the participants received certificates.

The “Nur” Charitable Family Children’s Home, together with the “Salauat” Medical and Biological Institute and the National Center for Healthy Nutrition, also organized 10 seminars on “Developing Healthy Eating Habits.”

As a result, 50 children from the “Nur” and “Kovcheg” children’s homes acquired basic knowledge of farming, agricultural business, communication and leadership psychology. These skills were intended to support their future employment, career choices, and admission to universities.

Project Objectives and Implementation

Objective 1

To train 50 children from the “Nur” and “Kovcheg” children’s homes in farming skills and agricultural technologies.

1.1. Soil science. Water and its role in the life of living organisms

1.2. Fruit growing and vegetable gardening

1.3. Basic rules for planning a garden plot. Fundamentals of plant variety selection

1.4. Eco-friendly production: growing fruit and vegetables without herbicides and pesticides

1.5. Installation of drip irrigation systems

1.6. Plant care and control of pests and plant diseases

1.7. Harvesting and post-harvest handling

1.8. Fundamentals of ornamental gardening

1.9. Growing plants and vegetables in protected environments

1.10. Examinations and certification

Results Achieved under Objective 1

1.1. 50 children, divided into five groups of 10, aged 12–21, attended two eight-hour classes. They learned about different types of soil, soil structure, the role of micronutrients in plant development, methods of identifying micronutrient deficiencies, ways to neutralize acidic and alkaline soils, methods of quickly restoring soil fertility in gardens, and the use of fertilizers.

1.2. 50 children, divided into five groups of 10, aged 12–21, attended two eight-hour classes. They learned the biological foundations of fruit growing, the structure of fruit and berry plants, stages in the life cycle of fruit and berry plants, periods of vegetation and dormancy, patterns of above-ground growth, root development and fruiting, as well as the relationship between fruit and berry plants and environmental conditions.

1.3. 50 children, divided into five groups of 10, aged 12–21, attended three eight-hour classes. They learned how to plan a plot of land, combine residential and garden areas, use geometric and natural methods for laying out a garden, divide a plot into functional areas, and understand the importance of plant varieties in fruit growing. They also studied major fruit, stone-fruit, and berry varieties, growing conditions, soil conditions, drainage, soil improvement, garden compost, digging, location, and climate.

1.4. 50 children, divided into five groups of 10, aged 12–21, attended four eight-hour classes. They became familiar with water-saving technologies, the causes of soil salinization, and the production of vermicompost.

1.5. 50 children, divided into five groups of 10, aged 12–21, attended four eight-hour classes. They learned about sprinkler and drip irrigation systems and ways these technologies can increase crop yields.

1.6. 50 children, divided into five groups of 10, aged 12–21, attended two eight-hour classes and learned to identify plant pests and diseases.

1.7. 50 children, divided into five groups of 10, aged 12–21, attended two eight-hour classes. They learned about preliminary crop assessment, harvest maturity, harvesting, post-harvest handling, berry cultivation, and processing berries into compotes, jams, preserves, juices, and beverages. They also studied methods and timing for collecting and drying leaves and berries, as well as berry-plant pests and diseases and methods of control.

1.8. 50 children, divided into five groups of 10, aged 12–21, attended two eight-hour classes. They learned about green spaces and their value, the basic elements of landscaping, and garden and park plantings.

1.9. 50 children, divided into five groups of 10, aged 12–21, attended two eight-hour classes. They learned about small polyethylene shelters, cold frames, and greenhouses.

1.10. 50 children, divided into five groups of 10, aged 12–21, attended two four-hour classes. Written examinations were conducted to assess the knowledge they had acquired, and certificates were awarded.

Practical Work and Results

• Seed preparation and planting: seeds were prepared for sowing and planted in peat pots, followed by seedling cultivation. 50 children, five groups of 10, attended five eight-hour practical sessions.
• Soil preparation: pre-sowing application of organic fertilizers and preparation of the plot. 50 children attended five eight-hour sessions.
• Planting seedlings: the cultivated seedlings were planted in prepared soil using moisture-conservation methods. 50 children attended five eight-hour sessions.
• Installation of drip irrigation systems: 50 children participated in 10 eight-hour practical sessions.
• Plant care: 50 children participated in five eight-hour sessions.
• Harvesting and processing: 50 children participated in five eight-hour sessions.

Objective 2

To conduct training seminars on the fundamentals of agribusiness, economic and financial literacy for 50 children from the “Nur” and “Kovcheg” children’s homes.

2.1. Introductory module. Introduction to agriculture and forms of agricultural business. Individual entrepreneurship in the form of a peasant/farm enterprise. Accounting and document management for individual entrepreneurs. Special tax regime for peasant/farm enterprises.

2.2. Types of obligations and liability of peasant/farm enterprises. Activities not covered by the special tax regime. Government programs supporting entrepreneurship in Kazakhstan. Public procurement as a source of financing. The Customs Union and agriculture. The WTO and agriculture. Foreign economic activity and how to participate in it. Licensing.

Results Achieved under Objective 2

2.1. 50 children, divided into five groups of 10, aged 12–21, attended five eight-hour classes. They learned about the specific features of operating an individual enterprise as a peasant/farm enterprise, as well as basic accounting and document management.

2.2. 50 children, divided into five groups of 10, aged 12–21, attended five eight-hour classes. They learned about government support programs, the Customs Union, and the WTO, and acquired basic knowledge of taxation, licensing, liability, public procurement, and foreign economic activity.

Objective 3

To conduct psychological training aimed at developing effective communication skills and leadership qualities among 50 children from the “Nur” and “Kovcheg” children’s homes.

3.1. “Fundamentals of Leadership” training.

3.2. Interactive training sessions aimed at developing teamwork and leadership skills.

3.3. Presentation of essential theoretical material on communication; practical methods and exercises for developing effective communication skills; feedback sessions.

3.4. Non-verbal communication skills. Strengthening group interaction skills. Developing leadership potential.

Results Achieved under Objective 3

3.1. 50 children, divided into five groups of 10, aged 12–21, attended two eight-hour classes. They studied major theories of leadership, leadership roles, leadership qualities, and the psychological and professional maturity of group members.

The training explored questions such as:

• How do people become leaders?
• Can leadership qualities be identified in childhood?
• Is it possible to be a leader without followers?
• How similar are the leaders we know?

3.2. 50 children, divided into five groups of 10, aged 12–21, attended two eight-hour classes and learned the advantages of solving problems as a team, as well as the importance of partnership and mutual support.

3.3. 50 children, divided into five groups of 10, aged 12–21, attended two eight-hour classes. The training focused on developing self-confidence and controlling aggression.

The children developed communication skills and a greater sense of tolerance. Challenges arose due to differences in participants’ ages, mentalities, and ethnic backgrounds. Some difficulties in learning and interaction were also associated with childhood psychological trauma.

3.4. 50 children, divided into five groups of 10, aged 12–21, attended two eight-hour classes. During the training, the children learned to convey information and emotional states through facial expressions, gestures, and movements, helping them better understand and manage emotional experiences.

The groups demonstrated greater cohesion and empathy toward other participants.

Leadership qualities became more flexible. During games and practical exercises, the children became more tolerant of the opinions and behavior of others.

The knowledge and skills acquired contributed to the development of their communication competence.

Feedback sessions revealed positive progress in the development of communication skills.

Additional Unplanned Activities

As part of its Healthy Lifestyle program, the “Salauat” Medical and Biological Institute conducted seminars on:

1. Increasing personal responsibility for one’s health and developing a negative attitude toward smoking, alcohol, and drugs.
2. Suicide prevention among adolescents.

Analysis of Results Achieved

The most significant results included:

1. The children were introduced to the professions of farmer and agronomist.
2. They acquired practical skills in modern agricultural technologies, including drip irrigation systems.
3. The skills they acquired will help them make future career choices.

• All project objectives and goals were fully achieved.
• Overall, the project was implemented successfully, with only minor difficulties. These included the large volume of planned activities, as well as unforeseen circumstances such as plant diseases, insufficient irrigation water, and chlorine and other impurities in the water.
• This was our first experience implementing a grant project with the “Bota” Foundation. Although we encountered difficulties during implementation, the support of the “Bota” Foundation managers helped us overcome them successfully and provided us with valuable experience in implementing grant-funded projects.
• Having installed drip irrigation systems, we will be able to use them every year and continue improving the skills we acquired. We plan to help the children register individual enterprises for commercial activities. Together with the “Salauat” Medical and Biological Institute and the National Center for Healthy Nutrition, we also plan to organize seminars and conferences on a regular basis.

Conclusions

The “Bota” Public Foundation provides an opportunity to implement educational projects for children living in non-governmental children’s homes that do not receive government funding. We would like to have more opportunities to implement projects of this kind and hope to continue our cooperation with the “Bota” Foundation.

First, we learned how to work with grants. Second, we realized that the children are genuinely interested in acquiring new knowledge and practical skills. Third, we gained confidence in our ability to successfully implement grant-funded projects.

The filming was carried out by a professional production team from AnyKey, led by producer Kirill Roshchin, producer of the film Robbery in Kazakh Style.

A director from the United States, Lawrence, and a cinematographer from Germany, Maximilian, were also invited. Unfortunately, we do not know their surnames. A Ukrainian production crew also took part in the filming.

The video shoot was preceded by extensive organizational work, and we would like to express our special thanks to Kaspi Bank employees Aigerim and Zarina. Thanks to their efforts, we were able to bring all of our graduates together! Many came with their families and children.

Here is a small photo report from the filming:

Kazakhstanskaya Pravda, January 16, 2018

The dilapidated building housing the “Nur” family children’s home in Talgar is in urgent need of major repairs.

Asset Kalymov, Almaty Region

In August this year, the “Nur” family children’s home in Talgar will mark its 20th anniversary. Over the years, the institution, which has raised 750 (!) foster children, has existed entirely on donations from sponsors and is in urgent need of government support. The funds barely cover food, clothing, medicines, utility bills, and staff salaries.

The staff consists of 10 people: caregivers, cooks, security guards, a dishwasher, and a cleaner. Each month, maintaining the home costs around 1.5 million tenge. Approximately half of this amount is spent on gas, heating, and electricity.

The building has a total area of more than 2,000 square meters. It was once an abandoned kindergarten on the outskirts of Talgar. Back in 1998, a teacher from Almaty, Tuyak Eskozhina, and her husband, Anuarbek Baysarin, sold their city apartment, leased this old building from the state, and opened one of the first family-type children’s homes in the country. Having raised three sons of their own, this compassionate couple radically changed their plans for the future.

Over the years, the charitable institution and its founders have become known not only in the Almaty Region but throughout Kazakhstan. In 2014, the “Nur” family home won the regional “Merейлі отбасы” competition, and this was not the first recognition of the remarkable couple’s achievements. At the 20th session of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, President Nursultan Nazarbayev personally presented Tuyak Eskozhina with the “Birlik” Gold Medal. Later, the mother of a large family received the national “Altyn Zhurek” (“Golden Heart”) award for her charitable work.

Seventy-three-year-old Tuyak Eskozhina grew up an orphan herself and knows what it means to live without parents. To this day, she tries to respond to every cry for help, supporting everyone in need of parental love. Forty-eight children of different nationalities live at the home. Tuyak Kazkenovna and Anuarbek Seitovich treat each of them as their own, giving every child equal care and attention. The youngest resident is two years old, while the oldest is 17.

As the retired couple recalls, they had to overcome countless financial, everyday, and psychological difficulties during the first years of running the family home. The hardest part was helping the children break away from everything negative they had learned on the streets. Many arrived neglected and frequently ill; some could neither read nor write and lagged behind their peers in development. Some had no documents, and their guardians had to spend long periods going from one government office to another to obtain birth certificates.

“We do not receive a single penny from the state, and officials in the Talgar and Talgar District akimats simply ignore our requests and letters! Unfortunately, under the law, as a non-governmental institution, we are not entitled to government assistance. Yet government agencies regularly inspect us to make sure we are raising the children properly. But the question, ‘How do we feed, clothe, and educate these children?’ does not interest the officials!”

Foster parents receive considerable help from entrepreneurs and ordinary people of goodwill. Having heard about an institution that has become a real home for hundreds of orphaned children, caring local residents bring food, money, and clothing. Most of them are local market traders, as well as students from universities in Almaty.

“Many people wonder how we manage to make ends meet and find the money to maintain the children’s home,” says the director. “I believe it is the will of the Almighty. Somehow, everything happens as if by magic. We are grateful to all the kind and compassionate people, especially philanthropist Kanat Koibagarov and his colleagues, who provided us with invaluable support during the first years of our work!”

From the outside, “Nur” resembles a large anthill. Children are everywhere. Some draw, dance, and sing in the assembly hall; others conduct experiments and do their homework in the classroom. They come from different backgrounds and different nationalities, yet live together peacefully and as one family under a single shanyrak.

A festive program will be prepared for the family home’s 20th anniversary. But the main task is to carry out a major renovation of the building, which has not undergone a proper overhaul for more than three decades. Anuarbek Baysarin points to the peeling walls covered with cracks and stains:

“First of all, we need to carry out finishing work — repair the electrical wiring, replace the tiles, railings, and floors, and plaster the walls and ceilings,” the guardian explains. “Then we will renovate the bedrooms, assembly hall, dining room, and kitchen. Preliminary estimates put the cost at around 5 million tenge, including both construction materials and the work of a construction crew. When we moved here in 1998, we carried out some minor cosmetic repairs. But since then, the building has deteriorated, and the windows, doors, plumbing, and other facilities have fallen into disrepair…”

The state provides the children with social benefits, but the money is not spent here; it is saved for their further education. Each child will eventually receive a profession, making these savings an investment in their future. The older generation of “Nur” alumni, after graduating from schools, universities, and colleges, now live independently: they have started families and are raising children of their own. But some, after reaching adulthood, remain at the home where they grew up. For them, the foster parents dream of building two apartment buildings. Fortunately, the local akimat has allocated a one-hectare plot of land to the children’s home.

“We want our graduates to have the opportunity to build their own lives, so that when they grow up they do not have to move from one rented corner to another,” explains Tuyak-apai. “I believe there are many kind people among us, and with their help we will be able to make this project a reality.”

Despite the lack of stable funding, this remarkable couple does not lose heart. They give parental love to children who have been abandoned and, through their own example, teach others compassion and kindness.

All that remains is to hope that the “Nur” children’s home will celebrate its anniversary in a fully renovated building that has finally undergone a complete overhaul.

The competition consisted of two selection stages. The first qualifying round was held in the regions and major cities of Kazakhstan.

As a result of the qualifying round in Almaty Region, our family became the winner. The next stage was an SMS vote, the results of which would determine the winner — Kazakhstan’s Best Family.

We asked everyone to support us by sending a free SMS to the short number 6284, with the number 6 in the message.

We also asked our friends and supporters to share the information and give their vote to our family, the Yeskozhi(n) family!

More details: Kaztube — The Yeskozhi(n) Family.

For the Nauryz celebration, we set up two yurts. Our former residents came to visit, some of them already with their own children.

Volunteers from the SOS organization also came and brought many gifts. Our children prepared a small concert for the celebration.

The funds raised at the ball were allocated to build a children’s playground and renovate the windows of the “Nur” Family Children’s Home in Talgar. Part of the funds was donated to the Rehabilitation Center of the Association of Parents of Children with Disabilities.

The “Nur” Children’s Home building was in need of renovation, and there was no playground in the yard for the younger children.

In support of the children’s home, the Bolashak Association gave the guests of the ball an opportunity to contribute to this important charitable cause.

The charity ball was organized in partnership with the InterContinental Almaty Hotel.

Objective: To teach the children new agricultural technologies. The children planted treated seeds in peat pots for growing seedlings. Special soil and peat pots were purchased for the class.

The classes were held with the first group.

Преимущество торфяных стаканчиков:

• Пористость стенок горшочков обеспечивает оптимальный водно-воздушный режим корнеобитаемого слоя, а при высадке в грунт корни растения свободно прорастают через их дно и стенки.
• Горшочки не содержат болезнетворных организмов и токсических веществ, обладают достаточной механической прочностью как в сухом , так и во влажном состоянии.
• Корни рассады свободно прорастают через дно и стенки торфяных горшочков.
• Высадка рассады в грунт вместе с горшочком обеспечивает почти 100 % приживаемость рассады, разлагаясь в земле, горшочек служит удобрением – более ранний урожай за счет быстрой приживаемости рассады.
• Применение торфяных горшочков : Горшочки заполняют увлажненным питательным грунтом, умеренно уплотняют, после чего высевают семена, сажают луковицы, проростки или черенки.
• Горшочки устанавливают на поддоны, полиэтиленовую пленку, песок, гравий или слой грунта.
• Выращиваемые растения поливают, поддерживая грунт во влажном состоянии.
• Торфяные горшочки никогда не должны пересыхать! Если это несколько раз уже произошло, содержащиеся в земле соли кристаллизируются и в концентрированном виде представляют опасность для нежных ростков.
• По мере развития растений горшочки расставляют более свободно для усиления освещенности, аэрации и предотвращения переплетения корней соседних растений.
• Выращенную рассаду или черенки высаживают на постоянное место в грунт вместе с горшочками.