Kazakhstan is an example of a country where headline figures do not tell the full story. Just 0.1% of the population lives under the extreme poverty line, according to the Asian Development Bank, and the World Bank measured literacy rates to be at 99.9%. However positive these figures are, Kazakhs still suffer from inadequate living conditions. A study conducted by the OECD found that literacy proficiency was below the organization’s average and, more worryingly, that Kazakhs with tertiary education have a similar proficiency to uneducated Kazakhs. 

While society’s issues are challenging, NGOs in Kazakhstan are well-developed and enjoy vast support from national and international institutions. Here are three NGOs that fight against Kazakhstan’s main issues at the moment.

Ayala Charity Foundation

International collaboration and support is key when trying to reduce poverty. In this sense, Ayala Charity Foundation has helped to connect the international business community with humanitarian aid. Having started in 2007, by 2023 the foundation has struck deals with companies like Samsung, Chevron and KPMG to provide aid to the poorest regions in Kazakhstan. 

Ayala has invested heavily in sanitary hardware and has managed to support more than 200,000 children’s medical needs. Furthermore, it has also funded educational programs in collaboration with Samsung to develop students’ STEM capabilities focusing on medicine and IT. Through these initiatives, Ayala Charity Foundation aims to give the poorer Kazakhstani children the opportunity to escape their current situation and allow them to lead a full healthy life. Overall, it is one of the most renowned NGOs in Kazakhstan, and boxing middleweight world champion Gennady Golovkin has embraced its projects.

Zhakiya Charitable Fund Social Foundation

Rural areas in Kazakhstan are very remote and tend to be inaccessible due to extreme temperatures and poor connection through such long distances. This often leads to isolated communities where the poorest families get stranded with no hope of improving their living conditions. Zhakiya Charitable Fund is one of the NGOs in Kazakhstan trying to amend this issue. 

Since its foundation in 2014, this fund has provided aid to the three main orphanage houses in Almaty region together with boarding schools and teenage mothers who could not afford to sustain their kids. Furthermore, through three distinct initiatives, the Zhakiya Fund has fought to improve dental health, access to education and mentoring in the poorest strata of Kazakhstani society. 

Yessenov Foundation

As it is clear, Kazakhstan suffers from a severe lack of educational quality that has led to literacy and numeracy proficiency not being significantly different between educated and uneducated Kazakhstanis. The issue, however, has not gone unnoticed. There are several NGOs in Kazakhstan looking to complement the educational system and chief among these is the Yessenov Foundation. 

Since 2013, this foundation has made it its mission to “develop Kazakhstan’s intellectual potential” by supporting Kazakhstani students in the field of exact and natural sciences. The organization has provided scholarships to more than 27,000 students who could not have afforded to study otherwise. They provide this aid through 50 different projects to support and foster talent in areas such as language learning, university education and scientific research. 

These programs mainly aim to give students the best opportunities both at the national level and abroad. Furthermore, the foundation even provides support to develop the professional careers of its beneficiaries once they conclude their education, ensuring that these students from humble backgrounds can bridge the gap and escape the grasp of poverty.

Making the Difference

Despite the magnitude of the challenge, NGOs in Kazakhstan are quite developed and are fighting hard to develop the nation’s future. Through these initiatives, the country has taken large steps towards poverty eradication. While there is still much to be done, through initiatives like these, young kids get the chance for a brighter future. 

– Daniel Pereda
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