The Astana Times - Kazakhstan has established the Qazaqstan Halqyna (to the people of Kazakhstan) Foundation designed to boost social support at the initiative of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who proposed the idea during the Jan. 11 plenary session of Majilis, the lower chamber of the Kazakh Parliament.
The foundation will provide charitable assistance to the people, in addition to state support, in health care, education and social support, culture, and sports and those who are affected by emergency situations and during states of emergency.
It will also assist in developing and improving accessibility of sports infrastructure for children and people from socially vulnerable groups as well as support families of law enforcement and military officers who died while protecting the territorial integrity and security of Kazakhstan.
The foundation will be chaired by Bolat Zhamishev, who during his career served as finance minister, vice-chair of the country’s National Bank, and chair of the Development Bank of Kazakhstan.
“It will address the real problems in health care, education, and social support, for example, to help children with rare diseases. After all, the cost of treatment is simply unaffordable for most families. We will build sports facilities for children in cities, districts, and villages. We will provide assistance to gifted children. We will support culture. We will help Almaty to recover from the terrible tragedy,” said Tokayev announcing the idea.
He stressed that the foundation does not belong either to him or the government, but “to all the people of Kazakhstan.”
A board of trustees, which was announced yesterday, includes prominent public and government figures, civil society representatives, and philanthropists, including head of the capital’s National Research Cardiac Surgery Center Yuriy Pya, Kazakhstan’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights Aruzhan Sain, Majilis deputy Irina Smailova, public figure Almaz Yerzhan, Director of Rakurs Center for Economic Analysis Oraz Zhandosov and Tan Media Group Director Armanzhan Baitasov.
The board is responsible for determining the main activities of the foundation and its objectives, approves the budget and performs other control and organizational functions.
Tokayev assured the public that the foundation will be transparent in its activities and be accountable to the public.
“The funds allocated to the foundation will be from private and public sources. It is planned to attract the help of international charitable organizations. We expect significant regular contributions to the foundation from large businesses. Thanks to the First President, a group of very profitable companies and people, who are rich even by international standards, emerged in the country and I believe that the time has come to pay tribute to the people of Kazakhstan and help them on a systematic and regular basis,” said Tokayev at the Majilis.
