Kazakhstan Foundation for Cultural Social and Educational Development
Empowering women. Empowering society.
The State of Women in Kazakhstan
Young women in the rural areas of Kazakhstan have limited access to education. This is a cyclical problem that excludes women from opportunities for advancement and makes them particularly vulnerable to the threats of gender discrimination, including early marriage, bride kidnapping, and domestic violence. Even in Kazakhstan’s cities, women have few job opportunities and little power to improve their lives without support.
Kazakhstan Foundation for Cultural, Social, and Educational Development (KFCSED) spurs social change in three areas: empowering women through education, advocating for social responsibility, and strengthening civic engagement. Through its projects, the Foundation improves the lives and livelihoods of women across Kazakhstan.
OUR PROJECTS
KUMBEL PROFESSIONAL TRAINING CENTER
Enhancing professionalism. Empowering women.
The largest KFSCED project, Kumbel provides comprehensive training in service sector skills for young women from professional schools. The program lasts for 10 months, during which women complete a cycle of internships and train on-location with specialists from the program’s partner hotels and restaurants.
Each year, the program has about 50 students, and now Kumbel boasts 300 graduates. Of these, 61% work in the service industry, and the remaining third are pursuing higher education while they work. Because women who graduate from Kumbel are highly professional and display excellent socio-emotional skills, employers know of Kumbel and often give its students preferential treatment when they look to hire.
IMPACTUM!
Initiating change. Empowering women.
KFCSED launched this initiative in 2018 with the goal of promoting proactive leadership in the rural communities of Kazakhstan. The main initiative of this project is a project management course for women, which involves implementing a variety of social projects. Every year, IMPACTUM! challenges 30 women to become agents of change in their communities.
In 2022, IMPACTUM! is focusing on climate change. The entire project is promoting greener lifestyles among its members and has the goal of sharing their green lifestyle initiatives with 5,000 people. This large-scale social project has several stages, including attending conferences with experts in air quality and pollution, conducting case studies, holding monthly ecological challenges, filming a documentary on air quality and pollution, and hosting an outdoor festival.
MIRA
Spreading respect. Empowering women.
In 2019, in response to the social changes in Almaty society, KFCSED collaborated with the U.S. Embassy to Kazakhstan and designed an educational campaign about human dignity. This creative, photography-centric project reinforces awareness that human dignity is the basis of human rights.
Each year, 20 students participate in this project and attend conferences with human rights experts, conduct case studies, take virtual visits to international organizations, and learn from practical photography sessions. The program teaches students to reflect on and share their values in different ways, whether through verbal or visual media.
Kumbel Lab
Decoding talent. Empowering women.
In 2021, KFCSED interviewed the heads of three vocational schools of technology and learned that the percentage of girls studying technical careers in those schools was less than 10%. At the end of their training, less than 1% of those women worked in their specialty, while their male peers often had job offers in their third year, even before completing their training.
Based on this staggering information, KFCSED launched Kumbel Lab to help young women “decode” their technological talents and start their careers in the technology sector.
Kazakhstan needs skilled women who can inspire others and take initiative in their communities. KFCSED believes that women have a critical role to play in the field of technology.
Mayak
Creating synergy. Empowering women.
A key component of every project that KFCSED undertakes is its individualized approach, which is guaranteed by this unique mentoring program. Creating synergies for both parties involved in this project, Mayak offers the opportunity for caring professionals to strengthen and share their skills with young university students and new teachers, who benefit from this support as they develop their own careers.
Each year, this program grows, multiplying the proven benefits of mentoring for women in Kazakhstan.
Kumbel Pro
Pursuing excellence. Empowering women.
Kumbel Pro supports teachers and employees of professional schools in four areas: training in socio-emotional awareness, reinforcing skills for teaching, instructing on how to host seminars and conduct mentoring, and offering the opportunity for mentorship.
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Education supports KFCSED in its promotion of Kumbel Pro throughout the country. Because of this, the program has participants in a variety of cities. Teachers and school employees receive an official certificate when they participate in Kumbel Pro. This often allows them to achieve a higher professional rank and increase their salary. Participants also go on to conduct seminars with their peers, which both reinforces the knowledge they have acquired and multiplies the impact of the program in their communities.
DONATE TO KFCSED BY CHECK
Make checks out to American Initiatives for Social Development with the memo line: KFCSED
Mail checks to:
American Initiatives for Social Development
Murray Hill Station
PO Box 1670
New York, NY 10156-1670