As part of the 'Life Ticket' program, orphanage graduates across Kazakhstan receive free higher education, novoetv reports citing the press service of the Commissioner for Children's Rights of Kazakhstan.
Charity should be targeted, as this provides a concrete goal and measurable results. The value of this form of charity is in personal involvement in solving serious problems, not just in formally providing funds.
Evaluating the effectiveness of charity based solely on financial investment has long been ineffective. If resources are invested not only financially, but also humanly, to help children, medical centers, orphanages, and promote culture and arts, the result can be measured and assessed. This is a clear parameter for analyzing charity effectiveness. The social program 'Life Ticket' embodies this philosophy.
Under the program, orphanage graduates from across Kazakhstan receive free higher education. Additionally, their accommodation, scholarship, food, and daily needs expenses are covered.
After completing their education, graduates are guaranteed employment. During their studies, students can undertake internships at their request. Thus, young men and women are accompanied throughout their education until employment, leading to independent adult life. The main focus of the project is the willingness to study at a university.
The state commits to addressing the major problems of children: education, upbringing, and providing the essentials for children without parental care.
However, independent adult life presents them with challenges for which they often find themselves unprepared. This pertains to leisure activities, maintaining their health, managing their households, and choosing a profession that aligns with their interests and aptitudes.
The Commissioner for Children's Rights in Kazakhstan, Aruzhan Sain, highlighted the exceptional role of the 'Life Ticket' project for children and emphasized the importance of socio-psychological adaptation for orphanage graduates:
'Having worked with orphanages for a long time, I firsthand know that it is not easy for orphanage graduates to receive higher education. Although there are programs through which funds are allocated for these purposes. After leaving the orphanage, they face the challenge of integrating into society. Practice shows that children often lack the skills to establish social relationships and solve vital issues. Living independently and studying at universities, orphanage graduates lose adult support and often drop out. Children need both funding and the involvement of an adult throughout their educational journey.'
There is a program 'Life Ticket', which provides support from enrollment to employment. Thanks to it, a child from one family finds support in another. But most importantly, children feel supported and can seek help from their mentors at any time. They are guided throughout their studies, and their hobbies and interests are financed, leading to employment. This form of charity is complex, but the results are worthwhile. The best demonstration of the program's effectiveness is the success of those who completed their university education. They get married, build careers, and find their vocations.'
The project has been implemented for eight years. During these years, the program has covered over 130 young men and women from all over Kazakhstan. Each year, the number of applicants in the program steadily increases. In 2021-2022, the 'Life Ticket' project is providing higher education to 24 students. This year, the fifth group of students will receive university diplomas along with their tickets to adulthood.
'We need to understand that children often enter the orphanage with gaps in their school education. Their parents did not create conditions for their development, often resulting in school absences. Our main task is to show children a different life so that they do not repeat their parents' mistakes. Most children from orphanages pursue trades after 9th grade, but those who perform well (about 35%) aim for higher education. They choose various specialties, including medicine, law, psychology, military, education, social work, and engineering. We were pleasantly surprised by the opportunities provided by the 'Life Ticket' program. However, the decisive factor for us was the personal support of each child throughout their education. Currently, four of our children are studying through the 'Life Ticket' program, and their stories of student life in one of the country's leading universities now inspire other residents of our orphanage,' noted Pavlo Kovalyov, Director of the Rudny Orphanage.
According to the program's creator and Nurbank JSC shareholder Eldar Sarsenov, 'The 'Life Ticket' educational program fulfills two social functions: the first—is addressing the issue of obtaining higher education for children raised in orphanages and foster families, and the second—is ensuring the socialization of Kazakhstani youth and shaping a high level of professional, moral, and civic culture in students. The value of this form of charity lies in personal involvement, not formal fund allocation.'
Creating conditions for the social adaptation of orphanage graduates and assisting their successful integration into society remains a highly relevant issue. The program organizer takes responsibility, protecting and supporting children from orphanages.
Source: novoetv.kz