The Almaty Marathon’s mission is to develop the active life style making the sports available for everyone. The Organizers are focused on the charitable mission as well: by involving the society in social projects, they give a chance to everyone to contribute to the good deed. For 12 years, the Fund’s team has implemented over 30 charity projects to the amount exceeding KZT 277 mln. in Almaty and Almaty Region. During this period, the dozens of football fields, rock climbing walls, sports grounds and special equipment have been installed for the development of sensomotor integration, locomotor system, as well as for the adaptation of the children for living in the society.
Pursuant to paragraph 7, Article 12 of the Non-Profit Organizations Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan, “Courage to be the First” Corporate Fund annually publishes its cash flow statements in the Yuridicheskaya Gazeta newspaper distributed throughout the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The statements are published annually in May. You can find them here.
In the last year, the Fund’s beneficiaries included the following 8 child institutions:
- Senim Center for Social Services, Municipal Public Institution
- Regional Centre for Support of Disadvantaged Children, Municipal Public Institution
- Ak zhol-M Social Fund
- Meyirim Rehabilitation Centre for the Disabled Children and Teenagers, Private Fund
- Amanat Social Child Care Home
- Ana Amanaty Girl Care Home
- Almaty Athletic Facility Front Office LLP
- АВА Center Rostok LLP
Today, Senim Centre hosts 108 children with special needs and children without parental support. In last December, the institution received a new sports equipment from the Fund and now its children have more opportunities for training.
The Regional Child Care Home hosts 130 children at the age of 3 to 18 years. Among them are 52 girls and 78 boys. A new football stadium equipped with advanced facilities and equipment, which meet all safety requirements, was opened there.
Ak zhol-M Fund is focused on free socialization and rehabilitation of over 1,000 children with special needs in Almaty Region. This is the first and Kazakhstan’s only institution built at the expense of ordinary people. This spring, “Courage to be the First” Corporate Fund has purchased furniture for the new building of the Rehabilitation Centre in Kyzyl-Kairat settlement. Rehabilitation services in the new centre may be provided to 170-200 children a day, and it is attended by children not only from Almaty Region but also from the nearest regions.
Meyirim Centre is daily attended by 90 children and teenagers with special needs. The centre offers them social, pedagogical and physical rehabilitation. On 16 March, the Almaty Marathon Organizers provided the Centre with MyWay walking frame with elliptical trainer. This equipment for rehabilitation of children with musculoskeletal disorders allows them to learn walking, develop various motor skills, strengthen muscles, and improve the coordination of movement and balance.
“We have received a unique English equipment, which opens up new opportunities for development of our children. For example, MyWay walking frame with elliptical trainer is a novelty for Kazakhstan,” says Yelena Kuzembayeva, Director of Meyirim Rehabilitation Centre.
Amanat and Ana Amanaty Child Care Homes host almost 50 children from the low-income families and children without parental support. The wards of the Child Care Homes are prepared for school, they also broaden their horizons and develop the social and personal qualities. This May, the Fund opened there the multifunctional sports grounds suitable for playing football, basketball and having fun outdoors.
The secondary field of the Central Stadium is a well-loved place for the Almaty football players and runners. This May, the Fund opened the workout complex there: now citizens could do strength training, stretching and other combined developing exercises.
Rostok Centre provides assistance to the children suffering from autism and speech disorder by using ABA methods. Here, children are taught under the individual correction programmes, as well as learn to interact with the world around, develop their social skills and self-confidence. In April, the Centre received the specialized rehabilitation equipment.
The inclusion and charity are the basis of “Courage to be the First” Corporate Fund’s Strategy.
“All our activities form an inclusive environment opened for all and everyone irrespective of gender, age, physical abilities, running experience and other particularities. For the last years, we have managed to support over 3,000 children in joining the sports. We are sure that sport is a powerful tool to promote health and develop the nation as a whole,” says Saltanat Kazybayeva, Executive Director of the Fund.
Annually, as the number of run participants grows, the Fund increases charity donations allowing Kazakhstani children to join sport. In 2023, about 14 thousand runners representing 44 countries were brought together at the start line. The Fund’s idea promotes the country’s image at the international level. The Almaty Marathon’s contribution to the city’s economy is significant as well: according to the last year survey, about 1,000 participants made purchases amounting to USD 16.8 thous. (KZT 7.9 mln.) during the two-day event, of which 39% were spent by the guests from other cities and countries.
Beneficiaries of the Almaty Marathon 2022:
“Courage to be the First” Corporate Fund implemented its first charity project for 2022 in Kaskelen, where a workout ground was built at the Boarding School for children with intellectual disabilities. This specialized ground is designed to support physical development and activity in children. The ground is used for sports and exercises to facilitate physical development of children with special needs.
The second charity project was implemented at the Almaty Regional Sanatorium Boarding School in Talgar, where a workout ground and fencing were built to create a comfortable environment for sports and entertainment for children.
“Courage to be the First” Corporate Fund implemented its third charity project at the Solnyshko Orphanage, a private institution. A modern football ground was built as a charity project. Now the orphanage students can spend their time actively and develop their physical skills.
The Rehab Team Rehabilitation Centre was chosen as the fourth charity project to implement. The Centre specializes in innovative rehabilitation for children with cerebral palsy. The charity programme helped the Centre receive valuable equipment, including an electric treadmill with handrails, an electrically driven children verticalizer for walking and restoring leg functions, therapeutic loading suit Adeli, pneumatic suit Atlant, and a lower limb and trunk brace (orthesis) SWASH. This innovative equipment has significantly improved rehabilitation processes and provided optimal conditions for the development of children with cerebral palsy.
The fifth charity project for 2022 - ten Flying Start Racing Wheelchairs handed over by “Courage to be the First” Corporate Fund to the Maxim’s Eleven team. Maxim took an active part in the Almaty Marathon and other runs for six years, but was the only low-mobility participant. This project is mainly aimed at involving as many disabled people as possible for the social adaptation and development of inclusive sports. These racing wheelchairs will help to provide people with limited mobility with more opportunities to participate in sports events.
A total of KZT 45 500 000 has been spent on the 2022 charitable goals. For information, funds to build the facilities are not transferred directly to the beneficiaries. It is “Courage to be the First” that fully implements the projects and officially hands over the commissioned facilities to the selected institutions.
The Almaty Marathon 2021 beneficiaries:
- Kovcheg Organization (a multifunctional ground (football, volleyball,
streetball)
https://www.kovcheg.org/en/
- Center for Children Support in Difficult Life Situations (work-out
ground)
- LA-155/6 Republican State Institution (football ground)
The total charitable fund amounts to KZT 40 000 000.
Beneficiaries of the Almaty Marathon-2020 are the following:
- Public Association of People with Disabilities “Kenes” (Center for Social Adaptation and Labor Rehabilitation) (equipped playground). https://www.almaty-marathon.kz/en/news/680/
- Regional special boarding school for children with intellectual disabilities of the town of Yessik (construction of a football field). https://www.almaty-marathon.kz/en/news/673/
- Non-government educational institution "SOS Children’s village Almaty" (construction of a training ground). https://www.almaty-marathon.kz/en/news/675/
- Center for Habilitation “Amaliya” for children with special needs (equipment for sensory integration). https://www.almaty-marathon.kz/en/news/674/
- Family orphanage “Nur” in Talgar (Construction of a sports ground). https://www.almaty-marathon.kz/en/news/676/
The total amount of charitable assistance is 27 000 000 KZT.
Beneficiaries of the Almaty Marathon-2019 are the following:
- The boarding school No.15 for children from low-income families of Almaty region (construction of a sports ground)
- The Kirov Red Banner cruise Military-patriotic club of young army soldiers (construction of a climbing wall)
- The city program “Adaptive alpine skiing and snowboarding for children with ASD (autism spectrum disorder) and other developmental features in high-mountain conditions”, implemented by the Pioneer Concept Private Foundation. (construction of a multi-functional sports ground).
The total amount of the charitable assistance is 25 527 310 KZT.
Funds were allocated for the construction of two sports grounds in boarding schools and one playground for a children’s hospice:
1. The first “I am with you” hospice for children with cancer
2. Regional special boarding school for children with visual impairment in Yessik town
3. Special (correctional) boarding No.6 for children with intellectual disabilities.
The total amount of charitable assistance is
16 380 500 KZT.
The funds were allocated for 6 children’s facilities:
1. Special (correctional) boarding school No.1 for children with hearing impairment;
- construction of a sports ground
2. Special (correctional) boarding school No.2 for children with disorders of the musculoskeletal system;
- Purchase of sports equipment
3. N. Ostrovsky Special boarding school No.4 for blind and visually impaired children;
- Purchase of sports equipment
4. Special (correctional) boarding school No.9 for children with severe speech impairment;
- construction of a climbing wall for children
5. Sanatorium-type special boarding school No.15 of the Education Department of Almaty for children with tuberculosis;
- Purchase of sports simulators
6. Correctional nursery school NO.13 for children with visual impairments.
- Purchase of equipment for the sensory room.
The total amount of charitable assistance is 13 028 500 KZT.
The funds were used to purchase medical equipment for the ARDI rehabilitation center: four apparatuses for the rehabilitation of the musculoskeletal system.
The total amount of charitable assistance is
12 295 000 KZT.
The funds were used to build a sports complex for the special boarding school No. 9 for children with severe speech impairments.
The total amount of charitable assistance is 7 828 600 KZT.
Funds were raised for the treatment of a child with cancer, namely, 3-year-old Darina Lik.
The total amount of charitable assistance is
10 000 000 KZT.
In the framework of the Almaty marathon, the general partner of 2014, Astana Motors, presented an ambulance to the oncology department of the Research Institute of Pediatrics and Children's Surgery in Almaty.
The funds were transferred to the ARDI rehabilitation center for the construction of a mini-water area for the adaptation of children with cerebral palsy.
The total amount of charitable assistance is 2 752 000 KZT.
The funds were allocated for the program of support and rehabilitation of children with CP (cerebral palsy)
The total amount of charitable assistance is 292 500 KZT.