With the support of a tuition assistance program, Aiman Idegeeva now gives back to the community that never gave up on her — an orphanage in Kazakhstan [4]. In exchange for a grant that allows her to attend college, she helps inspire orphaned children to work hard, seek education and envision a better future.
It’s an effort strengthened by Idegeeva’s own opportunity to pursue a degree in Food Technology and Restaurant Management at the Almaty Technical University. Without it, she says she would be working as a cook rather than planning to manage her own restaurant.
“I see a better future for myself, and am able to focus more clearly on what I want,” she says. “ I see myself changing, and all of my hard work paying off.”
Idegeeva is one of 841 students who received Tuition Assistance Program grants through the BOTA Foundation [5] since 2009. The grants go to promising young people who have both financial need and the potential to succeed in college or university. Those who receive grants contribute 20 hours of service to their communities each year and have volunteered in a variety of settings, including orphanages and foster-care centers, schools and nonprofit organizations. The students, like Idegeeva, develop life skills through supplemental workshops that focus on critical thinking, problem solving and career planning.
IREX is building the BOTA Foundation [5] by providing senior technical expertise to ensure that over $100 million effectively reaches the poorest of poor in Kazakhstan. BOTA is an independent not-for-profit NGO that improves the lives of children and youth in Kazakhstan through university scholarships, small cash transfers to impoverished mothers, and grants to local NGOs.