A group of aspiring youth in Kazakhstan is celebrating a milestone that, not long ago, was perhaps unthinkable — college graduation. A tuition assistance program through the BOTA Foundation [5] there sent its first large group of graduates into the workforce. More than 125 students received diplomas at a recent ceremony.
Many of the graduates are already working in jobs and internships across professional sectors in technology, science, accounting and more. All of them came from circumstances that wouldn’t have allowed them to attend college without help from the BOTA Foundation, and are now realizing opportunities they scarcely imagined.
“I am one of the first [of my peers] to have a serious job at a big company in my field of expertise,” said Shattyk, a 2013 graduate. She grew up in Western Kazakhstan and did not have the means to pay for tuition. Now, she is a risk management specialist for a brokerage firm that sells securities, Centras Securities. She credits BOTA’s local expertise and connections with helping her find and secure the job.
BOTA also helped her secure an internship a year earlier with Tengizchevroil, which helped strengthen her resume and prepare her for the workforce. Her current supervisor said the experience she gained then was an important factor in the decision to hire. Others who are interning right now see a bright future ahead.
“BOTA has really changed my life and helped me open the door to my future,” said Yermek, a 3rd-year TAP student majoring in international affairs. He currently interns at the Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia and speaks four languages. He is helping the local NGO create a best practices database they can use to reference for future development projects.
Yermek commutes two hours each way from home to attend Suleyman Demirel University and hopes one day to teach history. He will graduate in 2014 with over 350 others.
The BOTA Foundation has awarded nearly 900 Tuition Assistance grants to date. Nearly 2/3 of the grant recipients are the first generation of their families to attend college.
IREX is building the BOTA Foundation 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.