"The Year That Changed Everything: How the Fund Achieved Five-Year Goals in Just 12 Months" — Daniyar Toktarbayev

The past year, 2024, marked a significant milestone in the development and consolidation of the Fund.

First, the “Support Schools” project continued to develop steadily. Over the past year, we added 56 new educational facilities, bringing the total to 135. This brought us much closer to our 2029 goal — building a network of support schools across every administrative region of Kazakhstan. This achievement places a responsibility on us to successfully complete this large-scale program, ensure the long-term sustainability of support schools as institutions, and define a new direction for the Fund’s development.

Second, a major highlight of the past 12 months was our participation in the “Otpan” initiative, launched by the Government of Kazakhstan, in which the Fund acted as both a partner and operational manager. The project aims to improve the quality of education in the Mangystau region by establishing growth points based in schools and developing methodological centers.

As we immersed ourselves in the specifics of the region, we came to understand how much population density and birth rates affect the quality of education, placing significant pressure on both soft and hard infrastructure. This is a critical factor to consider when developing the country’s human capital. I am proud that we are working in the Mangystau region — the impact of our efforts is amplified by the large number of children, teachers, and the close proximity of schools.

Overall, the “Otpan” project has given us valuable experience. For the first time, methodological support was carried out by two educational organizations simultaneously: the Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools (NIS) provided support for 45 institutions, while 5 schools were entrusted to Bilim-Innovation Lyceums, who became our partners only in 2024. We also opened a new chapter in working with major sponsors, including Ordabasy Group, KazMunayGas, NCOC, and the Halyk Charitable Foundation. I believe the Fund for Sustainable Development of Education has established itself as a reliable and worthy partner for these organizations.

Third, a key achievement of 2024 was the formation and expansion of the Fund’s Board of Trustees. We carefully selected its members and formed a strong team of civic leaders who are deeply invested in the country’s future.

Beyond these milestones, we also did a great deal of internal work. In 2024, we didn’t just keep moving forward — we paused to reflect and assess our projects through the lens of sustainability. We formalized our philosophy, our DNA, and our core values. We identified what we bring to the world and what we want to embed in all our projects. This became the foundation for a new 10-year strategy for the Fund.

More specifically, our values are based on the principles we inherited from Aitas Holding — the founder and key sponsor of the Fund. These are the meta-values of Love, Wisdom, and Will — essential states of being for making thoughtful, balanced decisions.

These principles are embedded in all our work. Every tenge we receive from sponsors is directed toward projects, school equipment, and furniture — tangible things that can be “seen with the eyes and touched with the hands.” This simple and transparent policy has ensured the openness and credibility of our initiatives.

In 2024, we received several inquiries regarding direct support for the Fund itself. As a result, we are now developing a new fundraising and sponsorship strategy, which we hope to launch in the first quarter of 2025.

We are already making plans for the near future. In 2025, our top priority will be the creation of a new structure within the education system — the National Network of Support Schools of Kazakhstan. We worked extensively on this concept in the last months of 2024 and submitted all our proposals and frameworks to the government. This initiative is crucial to ensure the sustainability of support schools and to scale their experience across the country.

Looking ahead to 2025–2026, we anticipate a transformative phase — a recalibration of the Fund in light of having reached our five-year targets ahead of schedule. It promises to be a pivotal and exciting journey.