“Orkendeu” Project

The Republican Review-Competition of the best architectural works for 2012-2013, organized by the League of Architects of the Republic of Kazakhstan, held in Almaty on October 4-6.

In the result of serious selection the project of the Children’s Home in Kyzylorda city, built by Saby Foundation in 2012, was awarded by Diploma of first rate in the nomination of “Construction”. The authors of the project, group of architects and engineers, became prize winners.

Authoritative experts in the field of architecture and city building of Kazakhstan, as well as invited professionals from Russia, acknowledged that social object, if it corresponds to all high quality standards, may be also a real decoration, on the equal basis with the objects of civil engineering, not only of a separate city but the whole country.

We are proud of our Children’s Home!

Recently, the Saby Charitable Foundation representatives have visited Kyzylorda with a working tour.

Almost a half of a year passed since the time when foster children of [b]City Orphanage have moved to a new building built by our Foundation. We were interested to see how do the kids feel in their new home.

We were very pleased with the warm atmosphere of the institution. And this is obvious, how can you compare the old, cold premises under the threat of collapse, where the kids were before, with this cozy, bright, welcoming home, where they have everything they need.

Chief physician of the Orphanage with a great enthusiasm told us that the wonderful changes have taken place with children after the moving. Someone has taken the first step, someone has smiled for the first time, and everyone has got their personal space and a favorite spot. And this is not surprising, because earlier the kids, many of whom are under the age of one year, were mainly kept in play pens due to terrible drafts. And now they are happy to crawl on the warm carpets trying to reach the inviting bright toys on the bright shelves, and, of course, trying to get up on their feet and walk.

Going for a walk makes the older children really happy. This is so, because the playground, which is also built by the Saby Charitable Foundation, meets all the childhood dreams: you can take a ride on the swings, carousels and slides, you can roam through the safe mazes, play in the shade of arbors, or just lie on soft surface of artificial grass.

The time will come, when the orchard will grow up and became strong, and the kids will taste its fresh sweet fruits.

In the course of this visit, it seemed to us that the kids actually became much more cheerful than they were during our previous meeting. And, perhaps, this can be considered as the most important result of our work.

Photos here

The new Child Care Center of Kyzylorda, built and equipped by Saby Foundation, was put into commission and fully functions since the beginning of this year. All conditions for safe and comfort residence of children, who left without parental care from the earliest age – from birth to 4 years old, are created in this modern building.

Besides the stipulated buildings by the Building Code, such as bedrooms, playing rooms, lavatories, dining rooms and cook-rooms, medical rooms and other rooms, The Montessori Center of Early Development was organized by the decision of President of Saby Foundation Aselle Tasmagambetova. The wide assortment of educational equipment does not have any analogues in the South region. The Minister of Health Care of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kairbekova Salidat, who visited the Child Care Center in February, said the following: ‘Montessori school of such level is build only in Astana and now in Kyzylorda’. Indeed, our Foundation looked at the matter of the Center equipping very seriously. Materials, furniture and books of training methods were purchased on a specialized enterprise in Omsk city.

Also the agreement with a lecturer of the Russian Interregional Association of Montessori was concluded with a view to hold a series of educational seminars for the employees of the Child Care Center. Two stages of trainings have been already held: the first one was held in October of the past year and the second one ended recently. Not only teachers, who realize instructional and educational work with little children, but practically all employees of the institution take part in ten-day seminars, as the system of early development is applied on all levels of communication with children.

A Montessori trainer will visit Kyzylorda at least twice a year. After completion of the whole course of training, 15 students will receive certificates of Montessori specialists.

Saby Charitable Foundation
Almaty, 2012

Kyzylorda city. Hard weather conditions, ecological disaster zone of Aral Sea, constant water deficiency and, as a consequence, low level of life and health of local population, especially children, induced the Foundation to direct special attention to this region.

Child Care Center, situated in the regional center at the address: 84, Baiseitov street, is one of the most dangerous social institutions of the city in technical condition. This building is a frame house built in 1956, which is unsafe and old. Walls, patched with clay, are thoroughly whitened by workers of the institution, but this does not save from regular leakages and fragmentary breakdowns. Numerously painted window frames cracked and do not protect against winter cold and summer heat. There is no any heating; the process of heating is carried out by a ramshackle boiler house by means of rusty and rotten tubes. Small children live in such difficult conditions; they start here their life full of hardships without any support of parents and relatives.

Having organized the inspection of the institution in 2009, Saby Charitable Foundation decided that repair of this old building was unreasonable and concluded that a new modern building for children shall be constructed. Orkendeu Project of new building construction for Child Care Center in Kyzylorda became the most ambitious, resource costly and expensive project; more than 300,000 KZT had been spent for its realization.

Notwithstanding the social significance of the object, the initiative of the Foundation was not accepted at once. Approbation of the government of Kyzylorda city and Health Administration was received only one year later. The Memorandum about Cooperation and Collaboration was concluded in August, 2010, according to which the administration separated a land parcel at the address: 84, Baiseitov street. Saby Foundation started the development of design and estimate documentation.

But four month later, when working drafts were almost ready, the administration of the city changed its decision and gave another land parcel for the construction at the address: w/o No. Beibarys street. This decision caused 100% alteration of design and estimate documentation including the realization of new geotechnical investigations. But problems still remained.

When carrying preparation and planning works, 3 communication pipelines were found out on site, which were not registered in the city schemes. Design and estimate documentation had to be altered for the third time, because the availability of pipes, including gas pipe of high pressure, required to change the siting of building to dozens of meters.

The procedure of state expertise of the project turned out to be difficult. Experts- pedants expressed a lot of critical notes. Besides, more than half of notes were simply sophisticated. It took 9 months to get a conclusion of the expert commission.

Now all difficulties left behind. Presently, finishing works are carried out. The object will be put into commission in January 2013. Landscape and shade gardening including tree, flowers and lawn grass planting, is planned to be carried out in spring.

The project of this building has no analogues among social institutions of Kazakhstan, beginning from design and architecture ending with equipment and landscaping. Even the problems of economy of budget means for the period of building exploitation were taken into account. The building is not typical; we built not a common house, but a house where we tried to create for children maximal comfort and homelike atmosphere. Design and estimate documentation stipulate the construction of 3 main brick buildings (2 buildings– two-storied, 1 building – single-storied) with total floor area of 1,717 square meters, independent heating module operating on 2 types of fuel, engineering and utility services rooms, big summer showrooms, playgrounds, selected recreation areas with landscaping and fountains, perimeter barrier from splitter blocks, laying of all communications, paved roads and sidewalks, area and perimeter lighting of the territory.

Interior decoration of the building was carried out taking into account all standards of Building Codes and Regulations and Sanitary Regulations and Standards using modern, quality and ecologically clean materials. Object equipping with necessary facilities, furniture and interior was carried out at the expense of Saby Foundation thanks to our dear philanthropists.

Moreover, the local center for children’s early development of M. Montessori system is stipulated in the new building. For this purpose special equipment and materials were purchased in Omsk, Russian Federation, as well as educational seminars for employees of the Child Care Center with a teacher of the Russian Association of Montessori were held.

So, this building is not just a new building, it is absolutely distinct new house built in accordance with the latest standards where children will start their life in warm, careful and harmonious atmosphere.

Photos of the old building of the orphanage in Kyzylorda
Photos of the new building of the orphanage in Kyzylorda

The educational system in our country has undergone multiple transformations over the past few years. It is hard to say firmly whether these transformations are for the better, disputes on this subject have not stopped yet. We have got the methods and schemes approved a long time ago in the West. Some of them have not taken roots meanwhile others have found their place. Among recent ones, there is the widely used nowadays and undoubtedly effective method for children training of Maria Montessori, an Italian pedagogue, scientist and philosopher of the first half of the 20th century.

This system is based on an individual approach: a child always by himself chooses didactic materials and duration of trainings developing according to his/her own rhythm and direction. Montessori’s pedagogics is focused on needs, capacities and talents of every child in particular. No comparisons and gauging by existing general standards are applicable. Children study freely and willingly instead, without external influence and criticism. The independence is fortified by tasks from real life, i.e. with those which can be directly implemented in everyday practice. Montessori’s materials are not toys but real ‘adult’ subjects reduced in scale. The method via imitation teaches seemingly simple but important actions such as how to dress, wash, lay the table, make crafts, do creative work, etc.

The training principles of Montessori’s system are very suitable for the formation of the mindset of orphaned children and teaching of household skills. As in conditions of collective education at state social institutions, a person’s individuality often plays second fiddle.

By the decision of the management of Saby Foundation, a local training center of Montessori, the construction of which is undertaken by the Foundation, will be organized in the new building of the Child Care Center in Kyzylorda. For this purpose, a very wide range of special equipment and materials was purchased in Omsk city. Also, the cooperation with the Interregional Montessori Association in Revda city, Russian Federation has been established. Their specialists will go to Kyzylorda a few times during the whole year and will pass the full training course for further independent work with children.

The construction of a new building for the Children Orphanage in Kyzylorda, planned by Saby Charitable Foundation within the framework of the Orkendeu Project, is a serious step which requires great investments. Certainly, it is impossible to carry out such large-scale works by sole efforts of our Foundation. We launched a fund raiser for the erection of building and received responses from many Kazakhstan companies and private individuals.

We would like to highlight and express a deep gratitude to the Kazakhstan-Russian Joint Enterprise KazRosGaz LLP. Having accepted social policy as one of the priority tasks on the modern stage of development, KazRosGaz LLP is a permanent philanthropist which has already contributed several times to the realization of the Foundation’s projects. For instance, the reinforcement of the Invataxi Almaty car fleet, about which we have reported on our web site, became possible thanks to KazRosGaz LLP.

The next significant step in our cooperation is the funding of the construction of a future orphanage in Kyzylorda. The large tranche was transferred to the account of Saby Foundation. The amount received will significantly cover the expenses on the installation of walls, roofage, utility network and equipment, communication installation, decoration works and territory improvement.

And we, in our turn, will timely submit a detailed report about the intended expenditure of the allocated funds.

We would like to give once again our cordial thanks to the management and all employees of KazRosGaz LLP for the invaluable participation in the project!

Dear Friends!

We express our cordial gratitude to all the philanthropists who shared their resources and donated money means for the realization of the Project for the erection of a new building for the Child Care Center in Kyzylorda town, under the direction of Saby Foundation.

It will be a double-level modern and comfortable construction with premises, furniture and processing facilities conforming to all construction regulations, with the area of over 1,700 square meters. The general layout includes an external infrastructure: children’s pavilions, household and technological constructions and green plantings.

Additionally, small nurslings will be granted by the Foundation with the room equipped by Montessori materials for earlier development under a widely-spread and recognized system and Ksil playground for open-air classes. A stream fountain with pebble bars will create micro-climate during hot summer days.

The idea of a new building construction was conceived from the state of failure of the present one. However, the goals of such a large-scale project are significantly higher: we aspire to create for kids the living conditions close to family life, favorable for physical and psychological health and personal enhancement as well.

Also, the organization employees require appropriate conditions for pedagogic and speech therapeutic works, directed to the socialization of children in the process of their stay in the Child Care Center and their restitution to their biological family or arrangement of a family upbringing type.

If you are interested or eager to help, please write us or call!

Our account.

Please see the scheme building design here.

Works under the “Saby” Foundation’s project of construction of a new building for the Kyzylorda Children’s Orphanage are continuing. At the present time our specialists are carrying out numerous coordination activities and expertises of design and estimate documentation with various state agencies – this is a complex of permissive measures that are necessary for the cob of a building and laying of external communications thereto.

Funds received for the project implementation are accumulated on the account and are allocated to the performance of construction works as well as for the procurement of internal equipment and development of the external infrastructure.

We thank everybody who has responded to our request to help small children living in a social institution. Large Kazakhstan and foreign companies and individuals, who have wished to help 60 orphan children in the construction of a new, safe and comfortable house, deserve, of course, the most sincere words of gratitude!

You can participate in the construction by applying to our web-site.