On December 8, the Bolashaq Corporate Foundation hosted the XIV Winter Charity Ball in Astana, raising over 90 million tenge. The proceeds will be directed towards charitable projects such as "Every Child Wants to Be Included" and "Travel Grants" that aim to foster inclusive education and support talented youth, QazMonitor reports.
The event featured captivating performances by 30 debutante couples, who trained for months under the guidance of choreographer-director Yevgeniy Moisseyev, the deputy dean of the choreography faculty at the Kazakh National Academy of Choreography. Headlining the evening were popular artists Kazybek Kuraiysh and Qanay.
QazMonitor spoke to the debutants to learn about their occupations and why they decided to participate in the ball.
Amina, a political analyst at the Eurasian Integration Research Institute:
“I found out about the ball through social media. I came across a post on Instagram and decided to apply without much thought. On the day of the casting, which took place a month later, I debated whether to go. In the end, I attended, never expecting to be selected. It was a fantastic experience. After that, three months of rehearsals followed, leading up to today's grand ball.”
Lyazzat, a student at Nazarbayev University:
“I learned about the ball through a friend, and we filled out the application together. I then inquired about the foundation's activities and decided that I should go to the casting.”
Abylaikhan, a data analyst at a telecommunications company:
“I got to know about the ball when I received an email from Bolashaq. As a Bolashaq graduate myself, I naturally agreed to participate because such events are fascinating to be a part of.”
The ball concluded with a traditional auction of unique lots, including Dimash Qudaibergen's leather jacket, Elena Rybakina's autographed racket, Gennady Golovkin's autographed gloves, and football shirts signed by players from Real Madrid and Barcelona, and more.
All proceeds will support the Bolashaq Foundation's charitable initiatives, including vocational and technical training for individuals with autism and mental health disorders in education organizations, opening inclusive sections for football and chess, fostering inclusion in kindergartens, implementing the "Oi SANA" mental health project, and providing travel grants for talented youth to participate in world championships.
"In the past year, the foundation opened inclusion support rooms in 10 kindergartens and schools, launched an inclusive football section for children with autism, and Down syndrome, initiated the 'OI SANA' project for psychological support to parents of special children, and trained 500 parents, specialists, and directors of schools, colleges, and kindergartens," said Dinara Gaplan, Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees of the Bolashak Corporate Foundation.
Expressing gratitude to sponsors and partners, Gaplan especially thanked Dimash Qudaibergen and the Ambassador of Spain to Kazakhstan, Jorge Urbola Lopez de Montenegro, for providing six auction lots.
For transparency, financial reports are available on the foundation's website. Over the past 11 years, the Bolashaq Foundation has collected over 800 million tenge through charity balls, establishing 80 specialized rehabilitation institutions and creating 500 inclusion-related jobs. The foundation has trained 3,500 specialists and parents in inclusive education and granted 107 travel and 17 educational grants to children from low-income families and people with special needs.
The foundation has significantly advocated for inclusive education, contributing over 80 quality recommendations and amendments to Kazakhstan's legislative acts.
The XIV Winter Charity Ball is sponsored by Nurbank JSC, Caspian Integrated Services, Borkit International Ltd, Almaty International Airport JSC, Hilton Astana, A-Event KZ, and MYD Production.
Event Partners: Air Astana airline, printing house "Red Panda," The Sun, Evrika, Astana City Akimat, Turkish Airlines, Embassy of the Kingdom of Spain, "Bekesh Textile” fabric house, International School of Astana, Safi Clinic, Good Project, Doctor Dent, Kazakh premium brand "Argymaq," TUMI company, "Coffeeday" coffee shop chain, "Life Fitness" fitness center, Dom U Ozera Hotel, "Coffeeboom" coffee shop chain, Kazakhstan Football Federation, Kazakhstan Chess Federation, "Pkhali and Khinkali" restaurant, 17.Office showroom, MEGA Silk Way shopping mall.
Information Partners: Jibek Joly national TV channel, Silk Way international satellite TV channel, Kazinform International News Agency, We Project international web portal, Sxodim Group media holding, Nur Media holding, and media agencies such as Sputnik Kazakhstan, BES.media, Massaget.kz, Smartnews.kz, and The Qazaqstan Monitor.
