ASTANA – Turkish Ambassador to Kazakhstan Mustafa Kapucu extended gratitude to Kazakhstan’s citizens and organizations for the support and emergency assistance provided to the Turkish people after the Feb. 6 devastating earthquake in Türkiye and Syria, reported the embassy.
Turkish Embassy in Kazakhstan
The Kazakh people and organizations donated over $10 million to Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority, said Kapucu, addressing an iftar (fast-breaking evening meal) reception at his residence on April 10.
Besides financial aid, Kazakh citizens provided humanitarian assistance. The Kazakh health workers from the Disaster Medicine Center and canine teams were among the first to depart for Türkiye and immediately commence search and rescue operations.
The Kazakh citizens provided emergency supplies, including diesel generators, tents, blankets, and sleeping bags, which were delivered by Turkish Airlines aircraft to charity organizations in Türkiye.
“We highly appreciate this significant and timely support which continues the tradition of cooperation and mutual assistance between our fraternal peoples,” said Kapucu, who began his mission in Kazakhstan in April.
The ambassador thanked ‘Bulat Utemuratov Foundation’ for its $5 million donation. The foundation has been donating funds to victims of natural disasters in Kazakhstan and supporting other social programs since 2014.
The devastating earthquake in southeast Türkiye killed at least 45,000 people and destroyed or severely damaged more than 160,000 buildings, leaving millions homeless. The World Bank estimated the damage from the earthquake to be at $34 billion.
The national women’s tennis team of Kazakhstan reached the World Championship, the Billie Jean King Cup Finals which will take place in November 2023, for the second consecutive year beating a strong Polish team in Astana’s National Tennis Center by 3 matches to 1. With the support of an enthusiastic and vocal crowd, Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina won her two singles matches, and Yulia Putintseva won a very close match on day one, with the Polish team winning the doubles.
KAZ Team, from the left to the right: Elena Rybakina, Gozal Ainitdinova, Anna Danilina, Janel Rustemova, Yulia Putintseva, Aruzhan Sagandykova
The Billie Jean King Cup is the premier international tennis women’s team event, featuring some of the top ranked female players in the November finals. For this important match in Astana, the tickets were sold out a week before the Friday start. The match was played on an indoor clay court which took specialists 10 days to construct, transforming it from its original hard court.
Bulat Utemuratov, the President of the Tennis Federation of Kazakhstan, commented: “Congratulations to our National Team for winning the Billie Jean King Cup qualifying match in Astana and for reaching the final stage of the World Championship! Winning a hard-fought victory against Poland, the national team of Kazakhstan once again performed exceptionally, and moved into the top 7 in the world rankings. Along with the star players Elena Rybakina, Yulia Putintseva and Anna Danilina – the young tennis players Janel Rustemova and Aruzhan Sagandykova, as well as the already experienced Gozal Ainitdinova also greatly contributed to the success of the Kazakhstani team. Once again, I would like to congratulate everyone on their success and wish our athletes more victories and the best of luck at the upcoming World Championships.”
Kazakhstan Team with the KTF Officials (from the left to the right): Dias Doskarayev (Vice-President of the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation), Janel Rustemova, Gozal Ainitdinova, Yulia Putintseva , Bulat Utemuratov, (President of the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation), Anna Danilina, Elena Rybakina, Yaroslava Shvedova, (Captain of Kazakhstan’s women’s tennis team).
Mr. Utemuratov also thanked the fans for their enthusiasm, especially the 500 young tennis players from different regions of the country who came to Astana to support their national team.
The women’s team of Kazakhstan, which for the first time has made it to 7th place in world rankings, narrowly missed reaching the semi-finals last year after defeating a strong team from Great Britain and losing a very close match to Spain in the group stage.
In the tennis singles rankings, Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina recently strengthened her status as one of the very best players in the world by winning her first WTA 1000 title which moved her to a WTA career high ranking of number 7.
President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev congratulated Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina on her brilliant performances at the Australian Open, in Indian Wells and Miami, thanking her for her mastery and unbending will to win.
The head of state noted that the success of the representatives of Kazakhstani tennis contribute to the popularization of this sport among the younger generation.
In turn, Elena Rybakina thanked the President for his support and sincere congratulations on the moments of her victories. She assured that she would continue to make every effort to achieve success at prestigious international competitions.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that today more than 30 thousand people are engaged in tennis in the country, of which more than 10 thousand are children under 10 years old. Courts have been built in 17 regions of the country in order to enroll people in this sport on a massive scale, and the “Baby Tennis” and” Tennis Under 10” projects are being successfully implemented.
Recall that from 14 to 15 April Astana will host the Billie Jean King Cup qualifying match for the first time. The women’s tennis team of Kazakhstan will play against the team of Poland. The winner of this meeting will receive a ticket to the World Championship.
The head of state stressed that the holding of events of the international level serves as an impetus for raising the level of development of tennis in our country. He also wished success to the domestic tennis players who won a licence for the Summer Olympic Games in Paris.SOURCE:https://www.akorda.kz/kz/memleket-basshysy-tennisshi-elena-rybakinany-kabyldady-1331033
Throughout the world, April is the autism awareness month
PHOTO: Press Service archive
The initiative has an important goal: to change the attitude towards people with autism spectrum disorders, to help them better integrate into society, to give them a chance for a happy and fulfilling life.
We tell how Kazakhstan joined the global campaign, what every parent needs to know about autism, and how business in our country contributes to building an inclusive society that is tolerant of special people.
According to official statistics in Kazakhstan in 2022, the diagnosis of autism was confirmed in 12,000 children. Globally, 1 in 54 children have ASD, according to the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. Autism is the most common developmental disorder, but there are still many myths and stigmas surrounding it.
“The most common myth concerns the origin of the disorder,” explain specialists from the Assyl Miras autism centre of Bulat Utemuratov’s Foundation, which has been implementing the “Autism. One World for All” programme in Kazakhstan since 2015. “Many blame it on vaccination or the wrong lifestyle of parents, but today scientists are not ready to give an unambiguous answer about the reasons for the manifestation of autistic traits in a child.
One thing is known for sure: autism is not a disease that can be cured once and for all. Therefore, it is correct to use the term “autism spectrum disorder”. It includes difficulties in everyday communication and social adaptation, non-standard way of processing information from the senses and a keen interest in certain topics.”
Experts note that it is very important to diagnose the disorder as early as possible and begin to provide assistance to a child with special needs. It directly affects the extent to which it will be possible to instill in him the skills of communication and independence in order to improve the quality of life of the child and his family.
The autism awareness campaign in Kazakhstan is dedicated specifically to the topic of early diagnosis: how to recognise the first signs of a disorder in a child, where to turn for help, how to contribute to the formation of a caring attitude towards special children. Bulat Utemuratov’s Foundation and the Citix company talk about this in a special social project on smartboards – digital street gadgets.
A “clever” widget on smartboards tells about the signs of autism – lack of eye contact with a child, avoidance of touch, lack of a child’s reaction to his name, sensitivity to extraneous sounds, and others – and encourages parents of children under 3 years to independently pass the M-Chat diagnostic test on www.asylmiras.org website. The test will allow parents to assess the risk of ASD developing in a child and understand whether it is worth contacting a pediatric neurologist or a district therapist right now for an accurate diagnosis.
The educational widget is complemented by social videos aimed at making people see children with autism first as children, see their needs, interests and dreams, and only then notice their developmental disorders.
“We hope that joint efforts will help destigmatize autism and push citizens to better understand and accept people with ASD,” say the campaign initiators. The campaign will last throughout April, widgets and videos can be seen on all 110 Citix smartboards in Almaty and Astana.
Bulat Utemuratov’s Foundation was founded in early 2014. The mission of the foundation is to help Kazakhstan become a better place for the life of people today and in the future by promoting the development of healthcare, education and culture. The idea of creating the fund belongs to its founder Bulat Utemuratov.
Citix works in the field of Smart City and AdTech, builds smart cities, creates and innovates for creative and technological outdoor advertising. An important focus of the company is the improvement of society in all directions, from the protection of women’s rights to the environmental protection projects. Source:
