When Yevgeniy and Anna arrived at the orphanage that day, they expected to adopt one child. But the “first in the file,” the child most in need of adoption, wasn’t one child – it was four; three brothers and a sister. No one else wanted to adopt all of them, they were told. Yevgeniy and Anna chose to adopt all four siblings, including Yegor, who has cerebral palsy, keeping them together in a home filled with love, laughter, and second chances.
For five years now, this resilient family has grown together, learning to navigate life’s challenges hand in hand. “It’s not always easy,” says Yevgeniy, “but once you overcome these challenges, you emerge ready to fully dedicate yourself to these children.” Their commitment is a testament to what family means – a place of belonging, of healing, of hope.
Every child has the right to grow up in a supportive family environment.
Sadly, thousands of children across Kazakhstan, especially those with disabilities, face separation from their families due to hardship. But you can be the reason they stay together.
UNICEF is working closely with the government and partners on the ground to reduce the number of children entering closed-care institutions for various reasons and find opportunities for those already in the system to return to their biological or foster families.
Your support can help more children experience the stability and love of a family, just like Yevgeniy and Anna’s children.
UNICEF’s focus on the de-institutionalization of children
UNICEF in Kazakhstan has been working for deinstitutionalization for over two decades, addressing different issues of children in institutions so that every child would live in a family. Working closely with the government and partners, we have been:
- Transforming Children’s Houses into Child Support Centers to support families in difficult life situations.
- Increase the number of Child Support Centers across the country. As of now, 18 Child Support Centers exist in the country. In 2017, there were only 3 centers.
- Support child residential institutions of different types across Kazakhstan.
UNICEF also supports advocacy, provision of technical expertise, and sharing of the experience of progressive countries, including through study visits; documents the regional experience of child support centers in the country; develops manuals and guidelines for transforming these institutions.
Your donation can help children to grow up in a family
With your donation, UNICEF will be able to strengthen the government’s policy of de-institutionalization so that children do not enter the system, and those already in the system will return to their biological or foster families.
Your donation will help strengthen the following possible solutions for the de-institutionalization of children:
- Develop professional foster families in Kazakhstan and prevent children under 3 years from being placed in the institutions
- Eliminate the legislation gap when children without parental care are placed in institutions
- Develop defined categories of foster care for children with different needs
- Strengthen and scale up programs by transforming specialized and focused psycho-social services that cover families in difficult situations at early stages to avoid child institutionalization
- Facilitate case management and integrate it into health, education, social welfare and child protection departments
Frequently Asked Questions
UNICEF is the United Nations Children’s Fund, working to protect and promote the rights of every child, everywhere. We work to help the most vulnerable with health care and immunizations, safe water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief, and more.
Thanks to support from donors like you, we have been able to make a difference for children in need, to save, nurture, and protect the most vulnerable. We are active in over 190 countries and territories and have helped save more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization.
At UNICEF we work in some of the most difficult places to reach the world's most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them reach their full potential. In 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for all of them. And we never give up.
For over 25 years, UNICEF has been at the forefront of protecting and empowering children in Kazakhstan. Through close collaboration with the Government, businesses, and civil society, we have been working tirelessly to provide equal access to quality social services, health, and education, and to protect children from violence, abuse, and neglect. We are dedicated to ensuring that all children, including the most vulnerable, grow up healthy, resilient, and equipped with the skills and knowledge to thrive as citizens of twenty-first-century Kazakhstan.
Your support can help us achieve this vision and make a lasting impact on the lives of Kazakhstani children and children around the world.
For more information about UNICEF and its work on behalf of children, visit https://www.unicef.org/kazakhstan/.
Yes, UNICEF does fundraise in Kazakhstan. UNICEF relies on voluntary contributions from public donors, businesses, foundations and individuals. The money raised in Kazakhstan is utilized for our programmes in Kazakhstan and around the world.
You can securely make a one-time or/and monthly donation online on our website on the Donate Now button.
Your contribution may be of any amount with no limitations. No donation is too small, and any donation can help save children's lives.
You choose for how long you wish to donate: monthly or only once, and you can easily amend the frequency and amount of your donation or cancel your online giving. In order to contribute to a fundamental change in the lives of vulnerable children, the longer you choose to get involved, the more powerful your donation will be. A child’s life can improve with your long-term, constant support. By donating, you become an active part of the solution and of the change process.
The money raised is used both for local initiatives in Kazakhstan, as well as where it is needed for children around the world. For example, to offer a rapid and effective response to children affected by the earthquake in Syria or war in Ukraine.
In Kazakhstan, money raised will be used to support the ongoing child-care system reform in Kazakhstan, focusing on progressive development of gatekeeping and family-based care solutions. UNICEF in Kazakhstan also works to create access to quality health care and education. More information about UNICEF’s work in Kazakhstan you can find on our webpage: https://www.unicef.org/kazakhstan/en/what-we-do.
Thanks to the sustained commitment of our donors like you, we are able to offer a rapid and effective response to children in Kazakhstan and around the world.
UNICEF asks for monthly contributions to help us provide sustainable long-term solutions to help children in Kazakhstan and around the world.
A monthly gift is a recurring gift amount that you choose to send each month, and it is even more impactful because you're helping children every single day.
Your monthly gift will also enable us to plan effectively in our upcoming work, reduce costs and most importantly, reach even more children in need. We couldn't continue our efforts without the support and generosity of monthly donors, and we hope you'll consider joining the UNICEF family.
We will be sending you regular updates in the form of e-mails, digital communication, etc., of the progress that has been made and keep you updated about UNICEF’s work in Kazakhstan, in the region, and around the world.
UNICEF will send you a payment confirmation receipt through email immediately after the successful payment. If you do not get it, then please email at < infosupport@unicef.org >.
Do not hesitate to contact our Donor Helpdesk Team at < infosupport@unicef.org >; we will be happy to assist you.
Donating online through the website is just as safe as any other online payment. UNICEF does not have access to your bank card details as that information is secured and protected by the payment processor. UNICEF does not have access to your banking information or card details, but only to the contact details you provide in the donation form. We are currently working on introducing easier payment methods through banking apps available in the country.
The current scope of operations in Kazakhstan does not include UNICEF receiving material supplies from donors. UNICEF supplies materials like vaccines, medicines, and education materials etc., which are as per the exact specifications required at the ground level and based on consultation with the Government of Kazakhstan.