On November 24, the first “Central Asian Kurultai of Social Entrepreneurs-2023” supported by NU Social Development Fund took place in Astana.
One of the examples of successful social entrepreneurship among NU graduates is Maulen Akhmetov, Founder of “Kunde” Cafe at the University campus. “Kunde” provides not only delicious food, but it is also a place of work for people with mental disabilities. Last year, Maulen received a grant of 5 million tenge from the Social Development Fund that allowed him to expand his business and make it even more sustainable. On the Kurultai platform, Maulen shared the story of his journey, the values he promotes and the impact his project makes in the lives of people with special needs, helping them socialize and lead an active lifestyle.
Anjan Ghosh, Assistant Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship at the NU Graduate School of Business also took an active part at the Kurultai. He shared his research experience and understanding of social impact, and information about the activities of the University and the Social Development Fund in the field of social entrepreneurship.
Within the framework of the forum, Social Development Fund grantees, including the ‘Ozim’ mobile application project for parents of special children and the project for the production of environmentally friendly household chemicals in Kazakhstan, known as ‘Oiko,’ shared their experiences. They discussed innovative approaches to solving social problems through social entrepreneurship and highlighted the mechanisms for financing social initiatives.
More than 200 social entrepreneurs, leaders of social entrepreneurship from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, representatives of government bodies, public entities, opinion leaders, and civil activists, gathered at Kurultai – an initiative of the Kazakhstan Association of Social Innovators (ASI). This event is an initiative of the Kazakhstan Association of Social Innovators (ASI), which includes the Fund’s grantees Aliya Sabitova (Up&Go Center development project) and Gulmira Parmysheva (Kishkentai project).
Kurultai, supported by the NU Social Development Fund among others, highlighted the importance and value of the involvement of NU students and alumni in social entrepreneurship, emphasizing their role in creating jobs and sustainable ecosystems.
