Inspire the Growth of Kazakhstan's Global Citizens

Salem is a large successful English Centre in Shymkent, one of the longest serving providers of English courses in the city, and approaching its 30th anniversary next year. In that time, we have taught thousands of people, including multiple generations from many families.

These days, a significant proportion of our students tend to come from wealthy families who holiday abroad, drive big cars and send their children to many additional after-school groups and lessons. They are the ones clearly benefitting from the country's growing economy. 

As Salem has grown and developed, however, the central principle of keeping English accessible for all has remained. Every semester, we offer a range of full and partial scholarships for those whose come from particularly disadvantaged backgrounds.

In fact, without such a program, most of these kids would be essentially shut out of such an education, unable to access the significant benefits that studying English provides.

Shapagat and Adlet are a good example. They live with their grandmother, Gulzira, and their younger brother Bagim. Their father died some years ago, and their mother works in another city where she can't look after them, in part because of the huge debts her husband left her with when he died.

Gulzira is their legal guardian and works in a school as a lab assistant. They live together in a small flat on the edge of the city, just trying to survive. Both of them have been able to study on a scholarship at Salem, and Gulzira is immensely grateful. "We just do what we can," she says. "But this is giving them a chance of a future."

Akkenzhe is another student who benefits from a full scholarship at Salem. She is also from a single parent family, and has four younger siblings. Her mother, Elmira, rents a small flat in the city and somehow keeps her family going. "Akkenzhe is a good worker," she says. "She loves studying at Salem, and we're very thankful for the opportunity she has there."

Another single Mum we have helped for many years is Dilfuza, whose husband passed away very young. She has four kids who she is bringing up alone, while working in a shopping centre. Two of her sons, Dastan and Nurasil, are currently studying at Salem, and their older sister Zhanel, the only girl in the family, completed the highest level course with us not long ago, and is now studying at university while also working to help support the family.

Each of these families has their own story, their own hopes and dreams, their own challenges and difficulties. We are grateful for the support we receive that enables us to continue offering scholarships like this to those in need, ensuring that our courses remain accessible to all and bringing the hope of a better future to those who need it most.

Thank you for playing your part in their stories.

'Teamwork makes the dream work!' Or at least that's what they say.

At Salem, we recognise that working in teams is not just a great idea that is worth putting effort into, but something that does not come naturally for many people here. The cultural and geo-political legacy of this country means that teamwork is yet to be seen as 'normal', or fully endorsed or encouraged by the education system.

We need to be constantly developing our skills, and good teamwork is an ongoing learning process. The Salem team has regular times of stepping away from the work to focus on our relationships together and ensure our team remains strong and effective.

We also want to pass our knowledge and experience on to others, and take the time to share the things we have learnt with others. 

This summer, we were able to host three different team-building events for organisations that we have connections with. One is a small charity that helps vulnerable women and victims of domestic violence; one is a small independent school that we have historic ties with; and one is another English Centre in the city - technically therefore a competitor, but where we know a number of the staff and share a similar desire for quality education.

Each team was treated to a challenging mix of physical tasks and discussion topics, helping them bond together as people and not just co-workers. The goal was definitely having fun away from their workplace, but beyond that to establish the kind of trust and mutual understanding that are essential for a team to function well even under pressure or in the midst of conflict. We also made space in the program to provide some material on the dynamics of teamwork for each group, building a foundation of understanding as well as experience.

Feedback from all three events was very positive, and we're excited to see the way in which simple principles can be effectively passed on to others in the city. Very gradually, the change we want to see is emerging!