ASTANA – The Mayor of Borjomi Otar Arbolishvili officially invited Kazakh children from Atyrau and other flood-affected regions for a healing retreat in Georgia, Khabar TV Channel reported on April 26.
Photo credit: Kazakh Ministry of Emergency Situations
Last year, Borjomi and Atyrau became twin cities. As one of the most popular tourist destinations in Georgia, Borjomi invited 20 Kazakh children accompanied by adults to enjoy a ten-day holiday.
Organizers will conduct excursions through the mountains and coniferous forests, show ancient temples and palaces, and provide psychologists’ services for children.
“We are sorry about what is happening in Kazakhstan. We also take this closely because last year we formalized our friendship, which already comes historically from our ancestors. We have an offer of assistance: we propose a rehabilitation program for children. We want to bring the affected children here, distract them, and show our city,” Arbolishvili said.
Support from Belgium
Meanwhile, activists of the Qazaq Society student organization, uniting young compatriots in Belgium, held a fair to raise funds for flood victims in Kazakhstan. With the majority studying at KU Leuven, one of the prestigious universities in Belgium, students set up several points offering Kazakh cuisine and national souvenirs.
They will contribute to relief efforts by directing proceeds to funds in Kazakhstan dedicated to property restoration and aiding affected people.
A prominent candidate for the Belgian Parliament from the Reformist Movement party Olivier Villaux visited the fair, sharing Belgium’s history of severe floods in 2021 thus understanding how serious the consequences of natural disasters are.
“For me, this is a good opportunity to try Kazakh cuisine and get acquainted with the culture, but also to support the Kazakh people in a difficult period in this way,” he said.
Kazakh companies don’t stand aside. Shareholders and managers of Kaspi Bank, Kazakhmys Corporation, and KAZ Minerals company pledged to allocate up to 60 billion tenge ($135.9 million) for housing restoration in the North Kazakhstan Region.
Statistics
Across the country, 38,521 people have returned to their homes, while 6,726 people remain in evacuation centers.
Over 12.9 million cubic meters of meltwater have been pumped out, and more than seven million bags and 1.5 million tons of inert material have been laid since the beginning of the flood.
