On April 20, 2026, the opening of the international project “Development of Practical Competencies in Serving People with Disabilities in Kazakhstan” took place at the Kazakh Academy of Sports and Tourism. The project is implemented within the framework of the RITA (Region in Transition) program. It is co-financed by the Polish-American Freedom Foundation as part of the RITA – “Region in Transition” program, implemented by the Education for Democracy Foundation.
The project is aimed at enabling Kazakhstani university lecturers and young social workers to adopt Polish practice-oriented teaching methods through the acquisition of specific practical skills in serving people with disabilities.
The project is organized by the “European Sports and Rescue Center” Association (Bydgoszcz, Poland) and the Kazakh Academy of Sports and Tourism (Almaty, Kazakhstan). Training for all participants is provided free of charge. The project is implemented with the support of WSG University (Poland), the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Poland, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Kazakhstan, the Commissioner for the Rights of Socially Vulnerable Groups under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Active Rehabilitation Foundation (Poland), and the Olympic Council of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship (Poland). At the opening ceremony, welcome speeches were delivered by Kairat Kairullinovich Zakiryanov, President of the Kazakh Academy of Sports and Tourism, and Aleksander Skaliy, Project Coordinator from WSG University (Poland). The participants were also welcomed by Kenzhegul Sotsialuly Seitzhan, Member of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Commissioner for the Rights of Socially Vulnerable Groups; Dariusz Szewczyk, Consul General of Poland in Almaty; and Mukhtar Mukhtarovich Mukanov, Head of the Sports Department of the Almaty City Sports Administration.
On the first day, participants attended a lecture titled “People with Special Needs,” followed by practical training sessions on working with wheelchairs, including safety and assistance procedures.
On the second day, the training continued with a theoretical session, followed by a practical class on mobility techniques using a white cane for people with visual impairments, as well as assistance methods.
The third day of training was devoted to adaptive swimming: after a lecture on the importance of water-based activities, a practical session was held at the Kazakh Academy of Sports and Tourism swimming pool, where participants learned obstacle-navigation techniques and the basics of the Halliwick method.
On the final day, Polish specialists delivered a lecture on first aid in accordance with the guidelines of the European Resuscitation Council, followed by a practical session on Basic Life Support (BLS), the use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), and placing a casualty in a safe position.
The project concluded on April 24 with a closing ceremony, during which the results of the project were summarized and certificates, as well as commemorative awards, were presented to the participants of the international project “Development of Practical Competencies in Serving People with Disabilities in Kazakhstan” under the RITA (Region in Transition) program.
