18 rural schools receive grants to repair and equip sports halls

Coca-Cola Almaty Bottlers and the Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia, with the support of Akimat of Arshaly district of the Akmola oblast, will equip 18 district schools with the equipment necessary for physical education and sports.

In total, as part of  "3.2.1 Start!", organizers purchased about 1,700 items of equipment for sports and table games, as well as for gymnastic exercises. The organizers plan to complete the repair and equipping of the gyms by the end of September of this year. The initiative will create comfortable conditions for children of rural areas —  about 3,000 schoolchildren — for physical education and sports.

To date, work has been completed on equipping the choreography class in the secondary school in the village of Izhevsk. In the gym of the school in the village of Sarioba, a unique sports coating has been installed, which has no analogs in any state rural school of the country. Due to its high strength, resistance to abrasion and rot, low thermal conductivity, and overall hygienic quality, this coating is ideal for gyms.

Alima Isembaeva, Corporate Relations Director, Coca-Cola Almaty Bottlers (CCAB): "3.2.1 Start!” is gaining momentum. All of statements and commitments of the organizers, taken from the start of the project, have been implemented. To date, all of the requested sports equipment has been delivered to schools. Some facilities are under repair, which, according to the plan, should be completed by the beginning of the school year. All of the participants and organizers of the project are doing a great job, so that by September 1, the schoolchildren of the Arshaly region have the opportunity to fully engage in physical education classes. A healthy lifestyle for schoolchildren is the main goal of our project, so in addition to the technical part, we are worked on improving the skills of physical education teachers, so that they can cover all age categories of children and instill a love of sports in them. We hope that, through an integrated approach, we will be able to contribute to the development of a healthy society."

Rinad Temirbekov, Executive Director of the Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia (EFCA): "3.2.1 Start!" is a very interesting and in-demand program, because it is based on meeting the real needs of children and is focused on promoting the values of physical education. After all, movement is life!

The program is unique because it is designed not only to provide schools with the necessary equipment, which today almost all schools need, especially rural ones. It is also aimed at enhancing the image, involvement, and knowledge of physical education teachers, as well as introducing new, innovative methods of teaching physical education. The program is geared towards dialogue between school management, teachers, and parents —  and ultimately children will benefit from this.

Physical education lessons should become more interactive, interesting, and attractive. And as a result, children will be more consciously involved in sports and a healthy lifestyle."

Organizers travel to the sites of repair work at least once a month. Based on the results of each trip, public reports on the work done are prepared for the media.

About "3.2.1 Start!"

In March 2015, Coca-Cola Almaty Bottlers and the Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia announced the launch of a joint project called "3,2,1 - START!" aimed at solving the infrastructure problems of rural schools in the field of sports and introducing innovative teaching methods in schools.

Before launching the project, Coca-Cola Almaty Bottlers initiated a study to assess the situation of healthy and active lifestyles among rural youth in the Almaty and Akmola oblasts. The results of the research revealed a number of circumstances that hamper the popularity of sports and exercise among children: lack of sports clubs, inventory, funds for trips to regional or regional competitions, etc. All of these circumstances hamper the development of sports in the regions and, as a result, lead to a lack of healthy recreation in rural areas and low involvement of children in sports.

Based on the results of this study, the organizers decided to launch the pilot project "3.2.1 Start!" in the Arshaly region of the Akmola Oblast. According to the project conditions, a competition was organized among gym teachers of 28 secondary schools in the district to develop initiatives to involve children of different ages in healthy leisure and sports activities. The best ideas were implemented by Coca-Cola Almaty Bottlers.

In the case of the project’s successful implementation, the organizers plan to expand the project and systematically cover several more regions of Kazakhstan.