Medical Equipment Improvement Project in Special Boarding School No.3 of Education Administration of East Kazakhstan region

Equipping ophthalmologist office has been an issue of prime concern in Special Boarding School No. 3 of Education Administration of East Kazakhstan region.  The existing medical typhoid equipment has no longer met modern conditions, and the available equipment was insufficient for the diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases. In this regard, we participated in the Grass Roots Project, funded by the Government of Japan and won a grant in the amount of KZT5,514,000 ($16,709). This made it possible to provide the ophthalmological office with medical equipment, which contributes to early diagnosis, prevention of eye diseases and creates comfort for children during the checkup. Thus, 151 children of the school got the opportunity to improve their visual function indicators.

Systematic medical supervision and timely treatment, teaching children in correctional disciplines brings results.

Every year, from 5 to 7 students return to general education schools with the improvement of visual functions. Over the past three years, the number of children with the status of visually impaired children has decreased in the school. Many children, having graduated from the boarding school and retaining residual vision, were able to continue their education in universities and colleges, get a profession, get used to society and work for the good of society. This is the result of many days of hard work of all staff of the boarding school.

And thanks to the purchased equipment, we were able to achieve the goals of the Project.

1. Improving the quality of ophthalmological examination and treatment of eye diseases.
2. Preserving residual vision of school students.
3. Developing compensatory analyzers.
4. Improving spatial orientation.
5. Adaptation of visually impaired and blind children in society.

On September 29, 2021, the Ambassador of Japan to the Republic of Kazakhstan Jun Yamada, the Second Secretary Iwatare Otaro, Attaché Tomoya Yokoe, the Coordinator Akira Matsumoto, the Deputy Akim of Semey Aidar S. Sadyrbayev, the Head of the Domestic Policy Department of Semey city Zhanna K. Uisumbayeva, Director of the Family Center Public Fund, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Boarding School No. 3 Zhanna Zh. Zhibrayeva.  

The pedagogical staff and children of the Boarding School gladly welcomed the guests and briefed them on the history of the Boarding School.

The guests attended classes on teaching the Braille alphabet to demonstrate typhlodevices and the book fund of the Boarding School.

The official part of the meeting took place in the ophthalmologist's office, where the medical equipment purchased under the Roots of Grass project is located. Headmaster of the School A.A. Kaligozhin and ophthalmologist S.E. Greza voiced the main task of the school - the preservation of residual vision and noted the significant contribution of modern equipment to the indicators of diagnosis and treatment of children with severe visual impairment.

Then, children introduced the guests to the Kazakh National Game - Togyzkumalak and played this game with them. Observing the Ambassador's interest in the game, the guys gifted him a copy of the game - Togyzkumalak.

During the school’s tour, the guests visited classes and were pleasantly surprised that the children greeted the guests in several languages, including Japanese. At the exhibition of decorative and applied arts, the works of children on the Kazakh-Japanese theme got the guests' attention.  

As a token of gratitude, the school students prepared bright concert performances for the guests and presented them with handmade souvenirs.

On behalf of the teaching staff and the parental community, we express our sincere words of appreciation and gratitude to the people of Japan and the Embassy of Japan in Kazakhstan, personally Jun Yamada for his significant contribution to the examination and treatment of eyesight of the children of the Boarding School.