Kazakh Social Initiative Breaks Ground with Harvard Business School Recognition

Kazakhstan’s ANA UYI (Mom’s House) initiative has made history by becoming the first social project from Central Asia to be featured in the academic research base of Harvard Business School.

Developed by professors Boris Groysberg and Annalena Lobb, the case study traces the journey of the ANA UYI Public Foundation, highlighting how it evolved from a local grassroots initiative into a sustainable and scalable international model for social impact, The Caspian Post reports per Kazakh media.

Executive Director of the foundation Azharkul Klyshbayeva said that this achievement underscores the potential of homegrown Kazakh solutions to make a global difference.

“The Mom’s House project, founded more than 12 years ago, demonstrates how business can systematically address social issues and transform the lives of thousands of families,” Klyshbayeva said.

She emphasized that such international recognition could motivate more changemakers across the region.

“It confirms that our region can offer unique, effective, world-class solutions and fosters more respect from the international community. We hope this will open new opportunities for cooperation and draw attention to the region’s pressing issues,” said Klyshbayeva.

Founded in 2013, ANA UYI works to prevent social orphanhood and reduce the number of children placed in state care. When the organization launched, Kazakhstan had approximately 10,000 children in boarding schools. Today, that number has fallen to 3,700-a significant drop that the foundation partially attributes to its targeted interventions.

“One of the key areas of our work is the Mom’s House project. The program focuses on preventing mothers from abandoning newborns, helping them keep their children within their families. It offers support to mothers facing difficult circumstances. To date, more than 8,702 babies have remained with their families thanks to timely intervention,” said Klyshbayeva.

The initiative currently prevents 70 per cent of potential newborn abandonments across Kazakhstan and operates 20 support centers in 18 cities.

Beginning in 2024, the foundation began expanding its reach internationally. Centers have since opened in the Kyrgyz Republic, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan, with the latter hosting five facilities, supported by the National Agency for Social Protection under the President of Uzbekistan and local partners.

Additionally, the foundation is engaged in ongoing negotiations with officials in Türkiye, Malaysia, Colombia, and Thailand to further expand the model globally.