Grants awarded to young talents and promising initiatives saluted

December 19, 2011

On December 19, Tashkent`s Istiqlol Palace venued a major children`s art event – the gala concert of Yangi avlod (New generation) Children`s Art Festival. The concert featured 613 little talents along with the winners of social and grant programs of the Fund Forum, the Women`s Council and the Social Initiatives Support Fund. Also, a group of entrepreneurs were awarded grants for business development and 12 regional NGOs – for social projects. The event also unveiled the winner of the Woman of the Year National Contest, Tamara Kallykylychova of the Republic of Karakalpakstan. Five rural medical posts received certificates for a free installation of alternative energy sources, and 14 women were saluted as winners of the Modern Uzbek Village Woman Contest held as part of the Project to Support Women Farmers and Entrepreneurs.

The spectacular gala concert presented talented Uzbek children discovered by Yangi avlod festival. The young talents performed on the same stage with famous Uzbek singers such as Munojat Yulchiyeva, Hosila Rahimova, Ruxshona as well as Bojalar and Zarba music groups. In what has become a tradition, the concert presented a diversity of children`s arts: singing, playing classical and traditional instruments, academic (operatic) and traditional songs and dances. All participants received diplomas and prizes. Also honored were young artists and poets.

Besides talented children, Istiqlol Palace, the venue for the major festival, featured winners of the programs “Family Entrepreneurship Development Grants” and “Small and Medium Sized Entrepreneurship and Farming Development Grants” run by Mehr nuri Foundation. Notably, this year the amount of grants has increased in each program. Thus, in the first program 15 women have received 15 grants, 1.5 million UZS each, while in the second program 15 budding entrepreneurs and farmers have received 2.5 million UZS each.

Twelve nongovernmental organizations from all parts of the country have been awarded grants worth 31 million UZS as an upshot of the SISF`s Grant Program to Support Socially Significant Projects by Regional NGOs. The first round of the program was held in June this year.

Another SISF project is the Modern Uzbek Village Woman contest that has 14 categories. The contest is held under the Project to support Women Farmers and Entrepreneurs. This year 789 women have been provided with over 10.6 billion UZS worth of microloans by the SISF and partners.

A third project run by the SISF and the Fund Forum is a charitable initiative to install alternative energy sources (module systems powered by solar and wind energy) in small social facilities. This year 5 rural medical posts have received certificates for a free installation of equipment.

The key to automobile Matiz – the main prize of the annual Woman of the Year National Contest overseen by the Women`s Council – was presented by Gulnara Karimova to this year`s winner Tamara Kallykylychova, principal of School No5 in Shumanai district of the Republic of Karakalpakstan.

Toward the end of the event all the laureates came onto the stage. This year the Festival discovered a record number of children which is emblematic of the burgeoning success of this far-reaching project and the number of young talents in Uzbekistan, who along with their parents and instructors will be looking forward to next year`s Children`s Art Festival.