30.06.2025

The youngest patient is less than a month old. The oldest is 13 years old. They were brought to Almaty from all over Kazakhstan; some — from Kzylorda, some from auls in the Almaty oblast. All these children have one thing in common: they need urgent help to save their vision.

And they get it — thanks to the «I See the World» project, which has been implemented for the third year by the AYALA Charity Foundation together with neonatal ophthalmologists of Kazakhstan.

Recently, the foundation, supported by the Suleimenovs family, donated a ForusNeo retinal camera to Astana City Multidisciplinary Hospital No. 2. One of the largest perinatal centers in the country is located here, where about 13 thousand children are born every year — almost half of all births in the capital. Approximately 10% of children born in this center are premature, and therefore they are at risk for retinopathy.

«When it comes to vision, time is of the essence. Premature babies can develop an aggressive form of retinopathy, and if surgery is not performed within 24 hours, a baby will lose his or her sight forever. Together with the partners of the “I See the World” project, we are doing everything possible to prevent this,” says Asel Usenbaevna Sharipova, PhD (Medicine), ophthalmologist of the highest category, creator of this republican project.

In the past doctors at City Multidisciplinary Hospital No. 2 had to send premature babies for examination to other clinics in the capital and lost precious time. Now everything can be done on site. And if surgery is required, it will be performed on time, accurately and safely – here, in the functioning Eye Microsurgery Center.

A special part of the project is international surgical master classes. A famous ophthalmic surgeon from India, Professor Nikhil Pal, arrived in Almaty at the invitation of the AYALA Foundation and with the support of the Suleimenovs family. He examined 77 children and performed free surgeries on 13 of them. The surgeries are performed using the Constellation Vision system, which the Foundation installed in 2024 with the support of Chevron.

«Together with our respected partners, we are creating a medical infrastructure for neonatal ophthalmology in Kazakhstan, which was previously only available abroad. And we are training our doctors so that Kazakhstani children receive care where it is needed and at the highest level», — notes Aidan Suleimenova, founder and president of the AYALA Foundation.

Since 2022, the «I See the World» project has helped install 13 retinal cameras and 6 lasers in state medical centers across the country. Its total budget has already exceeded 500 million tenge, and these are not just numbers. This is the vision and happy future of hundreds of children across the country every year.