Gulzhanat Muratbai is known as 'the young woman with a big heart'. Since the age of 19, she has helped thousands of children with problems and earned the love of their parents. The organisation, which she started herself, is called Urpak Next Generation. It is one of the many NGOs (non-government organisation) that have started in Kazakhstan in the last few years. They are independent and they do not make a profit. Each NGO has a clear social purpose. People work for these organisations because they want to help other people or to improve society. Some people work for them as a job, but many people work in their free time without pay. These people are called volunteers. In 2005 an American volunteer Angela Davis and Gulzhanat Muratbai discovered a group of 2,000 disabled children with mental or physical problems, who were kept mostly indoors - away from contact with the world. It was sad to think of their lonely lives, so Davis and Muratbai decided to organise activities for them. The first activity was a New Year's party in 2006. Most of the children had never been to a party before. Their faces began to light up as they played games together, ate cake and received little presents. Muratbai kept doing this kind of work. She had help from friends, volunteers and the Civil Alliance of Kazakhstan. The Civil Alliance (a group for NGOs and volunteers) helped her to set up an NGO and then Muratbai asked the regional government for a room in Aktau for educational and social activities for disabled children. She also asked an oil company for $7,000 to buy equipment such as educational games Since then, Urpak Next Generation has grown much bigger. With the help of local businesses, many more activities are organised - sports competitions, a performing arts festival, parties, trips and visits. Her kindness, strength and energy have improved the lives of many children and parents. And her organisation is a model for other NGOs.
