The strategic approach of Philip Morris Kazakhstan (PMK) towards social projects is based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals and is aimed at supporting projects that help to improve the quality of life in local communities.

The project ‘Center for the Development of Business Ideas’, which was launched in 2017, helps to solve the unemployment issue, one of the important problems in the Ili district of the Almaty region. Respondents named this problem numerous times during the survey conducted by PMK.

Annually, based on a competitive selection, 25 people who have the desire and ideas for starting a business participate in a six-month program that includes courses on developing business plans, basics of business, as well as marketing and taxation. Upon completion of this training, a contest is held to choose the best projects, which subsequently receive financial support from PMK to start their own business. Members of the jury committee include experts from such organizations as the Mayor’s office of Ili region, the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs and the Damu Fund and etc.

To date – three cycles of the program have been accomplished: 75 people received relevant knowledge on business skills and 12 people opened own business thanks to the co-financing component.

The main idea of the project is to educate people from socially vulnerable groups. This educational project gives an opportunity to open or improve their own businesses and integrate into the community of start-up entrepreneurs – all in all, it has a qualitative impact on reducing the unemployment rate.