OREANDA-NEWS. The North Caspian Sea Consortium has sponsored summer holidays of 200 children from low-income families and orphanages of Mangistau and Atyrau regions. The first group of 100 children from Mangistau Region stayed at a summer camp outside Almaty from 15th July to 3rd August followed by a group of Atyrau children, who will return back home on 24th of August. Apart from the camp, the Consortium paid also their fare and other transport services. They were chaperoned to the camp by NCOC representatives and experienced instructors have stayed at the camp throughout the entire period.

Talking to the kids at the camp on 15th August, NCOC's External Relations Director Pierre Delpont said: “You have made new friends here, learnt artistic skills, strengthened your health and got your batteries recharged ahead a new academic year. I do hope you will have fond memories of the time you spent here. No doubt you'll make good use of the knowledge you gained.”

The kids took part in many outdoor and social activities, organized jointly with the UNESCO Youth Club and partnered with the Kasteyev Arts School: They played sports, were taught to paint and dance, organized a flash mob and learned how to recycle and how to dye t shirts - all part of a sustainable development concept. As the amazing Ornek camp is located in an ecologically clean and mud flow risk-free area in the foothills of Zailiyskiy Alatau, 30 km away from Almaty, the kids were also able to familiarize themselves with the sites of Almaty.

Over the past eight years, almost 2,000 children from the western regions of the country have had an opportunity to spend school summer holidays at camps as part of the Consortium's Sponsorship & Donations program, which was initially under the responsibility of Agip KCO and is now with NCOC.

The Consortium's S&D program is aimed at ensuring economic stability and raising prosperity, supporting health, education, culture and cultural heritage, sports, and provides assistance to the low-income families. In 2012, the Consortium sponsored 92 projects , 51 of which were implemented in Atyrau oblast and 41 - in Mangystau. From 2009 the annual S&D spend is USD 1.5 million (221 million KZT), equally split between Atyrau and Mangystau Oblasts. From 2013 the annual S&D budget was increased to USD 1,8 mln, inclusive of the summer camp project.

Since the very start NCOC, acting on behalf of seven co-venture partners, has aspired to be a company which not only develops a huge oilfield, but also makes a significant contribution to the sustainable development of Atyrau and Mangistau Regions. This manifests itself not only in Sponsorship and Donations (S&D) projects, but also in Social and Infrastructure Projects (SIPs) that are being implemented in the regions where we operate.