“Central Asia Without Orphans”: A Global Social Mission Becoming Reality Through State–Business Synergy

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Uzbekistan is actively developing a network of Ona Uyi resource centers that support women in crisis situations. The centers are modeled after a Kazakh initiative recognized by the United Nations as a flagship practice for preventing social orphanhood.

These centers provide women with safe shelter, food, medical and psychological support, as well as opportunities for vocational training — helping preserve families and prevent separation from children.

Real-life stories illustrate the project’s impact. One such case is that of 23-year-old Saltanat from Tashkent, who, after facing physical and emotional abuse from her husband, ended up on the street at night with her infant in her arms. Desperate, she even considered leaving the child with relatives in order to leave the country.

Thanks to the intervention of INSON Social Protection Center staff, she was admitted to Ona Uyi, where she received comprehensive support, including hairdressing courses.

Today, Saltanat is caring for her son, regaining confidence, and preparing for independent life. A similar story happened to 33-year-old Dildora from Navoi, a mother of two. In a severe physical condition, she arrived at a “Baby Home” intending to give up her children.

After rehabilitation and vocational training at Ona Uyi, Dildora was able to keep her children and raise them independently.

Over the past year and a half, Ona Uyi centers have helped 133 women, while 146 children were able to remain with their mothers, avoiding family separation.

Currently, seven such homes operate in six cities across Uzbekistan, offering a full range of services — from temporary shelter and food to medical and psychological assistance, as well as educational programs.

The project is implemented through close cooperation between the state, business community, and civil society. The initiative is supported by the National Agency for Social Protection under the President of Uzbekistan and the INSON Social Protection Center.

In 2024, the parties signed a memorandum of cooperation and a Roadmap, and in July a staff training was held to standardize methods of assisting vulnerable women and families. The expansion of the network has been made possible by major philanthropists and businesses that help ensure the stable operation of the homes and create safe environments for mothers and children.

The initiative originated in Kazakhstan, where it has been operating since 2013 and has helped preserve families for more than 10,000 children. Thanks to the program, the rate of newborn abandonment decreased by 70%, and the number of children in orphanages fell threefold.

Since 2023, the program — founded by Aydin Rakhimbaev and Arsen Tomsky — has gained international recognition under the name Mother’s Home International Foundation and has expanded to Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, and Malaysia. The first center is planned to open in Türkiye by the end of 2025.

On 27 November 2025, during a meeting of the project’s Board of Trustees in Tashkent, leading business figures of the country reaffirmed their readiness to scale the Ona Uyi network nationwide.

The strategic goal of the initiative is to create a Central Asia where every woman in crisis receives timely support, and every child grows up in a family — without the threat of social orphanhood.