Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps is a team of 3700 professionals helping turn crisis into opportunity for millions around the world. By trade, we are engineers, financial analysts, drivers, community organisers, project managers, public health experts, administrators, social entrepreneurs and logisticians. In spirit, we are activists, optimists, innovators and proud partners of the people we serve.
The money raised from the 2010 Mongol Rally will fully fund various projects across rural aimags (districts) in Mongolia. These projects strive to improve the lives of many rural communities and vulnerable groups that currently live in harsh conditions and face a constant struggle to survive.
These projects range from setting up schools, building children’s playgrounds, establishing support centres to try and combat alcohol abuse amongst youth, and providing regular home care training sessions for families who are living with a member who has a disability.
Umnugovi Aimag: Children’s Development Project
The children’s nursery in this community lacks all the necessary qualities needed to provide a safe and healthy environment to nurture young children. It is run down, surrounded by roads, has no surrounding fences, and does not have a garden or playground.
With funds from the Mongol Rally, Mercy Corps will dramatically improve the area for the whole community. The nursery will have a garden which will be used to educate the children about vegetables and nature, and a playground filled with toys. The project will also provide unemployed community members with temporary construction jobs to generate an income. This project will directly benefit 700 community members.
Umnugobi Aimag: Unemployment Reduction
In Mongolia, there is an extremely high rate of unemployment amongst people with disabilities. To combat this, Mercy Corps runs workshops to provide people with the skills and training needed to enter the workforce.
One disability group has now established a small business making materials used in Gers (Mongolian tent). So far the group has produced 120 items and its members are now happy, self sufficient and earning a stable income.
Bichigt Aimag: Community Development
Bichigt aimag is one of the poorest districts in Mongolia with the majority of its community member’s unemployed and living below the poverty line.
With funds from the 2010 Mongol Rally, Mercy Corps will develop the area by building an information/training centre surrounded by a garden and sportsfield. The garden and sportsfield will provide a place for the community to grow vegetables, socialise and relax together. The information centre will run job training classes to develop work skills, improve confidence and increase motivation so that community members can enter into the workforce.
30 unemployed community members have been selected to work on construction of the community centre; this will provide them with a steady income and increase their skills.
