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The Renchinlum Kindergarten Project
Our contribution to the local community |
Our Kindergarten Project in Renchinlum
Other
projects we support
How we support the local community
We realize that as a small company, we cannot change Mongolia. But we are trying
to contribute in our own little way and both, supporting the local communities
in which we operate and local projects are part of our company philosophy. Peter
himself is a true believer of the benefits for locals and visitors alike of well
run, small scale community tourism.
Our Kindergarten Project
Since 2002 we have been supporting the local kindergarten in Renchinlum (Lum for
the locals), in the remote Darchad Valley. Many of our groups visit the area
where we provide employment and spend a significant amount of money in the local
community. Therefore, we found it fitting to contribute to the community in the
Darchad where many of our clients have had a fantastic time.
Over the years we have spent over 10,000 US $ on the kindergarten. Some of this
has been in cash donations for specific projects, some in kind for things such
as building material but also books, toys and learning aids. Many of our youth
groups have also spent time there renovating and repairing the facilities. In
2005, fifty British Air Cadets descended on Lum and gave the kindergarten a
total makeover. Even the British Ambassador to Mongolia came for the re-opening.
Since then, every year our groups return to the kindergarten to do what is
needed. The kindergarten has become a bright and happy place, catering for up to
80 kids up to the age of 7 and employing ten people. It has been recognised by
the provincial administration as one of the most outstanding places for children
in the province.
In 2007, Blue Bandana provided local ground arrangements for Touchdown Eyeworks,
a New Zealand media company, to film part of their Shock Treatment series with
our herders in the Darchad valley. The two participating celebrities decided to
donate all their prize money to the kindergarten which financed a mobile
kindergarten service during the official summer holiday period for the kids of
the families too remote to send their children all the way to Lum during normal
term time.
We will continue supporting the Kindergarten and both Peter and Sylvia are
always looking forward to their next visit to this incredible care facility on
the fringes of Mongolia.
Click here for some photographs of the kindergarten.
Click here for some photographs of the making of Shock Treatment.
Other projects we support
While we concentrate our limited resources on the Lum Kindergarten, we also
support other projects, mainly in UB. Many of our groups visit local orphanages
and children centres, doing basic repair and renovation work. They also find
time to organize activity days with the kids, which given the kids distinct lack
of attention is well appreciated by all. Tearful fairways with small Mongolian
children hanging of the legs and arms of our clients is a normal occurrence.
In 2008, one of our expedition partner, World Challenge Expeditions from the UK,
provided funds for the completion of the kindergarten in Bayanzurkh in northern
Khovsgol. During the summer, one of our groups used the funds to complete the
interior of the kindergarten, plastering and painting walls as well as fixing
the roof. They also then provided chairs, tables and educational materials. This
has become an ongoing partnership and another group has done essential repairs
and upgrades in the summer of 2009.
How we support the local
community
Visiting Mongolia for us means to come into close contact with the nomadic
countryside population who have been roaming the steppes for centuries. It is
very important for us that we employ local people at every destination our
customers frequent within Mongolia. We are aiming to leave as much money as
possible within the local community, mainly through employing local wranglers,
cooks and drivers, but also by buying our supplies locally. Apart from the
important economical impact, this also gives our clients the possibility to
truly experience traditional Mongolian life: Our wranglers know the local areas
like no other and take pride to show their visitors around. Often their gers or
the gers of friends and families lie along the route, resulting in a visit with
many bowls of milk tea.
In the Renchinlum area, we have been working for many years now with
Gendengonchik and his extended family. Over the years they have become close
friends, inviting us to important family occasions, such as weddings and the
Mongolian new year festival. We in turn take care of them when visiting the big
city, arranging hospital and social visits for them. In 2005, Gendengonchik
visited UB for the first time since the days of his national service in the
1960’s. Apparently, “a lot had changed since then”!
At Terchin Tsagaan Nuur, the Great White Lake, we have been working for years
with Hishig and Saagi, two young guys who grew up in the area. They approached
us a few years back, fresh out of tourism school in UB to see if we could
support their local business at the lake. While all other tour companies turned
them down as too inexperienced, we have gained two friends whose enthusiasm to
please and to give their visitors a very personal Mongolian experience is second
to none. We have never looked back since we started working with them but are
looking forward to every visit, when Saagi, a top Mongolian volleyball player
will challenge us to a game on the steppe.
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