eginning in the late 1980s, Mongolia committed itself to democratization and a free-market economy. While this commitment has remained firm and the transition peaceful, these changes have put severe stress upon the country's social welfare and education system. The government of Mongolia is now adjusting its education system to address changes in the economic systems, and is transforming the health system from a focus on curative treatment to a more preventive approach.

To assist in addressing the challenges Mongolia faces, Peace Corps Volunteers are assigned to help host country organizations meet their needs by providing assistance in the areas of education, health and HIV/AIDS, business development, and youth.

Program Focus

The people of Mongolia are directing their own transition and advancement and consider Peace Corps' development approach—which emphasizes human capacity building—as compatible with their country's own approach to development. Volunteers provide assistance to organizations and communities whose people lack basic technical skills or knowledge to assist in the transition. The Peace Corps/Mongolia program began with an English education project in 1991 and has expanded to include Volunteers working in numerous sectors directly relevant to national development priorities. In July 2005, President Nambaryn Enkhbayar and Prime Minister Tsakhiagiyn Elbegdorj both expressed their desire for increased numbers of Peace Corps Volunteers in Mongolia.

Volunteer Focus

Education

In the spring of 2005, the government of Mongolia declared English the"Second Official Language of Mongolia." Education is at the forefront of the government's national agenda and it identified learning English language as a top priority. Consequently, education Volunteers focus on teaching English to students and building the capacity of Mongolian English teachers through teacher training. As co-teachers in the classroom, Volunteers teach methodology, lesson planning, grammar, and communication skills at secondary schools.

The education project also has a strong community development component. In addition to English language training, education Volunteers co-teach computer skills, economics, and health classes. Volunteers engage in community service activities during summer and holiday breaks. They also help co-workers create clubs focusing on life skills, ecology, debate, technology, and drama. Volunteers have co-written teacher-training manuals, curricula guidebooks, a resource book to develop visual aids, and a classroom management handbook. Most recently, education Volunteers and community partners began collecting data and pictures in a collaborative effort to build Mongolia's national tourism Web portal.

Health and HIV/AIDS

The community health project focuses on training and educating students, community members, and health service providers on disease prevention and public health issues. Health Volunteers partner with provincial health departments, health facilities, nongovernmental organizations, and international agencies to promote public awareness of health issues such as preventing HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted illnesses, and to support life skills development for Mongolian youth. Volunteers have been instrumental in designing and implementing health education outreach activities as well as incorporating healthy habits into the daily lives of the people in communities where they serve.

Health project activities have included working with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to develop a counseling training curriculum for health service providers; collaborating with the Red Cross in the training of trainers in first aid and CPR; assisting with an NGO's teen counseling hotline; initiating exercise and stress reduction classes; developing behavior change communication materials for both young people and adults; and designing training programs on life skills education, anti-smoking, anti-alcohol abuse, and HIV/AIDS prevention in Mongolian language (and Kazak language for life skills materials). Volunteers have also conducted health education programs on nutrition, established health information centers, and organized reproductive health fairs. They have conducted cooking classes including focusing on food safety, vegetable cultivation, and health and hygiene practices.

Youth

According to United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) statistics, 50 percent of Mongolia's population is under 23 and 38 percent is under 16. In response to these numbers, Peace Corps/Mongolia launched a youth development project in August 2005. Volunteers are working with youth-focused NGOs, children's centers, schools, and civil society organizations to address major issues confronting Mongolian youth today: education, lifeskills, employability, and leadership. Youth development Volunteers increase the capacity of youth-serving organizations and Mongolian youth to overcome challenging life circumstances and become young adults who contribute to improving the quality of life for themselves, their families and their communities.

Small Business Development

Volunteers are actively involved in assisting Mongolia's transition to a free-market economy. Through capacity-building of NGOs and Mongolian citizens, Volunteers increase the management and strategic planning skills of business owners. Volunteers transfer knowledge of accounting, bookkeeping, customer service, business English, and how to incorporate information and communication technologies into a successful business. Business Volunteers have organized seminars on networking and cost-benefit analysis, and assisted rural business owners to identify markets for their products. Through a new private sector-led initiative in the telecommunications industry, Volunteers are assisting rural herders to access market information around Mongolia for agricultural products via cellphones, bringing new technology to the most needy of Mongolia's population.