Mongolia Special Bringing Hope to Mongolia's Poorest

Mongolia, located in Central Asia, is a country of vast grasslands and plateaus. It is a mysterious place, where lakes exist side by side with expanses of desert.

Mongolia only receives 220 mm of rainfall each year. Historically, the dry climate has forced Mongolians to lead nomadic lives, leading their families and cattle onto the road again and again in search of food and water. In Mongolia, agriculture is far from traditional.

[Interview : Baldam, Teacher
Agriculture Education Center] "In Mongolia, we have a lot of cattle. There aren't many people who farm, and water is scarce. Having no water means that farming is usually very unsuccessful."

But change has come to Mongolia. Fields have been plowed to grow vegetables for the locals, whose traditionally carnivorous cuisine had led them to believe that vegetables were dirty foods for they come from the ground.

[Interview : Kim Hey-young, Member
Good Hands] "Since people here are used to nomadic life, there aren't many people who farm. We try to recommend that they eat vegetables and stabilize their supply by keeping gardens in their yards. We also conduct projects designed to help bring in more income for the families."

This is Kim Hey-young[κΉ€ν˜œμ˜]. She has been dispatched to Mongolia as an agricultural education teacher by Good Hands, an international development and relief NGO.

Since she began her program in Mongolia, the community has slowly come to embrace the unfamiliar culture of agriculture.

[Interview : Baldam, Teacher
Agriculture Education Center] "As we continue to provide agriculture education, we are seeing more people take up farming. I think it's a good thing."

Good Hands also works to provide drinking water for Mongolian communities that did not have efficient water distribution facilities. The organization set up 13 wells to alleviate shortages of water.

It's time for dinner! Kim has become close enough for the locals to eat with them as part of their family. But she says that when she first started here, things were not this easy.

[Interview : Kim Hey-young, Member
Good Hands] "I tried to gather people round to plow the fields and plant seeds. A lot of people came, and they asked me if they would get paid. I told them that the work wasn't for pay, but part of a hands-on education program. Everyone left. That day, I plowed all the fields by myself, crying the whole time."

The children here all spend most of their time outside. In this poor village, there was no place for them to go after school.

Things changed in 2009, when Good Hands set up a Youth Center in the village. Now, children spend their free time studying and playing in the library.

[Interview : Shu Buu, Local teacher
Good Hands Youth Center] "There used to be no place for children in the village. Now, the kids come to the Youth Center after school to read and do their homework. The parents all love it."

The Good Hands Youth Center provides the children in the community with opportunities to supplement their learning with games, making education fun and exciting. This is one of the most important ways in which volunteers have made a difference here.

[Interview : Kim Hey-young, Member
Good Hands] "We had a lot of parents come by to check us out and see for themselves what we did at the Youth Center. When they saw how good and clean our facilities were, a lot of them thanked us for providing the center for their children."

At the end of the day, Kim heads home. These days, she lives in a "ger," a traditional Mongolian portable home.

It's already been over a year since she arrived in Mongolia, and she says she's adjusted wellbut she still cannot help but feel homesick at times.

[Interview : Kim Hey-young, Member
Good Hands] "Mongolians are very familial. They care for their families very much. When I see that, that's when I miss my parents the most."

Morning comes in the village.

Kim begins another day at work, checking the vegetable gardens. The green leaves are a reminder of everything that has happened since she arrived here.

[Interview : Kim Hey-young, Member
Good Hands] "I feel most rewarded for my work when the crops are all grown, and people bring us some of their harvest as a token of their appreciation. I also feel very proud when I see people looking at their crops and bragging about them."

Volunteers travel to faraway countries every day to lend a hand to people who need their help.

This is how they feel about their work.

Doing volunteer service isn't about giving something to someone else because I have more, or because I'm better than them. I think it's just a way of helping others become happy through something that I have. It's work I can do without being rich or having many skills.

[STUDIO]

What a great job they're doing volunteering.

We hope to further increase ties between our nations in the future.

This, of course, is the first part of our three part special series on the Central Asian country so make sure you catch the rest tomorrow and the day after.

SEP 14, 2011

Reporter : noakim@arirangtv.com

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