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5 Day/5 Night - Understanding Mongolia's Environment »
6 Day/6 Night - Understanding Mongolia's Ancient and Modern History »
Development Tours
DAY WALKS ON DEVELOPMENT ISSUES
THE TOUR
Background:
In 2002 SSS Travel and the AYAD Program (an Australian volunteers program)
developed a day walk through the ger suburb, Yarmag on the edge of Mongolia's
capital Ulaanbaatar.
Aim of the tour
The tour aims to show human cost of Mongolia's political and economic
transition using the Yarmag district as a living example. The tour also
aims to give those who are fortunate enough not to live in poverty an understanding
of what a life of poverty is like.
Outcomes
This tour not only aims to educate but to motivate. It is not designed
to be confronting or to make the visitor feel guilt. Its aim is to empower
the visitor with knowledge.
The tour also aims to provide worthy causes and projects with revenue &
better facilities while giving them a voice to the outside world.
What the tour offers
The tour begins in SSS Travels office with a briefing on development issues
in Mongolia and what to expect on the tour. We then catch a local bus out
to the ger suburb of Yarmag where the tour begins in earnest. The tour is
designed to give a balanced look at development issues, and we do this by
visiting several different individuals and projects that either discuss
what life in poverty is like or how they are working to alleviate it. You
are given a good chance to openly discuss with the relevant people what
their experiences, perspectives and solutions to poverty are. You can feel
comfortable when talking to these people (Tingis, Anandi, Ichennorrow, Urana,
Crista, Aronbold an many more) as they openly wish for you to learn about
their lives and what life is like in Yarmag. In fact in a recent survey
of Yarmag residents conducted by the AYAD program and a local social work
98% wanted the tour, while the remaining 2% did not care that the tour visited
their district.
Not only do the locals wish for you to visit their district but by using the tour you can help to help the district to develop. This is because the tour replaces the standard costs tourism, entrance fees to museums and food from a restaurant, with entrance fees to an orphanage and buying food from a community shop. This means that not only does SSS give visitors to Mongolia a chance to learn about some of the development issues but it also makes it possible for the locals to benefit from tourism.
Day tour itinerary
1. Briefing in the meeting room at SSS Travel
Be given a speech on what the day will be.
Receive a book on development issues in Mongolia
2. Walk to the bus station
3. Catch a local bus to a ger district (poor district
of U.B)
4. Start to walk through the district
As you walk through the streets your guide will explain some of the hardships
and realities of living in poverty. On this walk you will have the chance
to see some of the issues, poor water supply, bad town planning and what
some people are doing to make money.
5. Visit a school for the disabled
Discuss hardships that the children face being poor and disabled and how
many of them still manage to stay hopeful for the future.
6. Have lunch at a local social workers ger
Hear about her work and how her life has change as a result of the change
in political systems. This is also a chance discuss how the poverty cycle
works and who it effects.
7. Visit a local family
In conjunction with the social worker from the disabled school we visit
a family who needs assistance. We then provide assistance with revenue raised
by the tour.
8. Meet a family that is motivated to improve their
community.
Through training in mathematics, language and agriculture, one family hopes
that they can help to reduce the effects of poverty in their community.
Meet Didi and hear about how she came to Mongolia and started the orphanage
in 1994. Her orphanage/ shelter/ soup kitchen/ women's workshop is truly
inspirational as is her story.
You can see SSS Travel put an average of 57% from each
tour price straight into the Yarmag community on the tour day.
This tour is for anyone who is interested in learning more about poverty
and development issues. You do need to be able to walk about a kilometer
over several hours and speak English. We must stress that the tour is for
anyone who is interested in learning about development issues, we have had
teenagers to grandmothers on the tour and all previous visitors have recommend
the tour.
How to get on a tour
We run tours on demand from late April till the start of November.
7 days a week from 10am til 6 pm.
We prefer our tour group sizes to be between 4-9 people however we can do
tours for one to 3 people.
To make or join a tour, please contact us at least a day before, either
by
phone (11-328410),
email (inbound@ssstravel.mn) or
come into our office which is just around the corner from the Natural History
Museum ("tov muzui" in Mongolian) #56 in the lonely planet. Look
for our big blue sign.
The tour is used to Help The local community
After the fall of communism, Mongolia's economy crashed which in turn lead
to a myriad of social problems. Less than 13 years ago poverty was rarity,
however today 36% of Mongolians are classed as poor to very poor. SSS Travel
not only aims to provide visitors to Mongolia with an insight into some
of the development issues that the country faces, but it also aims to use
its tours to work at alleviating poverty in one particular ger suburb of
Ulaanbaatar. It does this by working with the community to identify worth
while projects that are in need of funding and then they are developed into
the tours message.
The tours contribution to the community varies with group size however the
average contribution is 57%. This money goes directly into the community
and has gone to fund the following:
A library at an orphanage.
Food, wood and coal for needy families.
Food to a soup kitchen.
While if visitors wish to donate to the community SSS and local social workers
can make sure donations get to where they are needed.
Some tourists do chose to donate after the tour is finished, however
we must stress that there is no pressure to donate. Please remember that
the tour is about educating and motivating, it is not a guilt trip, we feel
that by choosing to learn about the issues and by paying your tour fee,
you have already done something for the community.
Some tourists kindly donated the following in 2002:
1 Ger (Mongolian traditional home) for a family that was facing a very uncertain
future after they lost their home then their father.
Parts to fix a broken ger so that a 85 year old woman, her disabled son
and 2 disabled grandchildren would have a home this summer, when they where
to evicted from their current home.
The first pair of glasses for a 12 year old girl who has had poor vision
all her life.
A repayment on of a home loan for a single father of three
| 36 woolen beanies or tooks | 3 baseball caps | 22 woolen socks |
| 8 pairs of socks | 15 pairs of pants |
3 pairs of shorts |
| 29 pairs of winter stocking | 44 winter coats | 10 pairs of gloves |
| 4 scarves | 15 tea shirts | 8 silks and ties |
| 37 woolen jumpers | 7 pairs of boots | 3 shoes |
| 1 blanket | 2 drink bottles | 10 note books |
| many pens | many candies | many balloons and stickers |
| Ronda | Paul | Kirsten | Anna | Sue | Todd |
| Nat | Ed | Susan | Kenny | Claudia | Grame |
| Janne | Delma | The English i2i vols | Mary | Derek | |
| Charles | Jack | The American brother and sister | Erica | ||
| Eliza | Chole | Jessie | Zoe | Lauren | Julia |
For their generous support
Flour, Rice, Meat, Coal, Fire Wood, Rice, Milk, Sugar, Tea, Potatoes, Noodles
and Soap to local families.
The Money that SSS Travel has put into the to the community has helped to
Run the Lotus centers soup kitchen
Buy books for a small library at the Lotus center
Provide income for locals of Yarmag
How you can help in 2003
SSS Travel and an NGO working together to help.
SSS Travel is currently working on forming a partnership with an NGO, to
undertake some community building projects that help the people of Yarmag.
We expect to be able to make announcement on this in the near future.
Helping the Lotus center
If you wish to support the Lotus center orphanage you can down load this
form or email them at lotuschild@magicnet.mn
For past users of the tour
If you would like to help anyone from the tour specifically, please feel
free to email us at inbound@ssstravel.mn
and we can help you to help.
EXTENDED DEVELOPMENT TOURS
Our extended development tours have three different themes; Urban Mongolia, the environment, and Mongolia's History. See below for itineraries, costs and things to know. For more information on traveling in Mongolia see Travelers Information (link).
“3 DAY/3 NIGHT - UNDERSTABDING ULAANBAATAR”
"Understanding Ulaanbaatar" is a tour that firstly takes
you on a visual journey of the city. You get an understanding of the extent
of the urban sprawl, and the problems associated with the urban migration
that has occurred since the change of politics in the 90's. Mongolians have
fled the countryside looking for a secure future due to the lack of available
employment, the privatization of many government owned industries, the decentralisation
of the economy, and the natural dzud disasters of the last 3 years(combination
of severely cold weather and drought).
The associated social problems are brought to the front in Day 2 where you visit Yarmag). This day a motivating and inspirational look at some of the difficulties where you're privy to the workings of the social community that exsists in Yarmag. The day involves the local "Red Cross", the "Lotus Centre" and visits to some local community members, where you are invited to discuss the issues that the community faces. The cost of the tour goes directly to the people and projects who are involved in the tour. This means that your money will assist the Yarmag orphanage and kindergarten, the local Red Cross office and some needy families from the district. If you are interested in more information on the Day walk to Yarmag please see our dedicated web page that gives you more information on the tours history and successes.
We are introduced to the contrasts of Ulaanbaatar. This city sights tour
takes you to the perimeter of the city. You will get a visual picture of
urban migration, the city and Ger districts, infrastructure and difficulties
such as accessibility to heat and water.
You catch a local bus out to Yarmag, one of the poorer Ger Districts
of Ulaanbaatar. The day is an educational and motivational look at the difficulties
some community members face, introducing inspiring projects such as the
“Lotus Centre”, and "Red Cross". The Lotus Centre is
an orphanage, kindergarten, soup kitchen and bakery. Proceeds from the tour
go directly to assist with its survival.
Today is a relaxed easy day. You are in the middle of school holidays, so
we’ve hooked up some activities with the children from School 63, a
local special school. Maybe go for a swim, or a game of basketball. The
afternoon will be free to go to perhaps visit a museum; we recommend the
National History Museum, the Zanabazaar Art gallery, or the Choijin Lama
temple museum. In the evening you’ll attend a cultural evening, involving
music or dance in the city.
“5 DAY/5 NIGHT- UNDERSTANDING MONGOLIA'S ENVIRONMENT TOUR”
"Understanding Mongolia's Environment" takes you on a journey
that starts in the Capital Ulaanbaatar. The Mongolian Ger lifestyle and
extreme weather requires reliance upon soft coal and firewood for cooking
and keeping warm. The mass migration to Ulaanbaatar and the increased unemployment
levels has meant that firewood and coal is increasingly unaffordable for
many people. We will investigate this further as we walk one of the many
Timber Trails that exists around Ulaanbaatar.
We then continue to the Hustai National Park. This is a conservation project that has taken the modern approach of community consultation by ensuring benefits to the people in its buffer zone. The goal of MACNE's (Mongolian association for conservation of Nature and the Environment) is to have tourism fund the conservation project and improve the standard of living of the buffer zone population. (see "Why does Mongolia need responsible tourists"(link)). The time spent in the countryside is an opportunity to discuss desertification, water levels and overgrazing, all looming environmental issues that personally affect the herders of Mongolia which and are spurred on by the changing economics of the country.
Back in Ulaanbaatar we look at the urban environment again, with the goal of self-sufficiency. We visit a blooming garden project and meet Lynne, the Australian volunteer that has assisted the local people in organising funding and expertise to bring this garden to fruition. The costs involved in the tour go directly to the project and people that we visit. Your money will help to fund the garden project to a level of sustainability, buying seeds, plastic for greenhouses, fertiliser and other necessary equipment.
Get your walking shoes on. We catch a local bus to the city Cemetery. From
here you will follow one of the many Timber Trailsl, where many unemployed
Mongolians trek throughout the year to chop wood for additional income.
We will discuss the environmental issue vs poverty.
About 3 hours away is the conservation project of the Takhi horse, also
known as Przewalski's wild horses, they were extinct in Mongolia by the
1960’s, but have since been successfully reintroduced. Be guided by
a local guide, and see the benefits of ecotourism as a means to support
conservation. Hustai is a National park is a steppe environment, get the
opportunity to sight some of the protected wildlife into the evening.
Today we visit the buffer zone of the Hustai National Park and conservation
project. We visit a local family and discuss the issues with sustainable
conservation vs people. We are acquainted with the customs and traditions
associated with the traditional dwelling of the nomads.
Staying on the steppe, we are introduced to rural issues such overgrazing.
We meet with local nomads to discover more about the challenges of maintaining
a nomadic lifestyle in modern times.
Day 5. Urban solutions - Ulaanbaatar
On our last day we will visit a prospering Garden project at Bayankhushuu,
a Ger district of Ulaanbaatar. Here you will meet volunteers at the project
who will discuss how the project works and the way it benefits the community.
You can help out by collecting water and watering the garden, and share
in enjoying some of the fresh vegetables in your dinner as you watch the
sun set over the Bogd Khan mountains
Day 6. Tour ends
“6 DAY/6 NIGHT - UNDERSTANDING MONGOLIA'S ANCIENT AND MODERN HISTORY”
"Understanding Mongolia's ancient and modern history".
In this tour we get to know and understand the history of the Mongolian
legacy. The tour visits some of the earliest visible points of interest
in Mongolia's human history, starting with the Turkic stones left by the
reigning Kyrgyz people in 600BC. This civilization has a history of centralized
governance, plumbing, irrigation, trade and the downward script that you
will see on the Turkic stones. We follow the journey of the Khaans, as they
conquered lands through pursuit of fair trade, yet failed during their reign
due to various reasons, including greed, corruption and a few bad decisions.
After 400years of Chinese rule we venture into the most turbulent time in
Mongolia's modern history as the country underwent a revolution that left
them in the hands of the "Red" Russians. You'll be introduced
to Choibalsan, Sukhbataar, Stalin and Zorig as you hear about the rocky
road to democracy.
The final day is an opportunity to visit a local community working in the current climate of democracy, with a project that has the goal of self-sufficiency. We can understand the economic difficulties that they face since the collapse of communism. We visit a blooming garden project and meet Lynne, the Australian volunteer that has assisted the local people in organising funding and expertise to bring this garden to fruition. The costs involved in the tour go directly to the project and people that we visit. Your money will help to fund the garden project to a level of sustainability, buying seeds, plastic for greenhouses, fertiliser and other necessary equipment.
Stop along the way to Kharakhorin to see the changing landscapes, with a
picnic near the river.
Our first stop for the day is the Turkic stones and the old capital “Karakorum.
The scene is set to introduce the first city development in Mongolia, brought
to the country through the reigning Turkics “Kyrgyz”, who were
then taken by the Mongolian “Braiden Hairs”. The “Khaans”
legacy is introduced as Chingis decided to use Kharakhorin as the sight
for his first city. We follow the Khaans through the ups and downs to their
demise when the Chinese “Qing” Dynasty overtook.
Day 3. Revolution of 1921-Khongol Uuls
From the newer named “Kharkhorin” we’ll discuss the revolution.
How communism entered the country and some personal perspectives of the
period, both the good and the bad. You’ll visit Erdene Zuu Khiid the
first Buddhist monastery where over 100 temples were destroyed by the Communist
regime. We then depart for Khongol Uuls, take a walk and visit the ruins
of the now flourishing “Uvgun Khiid” monastry, were thousands
of monks were massacred.
Welcome back to Ulaanbaatar. You’ll enter the city with a new gained
perspective of the city after investigating its environment and history.
In Ulaanbaatar youll be guided through the Political persecution museum
and venture up to the Zaisan Memorial, this memorial contrasts the museum
with a salute the unknown heroes and soldiers of previous wars.
On our second to last day we will visit a prospering Garden project at Bayankhushuu,
a Ger district of Ulaanbaatar. Here you will meet volunteers at the project
who will discuss how the project works and the way it benefits the community.
You can help out by collecting water and watering the garden, and share
in enjoying some of the fresh vegetables in your dinner as you watch the
sun set over the Bogd Khan mountains.
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Link to site 1
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Link to site 2
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Link to site 3
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