Mongolia

Tengisiin Agaar (Ocean Air) Family Development Support Center April 200

Introduction Although Mongolia has en joyed strong econom ic growth in recent years, poverty and unemployment rem ain high. According to a World Bank report, 1 27 percent of the working age population is out of work and out of school. Many other workers are trapped in infor mal, lowskilled jobs without bene fits, pensions or labor protection. As Mongolia’s economy develops and changes, there will be a growing need f or people with new s kills tha t a re la rgely absent toda y. Building marketable skills is th erefore critical for Mongolia’s econom ic and social developm ent, especially for th e poorest and most vulnerable segments of the population. These problem s are even greater for wom en. According to a report on the situation of women in Mongolia, 2 the num ber of fe male-headed households is increasing and nearly half of these are below the poverty li ne. W omen s uffer disproportionally from unemployment, lower wages, and are more likely to be in the informal sector. The Family Development Support Center is managed by Tengisiin Agaar, an NGO which builds the skills of vulnerable and underpri vileged women to enable them to find productive work and pull th eir fam ilies out of poverty. T he Center is now planning to build on its success to expand its services, r each more women, and build a community to provide further support. About Tengisiin Agaar Tengisiin Agaar was founded in 2007 by Achtsetseg (Yolanda) Fransoa, a Mongolian national with African and French roots. The Center targets single wom en suppor ting 1 2

Mongolia: Building the Skills for a New Economy, 2007 Mongolia NGO Report for Asia-Pacific NGO Forum, 2004

families, often with little education and fe w employm ent prospects, b y teach ing them computer skills, langu ages and mathem atics. Currently, 12 wom en participa te in the program. Fifty have already completed training. The Center is supported fi nancially by the Language and Computer Trai ning Center, which provides funds for training space, computer equipment, and language teachers. The Center receives further support by volunteers from volunteers, students, and form er program participants. Ms. Yolanda Fransoa holds a B achelor’s d egree in In ternational Business from Santa Ana College, California. She also has degrees in Business m anagement and Journalism from Unive rsities in Ulaanbaatar. She has worked in th e United States for a m arketing research company, and as a transl ator and interpreter in Mongolia. Since 2004, she has b een Execu tive Director and teach er at th e Language and Com puter Training Center. In 2007 she founded the NGO Tengisiin Agaar. Program Objectives Through its work with underprivileged wom en, the Center has identified areas which can further support its clients. These are: 1. New Training Modules. Tengisiin Agaar plans to add to its current training in computer skills, languages, and m athematics in re sponse to clie nt r equests. These are: 

Skills training. Skills such as sewing, knitting, craftwork, baking, pastry, and other areas which can contribute to household income.

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Household financial management. Women play an im portant role in m anaging household finances. The Center will teach participants the basic principles of m anaging their fi nances, including using bank accounts, household budgeting, personal saving, a nd separating household and business finances.

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Women and children’s health. Many clients do not have basic inform ation about women’s health, incl uding special needs during pregnancy and nursing. Training pa rticipants in basic women’s hea lth will im prove their over all hea lth and productivity, increase their capacity to learn new skills, and reduce absenteeism.

2. Employment. Once clien ts hav e learned new skills, they need to m arket them selves and look fo r em ployment. The Cen ter p lans to support them by teaching them how to look for work: 

Writing CVs and cover letters. Women will be taught how to prepare go od CVs and write good cover letters. The Center wi ll provide feedback and advice so that newly-trained clients can maximize their marketability.

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Interview training. The Center will teach women how to give good interviews, so that the y can ef fectively show their skills and abilities and project self confidence.

3. Community support. Many participants do no t have social support structures in place. The Center will develop a community of cu rrent and past participants, encouraging volunteerism, knowledge sharing, and providing advice. Partnerships To leverage scarce resources, the Center relies on trainers from the Language and Computer Training Center, volun teers, and form er clients. The Center welcom es new relationships with organizations which ha ve relevant traini ng programs for women. The Center can provide an effective platform to help other organizations expand their reach to underprivileged women. For more information Tengisiin Agaar will be glad to dis cuss ideas for collaboration with firm s, organizations and individuals. For further information, please contact:  

Yolanda Fransoa (Director) at [email protected] or at +(976) 9973-0864 David Lawrence (advisor) at [email protected].