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Reforestation

of Northern

Khentii

a mongolian community project supported by volunteer tourism

MISSION STATEMENT:

The project Reforestation of Northern Khentii was created to stop and reverse desertification in the area of Umnudelger Soum and to foster international volunteer involvement as well as community-level cultural exchange for foreign tourists. To these ends, we will fulfill the following objectives:

REFORESTATION:

To employ the expertise of Mongolian forestry experts in setting up and maintaining the project.

To build a greenhouse and create a sapling nursery that will not only support our local project but one that will also provide saplings to other Mongolian reforestation initiatives.

To plant shrubs and trees near the Hangal riverbed, which will protect the exposed soil and bring the water table back to its previous level.

NUTRITION AND HEALTH:

To additionally use our greenhouse for growing vegetables to sell locally to improve people's diet.

To donate a large portion of the vegetables directly to the town school to help our children stay healthy.

EDUCATION:

To work to amend the school curriculum to include ecological studies and teach our children the importance of living sustainably.

To educate the townspeople about using the land responsibly; to make them feel like they can positively shape the future of our community.

To give high school and university students the opportunity to work in the field and learn about forestry directly while under the supervision of forestry experts.

EMPLOYMENT AND ECONOMY:

To provide immediate employment on our work site to unemployed community members.

To develop career training for those, who may want to start commercial nurseries or tourism operations in the future.

To reduce the need for the younger generation to move away to larger centers by creating opportunities for small business and self-sufficiency.

VOLUNTEER TOURISM:

To create a successful volunteer-tourist recruitment program abroad with the help of our foreign volunteer staff.

To provide foreigners with a complete service-vacation package that includes both volunteer work time at our site and guided touring time in Khentii and Ulaan Baatar.

To create direct work and recreation contact between our foreign volunteers and members of the Umnudelger community, and to foster opportunities for lasting friendships among them.

FUNDRAISING:

To accept the volunteer-tourists' fee as a donation that will finance the reforestation program and that will provide the crucial link between tourism and philanthropy.

To seek out and apply for grants from international foundations, corporations as well as from the local, provincial and federal Mongolian governments.

NGO COOPERATION:

To cooperate with reforestation and fair-trade tourism initiatives in other parts of the world to ensure a successful future for the program.

To implement proven technologies for sustainable living based on guidance from existing reforestation organizations.