NICE meeting room... John, Sheila, Roel, Erka, Greg, Sandra, Ruth, Virginia... (l-r)

SL session at June Vol Conference

(draft - vols please comment / add by email)
Sitting in one of best meeting venues I have yet experienced, under shady trees on a grassy riverbank in the Mongolian countryside while horses grazed around us, the VSO Mongolia Secure Livelihoods volunteers team with our Programme Manager Erka discussed our work here. We proceeded defiantly low-tech and literally green, without the use of flipcharts or post-it notes.

We had an update from all SL vols present as follows:

Sandra (Howarth), working since March 08 as a teacher trainer at the Mongolian Textile Institute (part of MUST - Mongolian University of Science ad Technology) and teaching textile design students.

Clare (Hill) Foundation for the Development of Wool and Cashmere Enterprises Vocational training provider, working as a marketing adviser, recently a project on wool classing.

Virginia (Gresley) working as a Teacher Trainer at the Foreign Languages Institute.

Jude (Mak), previously working at Engram English College, now developing a project with ITGEL foundation for Satun(?) Reindeer Herders in remote Tsagaan Uur Soum, north of Huvsgul, developing a placement supporting a Tourist Centre and Visitor Centre.

Brian (Watmough) who is working also since March on business planning with Mercy Corps in Sustainable Tourism - gave us an introduction to Value Chain Assessment (see this for example from Sussex University) with which most were not intimately familiar. VCA is becoming increasingly important to provide an overview (big picture) perspective for understanding enterprises in development.

John is an accompanying partner, supporting Particia - and VSO housemate Raj - in Choibalsan, but has been busily involved in vegetable growing and a organising seed bank.

Sheila is still getting established in her eco-tourism placement in temporary accommodation in remote Bayan Ulgii, working with Eagle Hunters and others supporting English language lessons and traditional handicrafts (embroidery) projects. She has no internet access.

Roel has been in place for two months as a Construction Teacher Trainer at the Construction Ministry in UB, working on an Asian Development Bank funded Vocational Training programme, including carpentry, bricklaying plastering etc. October will see a key phase of the project commence for the seven training providers.

Ruth (Richardson) who coordinated the conference, and who previously led a disability access audit of the conference venue, Equal Step Camp, is a Youth for Development volunteer who arrived last August and works supporting Equal Step's work with street children, and is completing VSO's work supporting the Mongolian Women Farmers Association.

Greg (Cowan) is working as an architect teacher trainer at the Mongolian Construction Technology College until August, and besides training architect teachers in methodologies has also recently been working with them on enterprise projects for developing eco-houses and a childrens camp.

Erka (Erdenebileg Batmunkh), the Secure Livelihoods Programme Manager for VSO Mongolia , gave an update, expanding information provided in the conference pack, and about his recent training on Outcomes Based Monitoring.

In concluding the Secure Livelihoods conference session, it was agreed that Brian Watmough would take over from Greg Cowan as the volunteer coordinator for this area.

Rob (van Waardenburg) is also working at the Mongolian Construction Technology College as a Building Engineer Teacher Trainer but was unable to attend.
Witze, now working with Bayanburd Tungul NGO, was unable to attend.
Pip a veterinarian, was also unable to attend.

Participants are invited to add to, comment upon, or correct the above draft. (Greg)

SL Programme Session at Volunteer Conf 19 June

Secure Livelihoods programme session at the Vol Conference is now scheduled for next Thursday 19 June, 2.00pm-5.30pm

If you have not done so already, please put your thoughts down and send to the group here (eg. as a comment) or by any other means necessary.

As facilitator, I suggest it should be OK using A1 / A2 flipcharts with 4 colours of suitable felt tip pens. Please bring anything else you may need in order to demonstrate or present your agenda item. Any examples of the work you have done / photos you have taken, etc., would be welcome.

Any reports on your work on Mainstreaming Disability in Secure Livelihoods may be incorporated into the session with Nickson Kakiri and I about accessibility and disability in the morning session 9am-10am Thursday 19 June

VSO Mongolia and Secure Livelihoods weblink