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In This Issue:Greetings from The Itgel Foundation! Tsaatan Community & Visitors Center (TCVC) Project Updates Itgel Publications Available for Download Itgel Supports Mongolia’s Research and Scientific Community ContactThe Itgel Foundation In Mongolia:The Itgel Foundation Mobile: In the US:The Itgel Foundation Telephone: |
Greetings from The Itgel Foundation!In the months since our last newsletter, the Itgel team has been busy in Mongolia making tremendous progress on our grassroots community development initiatives. For those new to Itgel, this is a great first newsletter to be receiving. For existing friends, donors, and partners, we hope you’ll be proud of all the work you have helped make possible in the last few months. Tsaatan Community & Visitors Center (TCVC) Project UpdatesItgel’s much talked-about TCVC project continues to hit new milestones and set incredible records, transforming the future of Mongolia’s Tsaatan reindeer-herding community. In May 2008, Itgel handed over 100% ownership and operational control of this dynamic Center to the Tsaatan community! Through sustainable community-based tourism activities, the Tsaatan have generated more than $4,000 in the past twelve months through the TCVC. This is an unprecedented sum for a community ranked as Mongolia’s poorest, whose household incomes hovered at just $100 per year in 2006.
Led by their Tsaatan guide, TCVC guests arrive at a taiga camp on horseback after their trek from the TCVC. Of this $4,000, a significant percentage has been paid out in direct salaries to Tsaatan service providers working as guides, cooks, and horsemen for trips coordinated through the Center. Individuals employed through the TCVC have experienced staggering benefits, for example 300-400% increases in household income, and for many, the first and only employment opportunities they may ever have. Additionally, a portion of all TCVC revenue is directed to the Tsaatan-controlled Community Fund, a shared resource that offers benefits to each and every community member, including children and elderly who are unable to work, and women heads of household particularly vulnerable to poverty. In the last 3 months, more than $1,000 has been dispersed in the form of micro loans, emergency grants, and scholarships from the Community Fund, giving many individuals first-ever access to education and healthcare, and a precious safety net for the community as a whole. In a very real sense, the TCVC is bolstering the Tsaatan community above Mongolia’s “extreme poverty” line, giving families a new vision of the future. In keeping with Itgel’s deep commitment to sustainability and self-sufficiency, the TCVC project was designed to reach a point where intensive outside support would no longer be needed for the successful operation of the Center. Today, after nearly three years of day-to-day operational support, infrastructure investments, training, and other activities, Itgel is proud to witness a steady flow of self-sustaining revenue and empowerment of the community as the rightful owner and operator of this exciting, income-generating project. That said, Itgel still has critical monitoring and evaluation, troubleshooting, and advising activities on its list of goals before we can truly say our job is complete. We would therefore like to request your continued support for the project’s final phase, “home-stretch” activities, which include:
Itgel donor and advisor Larry Pixley collaborates with TCVC manager Bayanjargal and Itgel staff member Zaya to develop a book keeping and accounting system that works for the Center. For the final phase of the TCVC project, we anticipate a budgetary need of between $8,000 and $20,000. With a budget this modest, you can be assured that your support, whether large or small, will go a long way! Here are a few numbers to consider…
Itgel Publications Available for Download
In our last newsletter, we featured an article about the conference Itgel hosted in January 2008 on the occasion of the Mongolian government’s announcement to implement a program to support Tsaatan community development. Utilizing Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), the conference enabled more than 100 Tsaatan participants to create long term action plans, and present their requests to government officials in hopes that their voice would be considered in the program’s design and implementation. Itgel’s report, entitled “Tsaatan Community Development”, features original action plans developed by the Tsaatan, and quotes and letters from community members. We encourage government officials, NGO leaders, donors, and concerned citizens alike to read and share this report, available in both English and Mongolian. Click here to download a PDF copy. It is our hope that this report will enable the Tsaatan’s highly marginalized voice to be heard, and for their interests to be considered in the policy-making process from this point forward. Another publication newly available for download is a handbook for those interested in visiting the Tsaatan community. The booklet features historical and cultural introductions of the community and their environment, as well as guidelines for having a low-impact visit. This document, co-authored by Itgel volunteer Jessica Schutz and Itgel executive director Morgan Keay, is a must-read for any intending visitor to the community, and serves as the starting point for planning a trip through the TCVC. Click here to download. Itgel Supports Mongolia’s Research and Scientific Community
IVM veterinarians and Itgel volunteers examine the results of a screen test they have conducted at the Institute of Veterinary Medicine in Ulaanbaatar , Mongolia. As many of you remember, Itgel was originally founded to respond to urgent health problems facing the Tsaatan’s reindeer herd, such as infectious disease, lack of veterinary care, and decreased genetic diversity. Itgel’s important work in these areas has allowed us to identify never-before-seen ailments, conduct first-ever genetic analysis, support international exchanges of leading scientific experts, and decrease mortality and morbidity in the herd. In all our research, treatment, and training activities, Itgel continues to work closely with the Institute of Veterinary Medicine (IVM), Mongolia’s leading research institute for animal health and human-animal disease issues. Our collaborations with IVM have yielded scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals, as well as participation in global conferences and events. To show our appreciation for all the support IVM has provided to Itgel, we made a contribution of laboratory and field equipment and supplies to the institute this August, made possible with support from the Cottonwood Foundation. By working with IVM and other key research partners in Mongolia, Itgel has sought to support the country’s scientific sector, and cultivate an exchange of expertise and know-how across borders and across disciplines. We hope this work will catalyze benefits for the people of Mongolia for years to come.
Join Itgel or Renew Your Support TodayIt’s always a good time to join Itgel or to renew your support by making a tax-deductible contribution to our organization. Simply click here to donate online, |
