Mongolia: Supporting education through reading
Since 2006, FXB Switzerland has been working in Mongolia, where it is registered as an international non-governmental organization. In 2025, it will support vulnerable children on their educational journey.
Context
Mongolia is landlocked between Russia to the north and China to the south, with particularly difficult climatic conditions. Almost half the country's population lives in the capital. Rural exodus is thus a major problem in Mongolia, generating iourts on the outskirts of Ulan Bator. Unfortunately, the migrant populations have very few job opportunities and live in extremely precarious sanitary conditions.
The aimag of Dornogovi, a province in the south-east of the Gobi desert, is limited to a vast, flat, desolate expanse. Over 23% of its 67,000 inhabitants live in extreme poverty, with an unemployment rate of 69%. The majority of families, both nomadic and sedentary, depend on livestock (goats, sheep, cows, horses and camels).
Since 2016, FXB's main objective has been to help families in this desert region to create or seize opportunities in their own area rather than migrate to Ulaanbaatar. FXB has thus led three VillageFXB economic and community development projects there, which have helped to significantly improve the economic and social conditions, as well as the quality of life, of more than 1,500 adults and children.
Our work in Mongolia
Strengthening children's educational skills and well-being in Sainshand and Zuunbayan
The Covid-19 crisis has had a profound effect on children's learning, not least because of two years of distance learning. This has led to an increase in screen time, a decline in language skills and a deterioration in psychological well-being. These difficulties have been further exacerbated by family contexts sometimes marked by alcoholism and domestic violence. Against this backdrop, improving access to books and promoting reading appear to be essential levers for compensating for educational shortcomings and offering children a structured, fulfilling environment.
To meet these challenges, FXB has launched a partnership with Magic Libraries Foundation, giving rise in 2023 to a project to promote reading in the Sainshand and Zuunbayan areas. The project is based on two complementary infrastructures: a physical library in Sainshand, which provides access to 1,200 books, and a mobile library that reaches children in nomadic communities in the desert, reducing inequalities in access to educational resources. These structures not only lend out books, but also offer educational and recreational activities designed to strengthen children's academic and social skills.
Initial evaluations show significant results. Access to books has improved considerably, with almost 600 young people registered in the library and taking part in reading awareness activities. The involvement of young people has been strengthened through reading clubs, drawing and writing competitions and school activities, contributing to their intellectual and social development.
This project takes place in a particularly difficult socio-economic context. By providing access to reading material, it is not just a question of supplying books, but of providing essential support for children's personal and social development. Reading enables them to overcome educational inequalities, project themselves into a brighter future and develop their imagination, despite an environment often marked by precariousness and isolation.
Our impact in Mongolia
have been gradually lifted out of poverty to achieve economic and social autonomy thanks to their participation in three VillageFXB projects from 2016 to 2025.
benefit from our activities to strengthen educational skills through reading.
FXB Mongolia has been recognized for its excellence on several occasions, receiving in 2017 the "Mongolian Quality Award" as well as the title of "Best Manager" for its local Director, awarded by the National Committee for Business and Development in Mongolia, and in 2019, the "Best NGO in Dornogovi aimag" award in the "Development" category.
Life's journey
Just a few years ago, Erdenebaatar and his wife Tumendemberel were struggling to support their family. With no steady job, they stayed at home to look after their three children: their two eldest sons, in elementary school, and their youngest, in kindergarten. Their financial situation was precarious, and the future seemed uncertain.
In 2022, their lives took a decisive turn when they joined the VillageFXB project. Encouraged by the support and training they received, they decided to take their destiny into their own hands. Tumendemberel used his new skills to open a hairdressing salon, while Erdenebaatar landed a temporary job as a driver.
Joining a community savings and credit group offered them much more than just financial support. They found a network of friends and professionals, and learned the importance of saving. Thanks to this new stability, the family was able to make their first major investment: the purchase of a plot of land on which they now grow potatoes, after receiving agricultural training from FXB. Their first harvest of 30 kilos was an immense source of pride.
But beyond the economic aspect, the VillageFXB project and network has become a pillar of their daily lives. The couple take an active part in community activities, finding valuable motivation and support in these encounters. They share their experience with other families, encouraging them to follow the same path to self-sufficiency. Their children, too, are flourishing, eager to take part in FXB activities such as reading and chess.
Today, these families are no longer content to simply survive: they are building their future with confidence. Their journey is a powerful illustration that, with determination and the right support, it is possible to transform one's life and envisage a better future.