ENGAGING CITIZENS ON HUMAN IMPACT ON ECOSYSTEMS
The Foundation launched “Securing our Future,” a program to engage citizens in resource use decisionmaking that affects their lives. Faculty and students in 18 schools from eastern-most Dornod aimag (province) to western-most Bayan Olgii aimag are participating in a river monitoring program which is building a body of empirical evidence that supports an enhanced science curriculum, and contributes to meaningful citizen engagement. This research is complemented by rigorous scientific analysis conducted by experienced Foundation scientists, who are working with National University of Mongolia faculty and students to inventory all of Mongolia’s rivers. In 2007, the science team sampled nearly 100 of Mongolia’s rivers, of the total of 400, that criss-cross the country. By using experiential learning and “action research” as a tool, and using internationally accepted methods of biological monitoring, citizens are able to assess their aquatic ecosystems. This effort contributes directly to a nationwide effort to better understand the human influences that impact water quality and quantity.
RAISING NATIONAL AWARENESS OF THE TRAFFICKING CRISIS
In 2007, the Foundation carried out a national awareness and education campaign to increase public recognition of the scope and magnitude of trafficking in persons. The campaign included a concert on Ulaanbaatar’s central square that attracted more than 50,000 youth. The Foundation supported the Gender Equality Center's (GEC) counseling for 95 victims of trafficking, up from 13 the prior year. Immediately following the campaign’s launch, calls to the GEC victim hotline increased from several dozen a month to more than a hundred, testifying both to the impact of the campaign, and the scope of the trafficking problem in Mongolia.