Imagine a land of blowing deserts, sweeping steppes, and snowy mountains. The home of eagle hunters, camel racers, and the last truly wild horses. A place where dozens of tribes united to form a culture that begat the greatest conqueror the world has ever known - Genghis Khan - and grew to be the largest contiguous empire ever! That land is Mongolia!
Mongolia is a young democratic nation, transitioning from a long era of socialism and finding its place once again on the world stage. Young people are struggling to acquire a good education in order to get a job that will provide for them and their families (and families are very important to Mongolians!) but few opportunities are available. The public school system is poor, teachers are terribly underpaid and their jobs often hinge on their students grades - a system that fosters unreliable grading and often times, bribes. Most students are tragically unprepared when they graduate in 11th grade, yet almost all hope to go to a foreign university. Their best hope is to score high marks on their English national exams. That's where I come in!
I am a high school English teacher preparing to return to Mongolia to teach English to middle and high school students. After a year of trial teaching, I have returned home to raise the funds to return to Mongolia long-term! I have fallen in love with the kids, the culture, and the country. I hope that by providing quality education and native speaker instruction I can raise their chances of being admitted to a good university and going on to achieve their full potential!
I will also be partnering with a local missions organization to help with sending and support. We believe that God loves these kids and wants the best for them. By sharing His love, and entering into a committed, long term work I hope to inspire them to learn, to accomplish and to grow!
I have seen students blossom under the love and attention of an encouraging teacher. Their lives are not easy. Winters are harsh - temperatures plummet below -20 and livestock often die. The air is polluted with coal dust and causes sickness. Infant mortality is significant, high-school completion is negligible. Their parents are often busy working multiple jobs to support them and sometimes have to send them to live with distant family just to be near a school. Yet, they are excited to learn. They ask about life in America. They share their interests, their hopes and dreams, their passions.
The funds I am raising will allow me to travel to Mongolia, acquire housing (possibly a native style Ger/Yurt) and contract with a public school. Typically only private schools employee foreign teachers simply because public schools cannot afford to pay them. By raising funds I am able to be available to teach students who do not have the luxury of private schools. I will also be taking language classes to learn to communicate with low-level speakers more efficiently.
If you have it on your heart to help children to succeed in their dreams, then I hope you will consider donating. Maybe someday the life you've touched will be your doctor, your child's teacher, or the president. Change a heart, change a life. Change the world.
