Weblog | Seedtime

expansion in nomgon

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:48:12 +0800

Meanwhile, across the desert in Nomgon, Tumenjargal's business continues to go from strength to strength. After training three years ago, Tumenjargal branched into traditional clothes and souvenirs. In 2010, she gained a contract to serve a local tourist camp. Now the business, which had previously been seasonal, is all-year round. Recently the local tourist office ordered 450,000 MNT* worth of stock. With the help of her son, and a new worker she is just about keeping up with demand. Again, the local church has been at the heart of the action.

Tumenjargal is one of our business trainers in South Gobi, teaching the materials and modelling good business through her business.

*about £220 or $360 - a phenomenal amount here.

south gobi loan team set for business

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:48:12 +0800

With the opening of a local Seedtime bank account in South Gobi, and adoption of our loan guidelines, our South Gobi Loan Team is now fully set up for business. Small loans here can really make the difference between a small business being just a dream and a small business that actually gets going. A loan of just £75 ($50) was all it took to start the Cafe / Bakery in Khurmen. Not much when you consider the result!

You can help start more businesses like this one. Head here to find out more!

now serving in khurmen

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:48:12 +0800

The bread was delicious! That was my verdict on the output of the cafe/bakery in Khurmen, South Gobi, on our visit there this week. The cafe, begun three years ago after our first micro-business training in the Gobi, has seen significant growth. Finance from Seedtime's Loan Team enabled business partners Tuya and Tsegegjargal (second picture down, first and second from left) to buy the bakery next door to their cafe. In another business context you'd call this a vertical integration! Having received bakery training, the stage was set for the quality output from their ovens. Meanwhile Enkhmurun's* shop (7th from top) provides another outlet for the bakery's products. Staff have been taken on, and now they're getting ready for further expansion.

Tuya, who manages the bakery, has started another business in the heart of Khurmen: a communal shower (5th picture down)! To give you the context, no-one in this community of 1,700 had access to running water, never mind hot running water. All that has changed, thanks to the new shower facility.

the class of 2011

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:48:12 +0800

Well, the first crop of 2011 anyway! Congratulations to our first group of business trainees - from Eternal Love church, Ulaanbaatar. A variety of business ideas were represented here, and Belgee and I agreed that there was much potential among the seven who received their certificates.

A mother and daughter are planning to go into business together, and another planned to use her skills as a computer programmer by using the emerging internet here to set up an e-shop. Everyone who steps out in this way is making a leap of faith, with the potential to bring much blessing to their families and communities, as well as a whole new set of lessons to learn!

business trainers get training

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:48:12 +0800

Not content to rest after their training in July 2010, four business leaders in our network got together recently to give the basic business training to 40 people in Dalanzadgad, South Gobi Province. Congratulations to Dawa, Tsetsegjargal, Tumenjargal, and Altanchimeg (pictured right) on your remarkable achievement!

One need following this training is to increase the size of our loan facility there. So if you would like to contribute to this, please head here. Our loans there are managed by our local South Gobi Loan Team. More details here.

Thanks so much!

sain kimchi!

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:48:12 +0800

Ask a Korean what kimchi is, and he or she would probably register surprise that you had never heard of it. Ask a Mongolian about kimchi, and they would probably tell you about a traditional Korean food, which in its different varieties is now enjoyed here in Mongolia.

Ask Solongo what kimchi is, and she will probably tell you about Sain Kimchi (Сайн Кимчи or Good Kimchi), a business she started following our seminars in June. Her business makes and sells kimchi locally in Ulaanbaatar.

A full-time student, Solongo is not currently able to produce kimchi in sufficient quantities to meet the demand that her product seems to be generating. But she is considering employing another staff member to help meet this demand. And although her kimchi sales are not yet generating sufficient income to pay her rent, the money she does get is already enough to keep her in the daily necessities of food and other personal expenses. If you are ever in Ulaanbaatar, make sure you sample some Sain Kimchi. You will not be disappointed!

ready for winter!

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:48:12 +0800

Thanks to a generous gift through Radstock's Gifts of Hope campaign, three little ones in Ulaanbaatar's ger district received all the clothes they need to survive what is expected to be a difficult winter here. In fact, it is -23C as I write this, but the real chill is still up ahead.

In liaison with the relevant local government office, this family (pictured) was identified, the children measured up, and clothes purchased. Socks, hats, boots, coats and other warm items will see them through until spring returns in April next year.

Scroll down the page to see more pictures of the happy* recipients!

*They really are happy. It's just that for many here, having your photo taken is a serious business.

what does he get up to?

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:48:12 +0800

Some may wonder what Paul Williams, our Executive Director gets up to outside of Seedtime. Apart from Mongolian language study, Paul also teaches English at Mongolia International University in Ulaanbaatar two evenings per week.

A great need here, as Mongolia opens up to wider world, is for native-English speakers to assist students learning English, so that they can have a positive impact on the development on this beautiful and resource-rich country.

It is as a contribution to that bigger task that Paul can be found at MIU on most Wednesday and Friday evenings in term time.

we shall not forget

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:48:12 +0800

Mention the word 'dzud' round here, and every Mongolian will know what you are talking about. It denotes a compound natural disaster with catastrophic human consequences. The most recent one began in the summer of 2009, with a severe drought affecting much of the country. Millions of herded animals faced a harsh winter without the fat levels needed to survive it.

A year on, and an estimated 16 million animals perished in the coldest winter here for more than 30 years, with temperatures falling below -40C in many places. Many herders, whose existence was already marginal, were forced into even deeper poverty - this in a country where a third of the population was already living below the state-determined poverty line of $1.25 per day.

Seedtime began in the midst of that dzud, and one our first acts was to place $500 each into the emergency funds of the Governors of Sukhbaatar District (central Ulaanbaatar) and South Gobi Province, through our board members L. Toomerhuyag (right) and Ts. Natsagdorj. That was back in February this year.

ubuntu for mongolian small businesses

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:48:12 +0800

Imagine paying as much for a PC as you would in any mainstream computer store in the West - only then to find that the pre-loaded Windows operating system and many other installed programmes are in fact counterfeit. What would you do? Well, you might pick up the machine and the receipt, take them back to the shop and say, 'Hey, give me the real thing!' Or you may pay a small fortune to get the software properly licensed. Except neither of the above is an option here.

Most individuals and businesses here have computers running pirated versions of Windows and MS Office, which are of course full of vulnerabilities allowing security breaches of all kinds. We Mac-ies have a choice. But for many in Mongolia, purchasing a Mac is not an option.

With so little genuine proprietary software here, this is not just an issue of internet security. It is a matter of genuine access and ultimately of social justice. More and more people need computers, even here in Outer Mongolia. But many cannot afford to pay for genuine software that will keep their equipment and data safe from internet nasties.

and they're off!

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:48:12 +0800

Members of Eternal Dawn Church in Ulaanbaatar recently completed their micro-business seminars. In common with many of our 'students,' some had started businesses and wanted to find out how they could improve and grow what they had started, some had a business idea that they wanted to try out using tried and tested materials, and others simply wanted to learn more about managing a small business.

We congratulate them on completing the seminars, and look forward to being in contact with them in the future to find out how they are doing.

These are the last seminars we will be conducting in 2010. Over the next couple of months, we plan to catch up with our 'students' over the year to review their progress with them, to advise, and to find out how else we can help them. We remember that each 'student' represents a seed - a seed for doing great business in this developing yet struggling country.

PAPA CAFE!

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:48:12 +0800

'How can we serve you?' That was the message from the team at Papa Cafe on their first day of business today here in Ulaanbaatar. They were among Seedtime’s first micro-enterprise students back in February 2010.

A Christian enterprise serving tea, coffee and a range of quality light snacks, Papa Cafe is in a strategic location in the city centre close to a major road junction, hotels and other businesses. It is also well-placed to serve as a ‘foyer’ for other services as occasion demands.

20 new students!

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:48:12 +0800

Righteousness Church in Ulaanbaatar plays host to the first micro-enterprise training seminars of the Autumn season. We kick off on Thursday evening (2nd September). 20 people are registered for the training - almost as many as the number we trained in the first 6 months of the year!

We'll let you know how it goes!

desert business trainers trained!

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:48:12 +0800

CONGRATULATIONS to Altanchimeg, Tumenjargal, Tsetsegjargal and Dawa, who successfully completed our business trainer training last week. These four are business entrepreneurs who are also church planters in South Gobi Province, Mongolia.

Altanchimeg has a clothing business in Mandal-Ovoo, Tsetsegjargal runs a cafe/bakery in Khurmen, and Tumenjargal has a children's clothing business in Nomgon which also now supplies to one of the desert tourist camps. Dawa, though not leading a business herself, has been busy offering consultations behind the scenes. In one instance, she carefully steered someone away from possible suicide after her business collapsed. This individual and her husband have started a new business making traditional items, and have recently been invited to exhibit their wares in Japan. Amazing turnaround! Dawa is married to pastor Natsagdorj and is based in Dalanzadgad.

Have Google Earth? Check out their locations by typing in the following references:

Mandal-Ovoo, Mongolia
Khurmen, Mongolia
Nomgon, Mongolia
Dalanzadgad, Mongolia

Don't have Google Earth. Get it free here.

mongolia today (1)

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:48:12 +0800

Courtesy of UK newspaper The Guardian, a short but moving video of the recent 'Naadam' festival here. Click here to view it.

Enjoy - but remember that this is also our living and working context here in Seedtime.

welcome to our new accountant!

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:48:12 +0800

On 1st August, we welcomed E. Oyunjargal to the Seedtime team, to serve as our accountant. We will profile her in Our People shortly.

micro-finance support for south gobi businesses

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:48:12 +0800

Business training is one aspect of micro-enterprise development in developing countries like Mongolia. We are hard at work developing our Micro-Finance Loan Team in South Gobi. Please contact us if you would like to contribute to the loan fund.

Our Loan Team Guidelines (in draft form at the moment) are available for download here.

farewell

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:48:12 +0800

In a few weeks' time, we will be saying farewell to U. Bayarmaa, Seedtime's first accountant. We take our responsibilities to the Mongolian Government and our donors extremely seriously, and Bayarmaa has given us an excellent start in getting our accounts going and keeping them in order. Just as we encourage people to 'be the best' in whatever line of business they choose, so we want to 'be the best' in everything we do - including looking after the financial resources entrusted to us, and giving due honour to those over us in Government here. Thanks Bayarmaa!

Bayarmaa has accepted a 2-year full scholarship from the Dutch Government to pursue a course in advanced accountancy in the Netherlands. We will miss her, but we wish her every success in her new venture.

The Board has appointed E. Oyunjargal to continue Bayarmaa's good work, and we look forward to welcoming her to the Seedtime crew in August.

micro-finance guidelines in development

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:48:12 +0800

We are well on the way to issuing our guidelines for operating micro-finance loans for business start-ups and expansions. These will guide the operations of local micro-finance committees from the moment they are set up. More on this (hopefully!) very soon!

mongolian language support

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:48:12 +0800

We plan to add Mongolian and possibly Russian languages to our website soon.