1. Mongolia: Project monitoring trip report 2012
Written by Johanna Ursin-Escobar & Ilona Kalliola
SYL’s project monitoring trip to Mongolia / IEC was conducted between 15th and 29th of August 2012.
Representatives of SYL were the development cooperation coordinator Johanna Ursin-Escobar and Ilona
Kalliola a KENKKU-member. During the trip, SYL’s representatives had discussions and meetings with IEC’s
management, staff in project areas and beneficiaries. We also participated in a meeting of different
organizations working in the Bayankhoshuu area of Songkinkhairkhan district in Ulaanbaator. The principal
objectives of the trip were to see how the new project has started, how preparatory activities for the
project were done, and to revise the objectives and indicators of the project, as well as to meet some
beneficiaries. Also, the Memorandum of understanding for the ETVO –program was written. This report will
present the major findings of the trip. At the end of the report is the program for the monitoring trip. This
document is written for the use of SYL (board, KENKKU and all members) and IEC (management and other
staff).
In general, the project has started almost as planned. The preparatory activities had all been done as
planned and the baseline studies were done in a very detailed manner. In Songkinkhairkhan district, the
baseline study was more general, because the area was new to IEC. There have also been slight problems
with starting the project because a) the area is new and the inhabitants do not know the organization, and
b) elections at different governmental levels have temporarily lowered the willingness of politicians to
support the project. People have also been suspicious that IEC has political connections. For these reasons,
IEC has not yet been capable of establishing as many community groups as was planned. In Arkhangai, the
project has started well and many community groups are already forming.
The objectives and indicators were discussed together with IEC’s management and staff. Due to the
challenges in Songkinkhairkhan district, the number of community groups to be formed was lowered from
20 to 10 during the first year and raised from 15 to 20 during the second year. Also, the number of khoroos
was lowered from three to two because of the high population density in the area. Some indicators were
formulated again in more detail, but there were no bigger changes.
We met two potential community groups in Songkinkhairkhan district in Ulaanbaatar and many groups in
the province of Arkhangai. All groups are still in their formation phase and they have participated in IEC’s
basic trainings on community groups. All groups had also already participated in some other trainings such
as business and milk production trainings.
We discussed the ETVO -volunteer program and the duties of IEC towards the volunteer. Also, the
Memorandum of Understanding was written together to agree together on the specific job description of
the volunteer. The Memorandum is an annex to the Etvo partnership agreement between SYL and IEC.

2. The program:
Day Activity
15.8.2012 Flights Helsinki – Ulaanbaator (UB)
16.8.2012 Morning: Arrival to UB
Afternoon: Meeting with IEC’s personnal in the office, planning the trip
17.8.2012 Morning: Meeting with organizations working in Bayankhoshuu (in district
Songkinkhairkhan)
Afternoon: meeting with IEC’s staff in Bayankhoshuu and meetings with
representatives of two community groups (vegetable and sewing groups)
18.8.2012 Morning: free
Afternoon: meeting in the IEC’s office, Etvo
19.8.2012 Whole day: trip UB-Arkhangai (Tsetserleg)
20.8.2012 Morning: Work at IEC’s office in Tsetserleg, revision of project situation in Arkhangai
Afternoon: trip to Tsenkher soum and meeting with one community group (sewing)
21.8.2012 Morning: meeting with one community group (vegetable)
Afternoon: trip to Chuluut soum (Khaluun-Usbagh)
Evening: meeting with one community group (leather products and milk products)
22.8.2012 Morning: Visit to volcano and trip to another bagh
Afternoon: Meeting with two community group (milk products)
Evening: Trip to Tsetserleg
23.8.2012 Morning: Revision of the project objectives and indicator in IEC’s office
Afternoon: Meeting with two community groups (Vegetarian food and milk products)
24.8.2012 Whole day: training of IEC’s staff on Outcome Mapping
25.8.2012 Whole day: trip to UB
26.8.2012 Morning: independent work
Afternoon: Meeting at the IEC’s office
27.8.2012 Morning: independent work
Afternoon: free
28.8.2012 Flights UB - Helsinki
29.9.2012 Arrival in Helsinki