Asral NGO – aims and objectives

Asral NGO is a social welfare NGO working in Mongolia. “Asral” means compassion in Mongolian. Founded in 2001 by Ven. Panchen Otrul Rinpoche, the NGO aims to prevent the disintegration of families, by providing direct support and assistance necessary to overcome poverty. It is Asral’s guiding belief that one of the best ways to avoid poverty is to ensure that children remain with their families. To this end, projects:

• Support children in their education

• Alleviate some of the responsibilities of childcare to enable parents to seek sustainable work

• Help women heads of families and others towards self-sufficiency through gaining trained skills

• Support families with direct assistance and outreach in the areas of health, food security, housing & heating, and clothing

Asral’s projects are carried out in the ger district or shanty area of Ulaanbaatar, the capital city, in Gachuurt, 20km from Ulaanbaatar and in Ondershil in the Gobi region. Occasional support is also provided at other localities in Mongolia.

Why Mongolia?

Since the break up of the Soviet Union, and Mongolia’s own transition to democracy, the country has seen a sharp increase in poverty during the difficult transition from a centrally planned economy towards a free market. This transition has resulted in enormous economic hardship for many Mongolians. The severe continental climate means the consequences of poverty are all the more intensely felt.

Severe weather brings temperatures as low as -50°C. Herding livestock has been and remains the traditional means of security for Mongolian families. In recent years, millions of livestock have perished during the particularly harsh winters. Forced to abandon their former way of life, many herder families have relocated to the capital, Ulaanbaatar, in enormous shanty areas. Unskilled, many are unable to find work.

It is estimated that one third of the city’s population lives in extreme poverty with less than 20$ per month. With typical winter temperatures dropping to below -30°C, families face great difficulties in finding food, warm clothes and means of heating and insulating their dwellings. Poor health, malnutrition, homelessness amongst adults and children, alcoholism and domestic violence are major problems caused by poverty.