Page 105 - 80 YEARS OF VOLUNTEER IMPACT WITH FAO

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Sugyeong Kang

PAGES OF PROGRESS:

A CATALOGUE HELPS MONGOLIAN HERDERS

ACCESS BETTER TECHNIQUES

In Mongolia, herding has long been a way of life. But with climate
change, seasonal income, and limited access to resources, more people
are giving up herding each year and moving to Ulaanbaatar, the capital.
The Support to Employment Creation in Mongolia project was led by
FAO with national partners and supported by the European Union. It 101
aimed at bringing new opportunities to rural communities by promoting
quality jobs in livestock and agriculture.

Sugyeong Kang, UN Volunteer from the Republic of Korea, joined the
initiative as Junior Project Assistant. “I worked on a catalogue book,
which introduced labour-saving techniques and contact details to
herders and small and medium enterprise owners,” she explained. “Since
the biggest difficulty for herders and owners was the lack of access to
proper techniques, the catalogue book provided them with better access
to such information.”

Field visits were a highlight of her assignment. “On the first field trip to
Dundgobi, I stayed with a herder family and helped them cook, milk the
animals, collect horses and experienced the real nomadic life. It was a Sugyeong Kang, UN Volunteer Junior
big honour to listen to their story in person,” she shared. “The project Project Assistant at FAO Kazakhstan,
brought hope to rural areas and herders so that the true beauty of supported a project to promote jobs in
Mongolia could remain intact.” livestock and agriculture.
[Sugyeong Kang, 2017]