Ted Talks....and so will Julie!!

Well, It's Official! 

I've been invited by the prestigious Ted Talks organization in the form of TEDxUlaanbaatarWomen to speak on the life changing effect of discovering the children up at the Peak and truly seeing how they were living. December 7th, for 12 or so minutes up at the Black Box Theatre here in Ulaanbaatar I will be making my large venue public speaking debut....gulp.... and sharing  some of the "insider's" view of starting the Children of the Peak Sanctuary. Amusing anecdotes included...

And while it is somewhat uncomfortable to be sitting here writing a blog about...well..me...(I'm not the type to blow my own horn really.  Really!! ) I can't tell you what an incredible honour this is.  I was initially very amazed (read dumbfounded!!) by their request, but now am very very much looking forward to being able to share with the world how the beauty that is these children has transformed my own life, and that of so many of you who have been moved to help. As I always say, the more people that know about the situation up at the Peak, the better.  Together we can truly effect social change and I know that a high profile talk such as this cannot help but  raise the awareness both within Mongolia and overseas.

The TEDx group here in Mongolia is headed by a group of dynamic, engaged young Mongolian women who are impressive in their talents, dedication and drive and their unstinting dedication to this cause that they are volunteering their time for.  They are also looking for sponsorship to help defray the costs of bringing this world class international event to Mongolia. 

 If you or your company would be interested in information about sponsorship, please contact me or go directly to their website: tedxulaanbaatar.com

You can see what it's all about there!  And to those of you in Mongolia - Let's make this the most successful TED event in Mongolia to date - get your tickets now!!
Oh, yes and in case you are wondering why this blog entry is decorated with pictures of me...?? It's because I had to choose one for the  bio they were doing on me - It had to be one without sunglasses on ( turns out there were darn few of those!) and a head shot. You have NO idea of how tough it is to look through literally hundreds of photos of yourself and try to pick on that will adequately represent the "who" you are in this context.  Not to mention how unsettling it is to look as literally dozens of , hmmmn, how shall we say it..."unflattering" snaps of yourself.  New Year's resolution in November time!! In any case, these were the finalists in my mind.
Which one would you have picked? Just curious if the world sees me the same way I see me.  I guess on Dec 7th I'm going to find out....See you all there - or later on the Ted Talks youtube page! 

...oh and just for fun, here's the uncropped versions of those photos - I think the context is relevant..at least it is, to me. 

With two of our little Kindergarten attendees...last spring while the centre was still under construction.

 Caving with the kids from the Peak at Bag Choloo ger camp - en route to Oyu Tolgoi for their first EVER vacation.  Thanks to OT for the free trip!

 At a Saturday lunch programme before the centre was officially opened.  With what would later be one of the children in our Kindergarten and one in our "To and After School  programme."

 With  one of my Mongolian "Granddaughters" on the occasion of her own Kindergarten graduation.

En route to Oyu Tolgoi with the Children of the Peak...being chased by a herd of wild camels.  No, seriously!! They were chasing us!! What ?  Don't I look scared?

It's Official!! 40 Kids Per Day - Warm & Safe...oh, and Happy ( Mostly!)

 Well, it's been nearly a year to get to this point, but earlier this month we finally opened our doors - officially!  Now,thanks to endless hours of volunteer work by some very committed people, tons of donations large and small,  every weekday,  children of the Peak come to our centre for fun, friendship, lessons and, of course food.  And let's not forget warmth...physical and psychological..and lots of it on offer to these very special kids!

 It was spectacular to see the little ones show up - mostly all dressed in their Tsagan Sar best.  This princess was the first through the door..and the first one to find out that every time you come through that door your hands will be getting washed! And yes, that is our fearless Executive Director Sue Crews in charge of hand washing...her talents know no bounds!  

 The first moments with the toys and new friends....

 ..and their new teachers!  Huge thanks to Bayasaa and our other assistant teachers who stepped up and took the lead when our "professional" teachers promised by the government failed to materialize.  

 And huge thanks to to the rest of the staff who have been working long long hours to dot all the i's and cross all the t's.  As you might imagine, it's quite the undertaking getting this working!!

 ...and not everyone appreciated the fact that they were lucky to be there!!  This is our accountant Maagaa working well outside her job description!

 As opening day wore on...lots and lots of joy started creeping in..

 although we still had our tremulous moments...and one little girl who was coming completely unglued for a couple of hours and in the end could only be calmed by seeing her usual care giver...

 ...her big brother!!

 He knew the secret to her happiness was at one end of a teeter totter!  With info like that - the rest of the day was  a snap for her!

 And when the "dell" uniforms came out 
...everyone took to them like a house on fire - even our little Munkhchimeg..."silver braids" is what her name means..and I think it is pretty apropos somehow given how wiry her wonderful hair is!! I suspect when we get our shower building built ( next big project!!) and get some shampoo into that hair it might settle down...maybe.

In the meantime, with a little help from the teacher, we managed to get a little control on that riot of gorgeous black hair! For a minute at least!

 ...I have to say I love these little dells that are serving as a warm layer of clothes and as a school uniform of sorts..and so, it turns out, do the kids.

 The apparently multi cultural Tea Party.. 

 We really only had one day with crying clients..and even at that there were only 4 or so that were serious about it.  Most of the children were like this little one...delighted to be there!

 The girls were in blue dells and the girls in grey....right?  Right??  Well...ok, it took a couple of tries to figure it all out, but we have it working now!

 Hair nicely calmed - or at least as close to calmed as it gets, Munkhchimeg skipped away...in stolen shoes!  And yes, they were returned to their rightful owner but oh, what a wonderful Wizard of Oz moment! I kind of expected her to click her heels together and ...well..who knows?

 Look what I got at school today mom!!

 How great is this! Part of our hygiene initiative ( along with hand washing and teeth brushing) kids, adults, visitors, teachers...everyone wears slippers!  Everyone! Of course...it does make shoe " borrowing" somewhat easier....but we're working that one out too!

 One of our great supporters, Soyolbold who rode the 700 Km. Gobi Gallop to raise funds for the centre finally got a chance to meet the kids he was helping - only to find out that they wanted to steal his long hair!!  It was so much fun watching him play with the kids and learning first hand that kids, even kids who work at the dump, are just kids. 

So now the real work begins.  For all of us. These kids will be learning about life, letters and getting on with others and we'll be working hard to raise funds and awareness to  make sure the centre will be able to keep working ( and growing!!) for years to come.  Wonderful, rewarding work it will be too, to watch these kids as they grow and learn and with confidence and skills the get from the Sanctuary  move forward to take their place in the world.  And it won't be on the garbage dump.

Mongolian Mumbles: Our own Gobi Marathon!!

Mongolian Mumbles: Our own Gobi Marathon!!

A wonderful look at our preparations leading up to our 700 KM across the Gobi Desert to raise funds for the kids at the Peak!

Enjoy!

The Gobi Gallop .... a unique fundraiser !

Pain...doesn't that saddle look like pain?  It used to look quaint to me - a testimony to the simplicity of herding life on the steppe.  Now it just looks like pain.  Why you ask?  Because now I have to ride it..!! That's right - a bunch of intrepid riders here in Mongolia have decided to ride across the Gobi on horseback in support of the Children of the Peak - the kids whose families make a living scavenging at the dump here in Mongolia!

And yes, I am one of them.  A scant 19 months after the first time I sat on a horse I am set, along with 4 others and our wonderful guides from Sara's Ger Camp, to take on 700 kilometers of some of the toughest riding on the planet in order to raise awareness and funds to help the Children of the Peak.  As part of the fund raising, we are taking pledges as to how many kilometers we can collectively ride in a Mongolian saddle like the one pictured above.  We are hoping for 70 km  - a total of 10 percent of the ride!

I have attached the informational flyer about the ride below, so have a quick squiz and see what it's all about.  I'd like to say it should be fun...but...??  In any case, it will be an experience of a lifetime and hopefully will help change the lives of some really wonderful children up at the garbage dump.

Thanks for sharing this with all your friends!

The Gobi Gallop

The first annual charity endurance ride benefitting the Children of the Peak.

What it is:

 A ride across the Gobi Desert – high, rocky, hostile.  So barren that we will have to bring along feed and water for the horses and we expect to face sand storms, flash floods and mile upon mile of glass like obsidian underfoot. In short,  over 700 kilometers across some of the most challenging landscape there is…and we’re going to cross it in just 10 days.  In order to make it across in 10 days, we will be having at least three 100 km days.  For those of you who don't ride...that's a LONG way!

When:

 On May 18^th, 2013 we will be setting off  from Sara’s Ger Camp – 8 km. north of the big Chingiis Khaan statue.  Our destination?  Oyu Tolgoi -  deep in the heart of the South Gobi Desert.  700 kilometers, 10 days  and countless challenges and adventures later, we expect to arrive on May 28^th.

Who we are:

 This year we have 5 riders (3 women and 2 men)  ranging in age from 44 to 64. Our least experienced rider sat a horse for the first time only 1.5 years ago -our most experienced had that pleasure 60 years ago! Together we are parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles who want to give the same kinds of  opportunities and support  to the Children of the Peak as we have given to our own children and grandchildren.

Why are we doing this?

To raise funds and awareness in support of some of the most disenfranchised and neglected children in Mongolia - those whose families make their living scavenging at the dump – the Children of the Peak.  Full details about the project at www.veloofoundation.com

You Can Help!

Please consider sponsoring the ride by helping us provide food & water & return transportation for both the participants and the horses….

Or…

Pledge an amount per km that we ride in a  WOODEN MONGOLIAN  SADDLE  like this one….yes, that’s right – the ride is not yet tough enough for us,  so we are all going to log some miles in a traditional saddle!! We are hoping for a total of 70 kms doing it the hard way, but we will track the  total – verified by video – and when we arrive we will let you know how truly intrepid we are, and collect your pledge.

Or….

Donate directly  to our bank (see below) or via paypal at the top of this post

Special thanks to Baagii & Saraa and their intrepid, adventurous team from Sara’s Ger Camp for making this possible by   being brave enough to take a crew of expats across the second largest desert in the world!!  Check them out at www.horsetrekmongolia.com or www.sarasgercamp.com

Banking Details:

Canada:

Prospera Credit Union

3088 Granville St.

Vancouver , B.C. V6H 3J8

Bank # 809

Transit # 10940

Account name:  Veloo Foundation

Acct #:              10-3072675

Central One Credit Union - Wire Transfer SWIFT CUCXCATTVAN

Mongolia

Golomt Bank  -Central Tower

Suhkbaatar Square 3 – Ulaanbaatar 210620A

Acct name:  Veloo Foundation

Acct #:                  2010003300

PH. +976-11-311530

Swift Code: GLMTMNUB