Community Outreach
A vital part of our mission to help the families in our community move forward to a healthy life that does not include scavenging at the dump includes initiatives designed to increase their health & well being as well as their educational status and understanding of opportunities available to them. We strive to engage our community members in as many ways as possible with the great community at large to make them comfortable with their new roles as members of an urban community and to illustrate to them that their lives mean something to the fabric of the greater Mongolian culture. More updates coming soon!
Summer Camp Programmes
Summer 2015 saw some very exciting times for upwards of 60 children from families up at the dump. In 2016 we hope to reach over 300 children.
Children's Day Community Celebration
This year, as in the two previous years, Veloo Foundation organized and sponsored the only community celebration (we think!) in our district for the Children's Day. Children's Day is a very important holiday in Mongolia and is a chance for families to celebrate the joy that children bring to them. In 2013 we had 200 children attend, so this year we planned for 300 with a contingency plan in case we had 400. Five hundred children showed up!! It was a crazy amazing day full of lots of fun, games, songs and laughter! With the temperatures soaring into the low 30's it was also very challenging to keep everyone well hydrated and safe. Everyone who came went away with goody bag full of fruit, juice, books, toys AND had a hot, nutrias meal - our cooks did an amazing job of putting together takeaway meals of Khoshuur and salad for not only the children, but all of the families who attended as well - this turned out to be in in excess of 1500 meals! This community celebration is becoming an "event" they tell me, and next year we should expect 800 children.....wow!
Community Coal Distribution-Tsagaan Sar
In conjunction with the American School of Ulaanbaatar.
A local English Language high school which is mostly populated with Mongolian children from wealthy families in 2013 took a serious stand to give their children a chance to develop social consciousness. They contacted us, and, together we hosted a number of events. This was one. The school put together hampers of staples for the poor and elderly in our Sanctuary neighbourhood and raised money to buy coal so that each family could have a warm holiday season complete with food for their bellies. It was lovely to see the students really interact with their impoverished neighbours and begin to realize that they could make a difference in the future of their own country by helping their less fortunate neighbours.
A local English Language high school which is mostly populated with Mongolian children from wealthy families in 2013 took a serious stand to give their children a chance to develop social consciousness. They contacted us, and, together we hosted a number of events. This was one. The school put together hampers of staples for the poor and elderly in our Sanctuary neighbourhood and raised money to buy coal so that each family could have a warm holiday season complete with food for their bellies. It was lovely to see the students really interact with their impoverished neighbours and begin to realize that they could make a difference in the future of their own country by helping their less fortunate neighbours.
January 2013- Community Soup Kitchen in conjunction with the teachers and children from the American School of Ulaanbaatar
This was a wonderful initiative undertaken by ASU guidance counselor and teacher, Canadian Robert Hotlet. He approached us about giving the children an opportunity to see how the other half live. Literally. Most of the children, even though they are almost all Mongolian from UB had never been to the ger districts where the majority of urban Mongolians live. It was an eye opener for them. They were very nervous at first, but very soon realized that the kids are, in fact, just kids and if you play with them they will play with you. The most touching thing of all was going back to the classroom a week later and having one student (in grade 12) with tears in his eyes tell us that the visit had completely changed his future and how he would approach his chosen career as a politician. We will continue to work with this school in the future.
Saving Anand
Early in 2013, we were informed about a little 11 month old Mongolian boy named Anand who, without immediate lifesaving heart surgery would die. He had been diagnosed at 28 days old, and his mother had been trying valiantly ever since to find a way to get him treatment. The problem? The heart surgery is not available in Mongolia and he kept being denied by groups who thought his problem was too complicated, that the risk of his not surviving was too great. We heard about him, and that he needed to be sent overseas within a few weeks or his life would be over – likely before his first birthday. Julie and Jacob Veloo found out about it on a Tuesday. A meeting at the hospital with Anand, his mom and the head of Cardiology and representatives from two other Mongolian NGO’s was quickly arranged for Wednesday and, with the assurance from the doctor that Anand was still strong enough to survive the very complicated surgery and the assistance of the MedPro Vision who had everything arranged for him to have the surgery in India and in cooperation with International Women’s Association of Mongolia and a number of private donors, Veloo Foundation ensured that Anand was sent to India. He left on the Saturday and underwent surgery on Tuesday. His surgery was a complete success and he returned happy and healthy to Mongolia where he now lives in Hintee with his parents. Oh, and he just had his second birthday!
