Members of MCC Board of directors visit projets' site

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ Members of the MCC Board of Directors, Lorne W.Craner and Morton H. Halperin from Washington DC visited MCA-Mongolia project implementation sites April 26, while attending the 7th Ministerial conference of the CoD, reports Mongolian site "news.mn". With MCC funding MCA-Mongolia implements six projects to achieve the objectives of the Compact agreement signed between Mongolian and U.S. governments October 2007. The Board member started the visit from Vocational Education and Training Project (TVET) of MCA-Mongolia by touring Art and Production Polytechnic College named after Rajiv Ghandi. As part of TVET project investments, MCC has funded equipment and materials including the following: - Core technology labs in hydraulics, auto mechanics and electronics. The labs have been provided to five schools in total. - Multimedia labs including audio recording and video recording studios, video conference room, multimedia computer lab provided to ten schools including the Art and Production Polytechnic College being visited - Sewing practical training lab including different types of sewing training equipment. Two schools received this kind of equipment. - Library equipment, software, furniture and E-learning rooms. Library equipment and software have been given to three schools. - Computer lab for 20 students with state-of-the-art computers and furniture for two schools. - Training materials, reference books, learner guides in line with 28 Competency based training curricula developed by the TVET project. In addition, some 85 teachers, management and administrative staffers of the Art and Production Polytechnic College have participated in various capacity building activities organized by the TVET project, the site says. Energy and Environment Project (EEP) of MCA-Mongolia helped nearly 100 thous. families in Ulaanbaatar by subsidizing various energy-efficient products. Members of the Board visited a beneficiary family in Chingeltei district and had an opportunity to experience the Mongolian traditional housing called “ger”. The family owns energy efficient stove subsidized by EEP. The project implemented its subsidy delivery activity of energy efficient products in 2011-2012 by covering 72 sub-districts of 6 districts. As of November 2012, around 98 thous. energy-efficient stoves, 21 thous. ger insulations, five thous. vestibules, 100 energy efficient homes were sold under the subsidy delivery activity of the project, the site goes on. Property Rights Project (PRP) has been implementing khashaa plot privatization and registration activity in three districts of Ulaanbaatar city in order to help khashaa plot (ger area) residents to privatize their land plot and get fully marketable land titles until late July, 2013. As closing remark of the campaign, PRP organized an open day on land relations during which relative government bodies of land relations and privatization of the capital city gave/clarified in-depth information to citizens. During the event, representatives of beneficiaries from each district where PRP was carried out (Songinokhairkhan, Bayanzurkh, Chingeltei districts) received their land ownership certificates from the U.S.Ambassador Piper Campbell, members of MCC Board, and the UB city Mayor. The Road Project of MCA-Mongolia is constructing Choir-Sainshand 176.4 km road of AH-3 of Altanbulag--Zamiin-Uud corridor. By the end of summer, the road construction will be completed, and Mongolia will have fully paved road corridor connecting north and south border ports. Accordingly, the Road Project showcased its road construction progress and highlighted the importance of the Choir-Sainshand 176.4 km road to overall Mongolian economy during the working lunch with Her Excellency Ambassador Piper Campbell and MCC Board. In afternoon, the group toured Health Project’s implementation site--a family clinic in Sukhbaatar district. The Health project director made a presentation highlighting the project’s activities, then introduced the practitioners in the clinic, and showcased the donated equipments. The Project focuses on extending the productive years and productivity of the labor force by reducing the incidence and severity of non-communicable diseases and injuries such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and preventable accidents and trauma, and reducing and refocusing total health expenditure. The last scheduled event took place in the Ministry of Industry and Agriculture, where herder groups’ (HG) representatives and senior officials from the Ministry of Industry and Agriculture had a brief meeting with Her Excellency Ambassador Piper Campbell and MCC Board members. The Peri-Urban Rangeland Project is conducting range land management training for farmers alongside the provision of fencing/winter shelter materials provided on the base of 15-year loan. Most importantly, the herder groups are receiving leases to the plots of land that they use to herd their animals, which will allow them a venue to take loans out and improve upon their herding business, reports the site. The Mongolia Compact’s close-out date is September 17 of 2013. Currently, the implementation is progressing according to the plan, and MCA-Mongolia officials are confident that they will meet the deadline on time with achieved objectives of the Compact.