Mongolian Children's Aid Foundation, Mongolia
A New Centre for the Lotus Children
The Mongolian Children's Aid Foundation (MCAF) mission is to
develop programmes and sponsor projects that will improve living
conditions, provide increased educational and employment
opportunities, as well as promoting the health and
general welfare of Mongolian children who are either orphans or who
are not able to live with their families for economical or social
reasons. Their initial project is to acquire land and
construct a new center for the children who are being housed and
educated at the Lotus
Children’s Center in Ulaanbaatar.
The new children’s centre is
being built in two stages:
* "Stage One" includes
infrastructure installation (water, electricity, sewage, heating)
and basic structures such as the living quarters for older children
and caretakers, a special house for infants and handicapped
children, and a kitchen/canteen/office building. It
also includes the kindergarten and the primary
school.
* "Stage Two" involves
the development of the vocational training programme and related
facilities as well as the Spiritual Center, some sports
areas and additional quarters for staff and volunteers. Enterprise
activities such as greenhouse gardening, dairy farming and others
will also be included in the "Stage Two" work.
Objectives and goals for this project:
·Creating autonomous living spaces to maintain a sense of family
for homeless Mongolian children
·Giving hope through education and skills training
·Developing sustainability through enterprise opportunities
·Fostering independence and self-reliance
·Reconnecting the children to the environment
·Exemplifying best environmental practices through design
·Creating compassion for homeless children within Mongolian society
and government
·Providing a model for similar projects in Mongolia
http://www.mcaf.mn/