Improving the living conditions of families with visually impaired members through a micro-credit fund and appropriate training, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

State of progress : Completed | Number of beneficiaries : 18 blind people, including 12 homeless

Project duration : 18 months

Place : Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

local partner

MNFB is a Mongolian NGO that aims to defend the rights of blind people living in Mongolia and to encourage their participation in society in the same way as any other citizen.

The federation was founded in 1978 on the initiative of a group of blind people. It now has 23 branches across the country and the network helps provide the blind, education, employment opportunities, appropriate care, and access to culture and sport. The association has 9600 members with visual impairments.

Context

There are 11,700 visually impaired people in Mongolia and most of them can not exercise their human rights on an equal basis with others. They do not have the opportunity to participate in social life and access to education, employment, training and rehabilitation services, etc. In other words, most blind people are isolated from society. For example, there are 1,200 visually impaired children and only 125 of them attend a special school and a nursery in Ulaanbaatar. The rest of them are outside the education system. Only 4.5% of working age blind people are employed and people with visual impairments live on a monthly disability pension income of only 170,000 MNT. Thus, most of the blind live in poverty. Since 2003, the MNFB has received requests from blind homeless people who seek their help to find accommodation.

Many countries offer rehabilitation training and services to the blind, which enable them to increase their self-confidence and acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to manage their daily lives independently and participate in social life. Unfortunately, there is no rehabilitation center for the blind in Mongolia. The concept of rehabilitation is only considered in the context of hospitals and health-related issues. Consequently, an integrated service system offering rehabilitation and training services for daily life, guidance and mobility, the use of assistive devices, work and psychology, meeting the specific needs of individuals, should be developed in Mongolia.

The mission / activities

Overall objective: Contribute to improving the living conditions in poor neighborhoods of Ulan Bator, Mongolia

Specific objective: Improve the living conditions of families with visually impaired members through a micro-credit fund and appropriate training

  • To develop a micro-credit fund habitat
  • Support the installation of families with visually impaired members in their new home
  • Provide financial management training to beneficiaries
  • Provide beneficiaries with appropriate training: skills of daily living, orientation and mobility, use of assistive devices …

Beneficiaries

18 blind people who have no access to education or employment, and who live below the poverty line. 12 of them are homeless.