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Mongolia: Volunteer Care-Work with Children
- Placement locations: Ulaanbaatar
- Types of care projects: Centres for children with learning disabilities, centre for street children, kindergartens
- Age of children: 0 - 15
- Number of people cared for:
15 - 120 - Role: Assisting with local staff including playing with children, basic teaching and giving general help
- Accommodation: Host families
- Price: From £1145
- What’s included? Food, accommodation, transfers, insurance, personal webpage, induction and orientation, 24/7 support, social activities
- What’s not included? Flights, visa costs, spending money
- Length of placement: From two weeks
- Start dates: Flexible
Mongolia is a fascinating destination to spend time volunteering on one of our care placements. High levels of unemployment over a protracted period of time have left much of the Mongolian population living below the poverty line. Many families struggle just to get by and, especially in the capital Ulaanbaatar, it is quite common to see children who have been abandoned.
The children in Mongolia's orphanages and care centres might therefore be seen as the lucky ones but these centres are often desperately overstretched and cannot offer sometimes even the most basic resources to the children in their care. Staff may simply not have the time to provide the individual love and attention that all children require. This is where you can help when you volunteer on a Mongolia Care project.
Care volunteers in Mongolia work to relieve the workload of the local staff, whilst also adding to the children's quality of life in many different ways. You do not require any qualifications to volunteer and you do not need to have had previous experience. If you have energy, enthusiasm and compassion then it does not matter whether you are 17 or 76. Gap year students, career breakers or retired volunteers are all welcome.
Projects Abroad Mongolia has recently been presented with an award for our work with underprivileged children in Ulaanbaatar, winning the Best NGO category.
Voluntary work with orphanages, kindergartens, disabled centres and street children
Projects Abroad works with a variety of care placements throughout Ulaanbaatar, normally within walking distance or a short bus journey from your accommodation.
Volunteers work in both state and private orphanages, housing anything from 20 to 200 children. Some of the orphanages look after specific age groups, from babies through to teenagers; therefore please let us know if you have any preferences regarding the age of children you'd like to work with.
Volunteers can also work in kindergartens and a centre for children with learning and physical disabilities. At the kindergartens volunteers work with children aged 3-5 years old, alongside a local teacher in classes of up to 40 children.
If you're volunteering at the centre for children with learning and physical disabilities then there may also be options for you to become involved with outreach work, visiting the children's family home to provide additional support and advice to their families. This placement is only available between September and May, as the centre closes during the summer months.
You could also work in a centre which looks after up to 60 street children at a time. This is a demanding placement; volunteers working here will have the freedom to develop their own activities with the children who are from very challenging backgrounds.
Wherever you work, it will be alongside committed local staff to provide practical help and friendship to the many children who are in need of support. The difference our volunteers make is truly inspiring and greatly appreciated by the Mongolian staff who are keen to learn English from you and teach you some Mongolian at the same time!
Volunteers can also sometimes get involved in extra projects organised by Projects Abroad Mongolia such as a "Child Labour" campaign.
Volunteering abroad on a Care Project in Mongolia
The actual work you will be doing depends on the ages of the children that you are working with. While working with younger children you'll play games but you might also be asked to ensure that they are washed and dressed for the day and you'll then help at meal times and bed time.
The older children often require help with homework or support with personal and social issues. It would also be helpful if you can provide them with some informal English tuition, as this is increasingly useful.
During the school holidays between June and August some of the orphanages organise for all children and staff to spend time on a summer camp outside of Ulaanbaatar. Volunteers staying at the camp will be involved in arranging games and activities for the children.