We're Back - Thursday Sept 20

So just as we expected, no internet, but plenty of reliable electricity out there so that was good.  We left UB on Sunday morning and travelled about 2.5 hours north to a village (soum) called Bonuur. Majestic green and pale yellow/brown coloured  mountains dotted the dusty landscape as our little Toyota "something" bounced and rattled along the roadways. It was a nice change to be out there. Fresh(er) air and tastier traditional Mongolian food than here in the big city. Everything cooked and served here is grown in the local area and of course its all home made. I have to admit when we arrived I was a little apprehensive about this next stay but boy was I wrong. It was a great credit union to work with, very well run and a very strong leader running it with along with a very proud and supportive Board and community behind it. When we got there we pulled up to a worn and tired looking 2 storey white building located in soum centre (downtown). There is a market and restaurant on the first floor. On the second floor are our rooms. Down the hall from our rooms is the credit union office we'll be working at, a pawn shop and a bank. The bank is located in the office next door to the credit union. A shared bathroom (for everybody in the building) across the hall from my room. Showers are located in another building about a football field away and only costs about $2 for 20 minutes and open daily from 9am to 9pm. Rooms are very, very basic but clean. My coaching partner and I along with our translator met with the CEO of the credit union and his staff for about 2 hours on Sunday after we settled in. We hit the ground running Monday morning with more discussions with the CEO, then a meeting with the Chair of the Supervisory Committee who also is on the Board of Representatives for the soum (like a city councillor). We met in his office. When it was over he presented us with honorary visitors medal and certificates. The medals commemorate the 20th anniversary of the soums existence. We spent some time travelling through the farm areas. This area is a huge producer of vegetables and wheat. Lots of potato farms. This is the P.E.I of Mongolia. Met some great people (cu members) and took lots of pictures. After dinner we hit the sack and got started again on Tuesday morning. Very in depth discussions with the Board Chair and the CEO this morning. The Chair really enjoyed and appreciated us being there. On Tuesday afternoon he takes us to a huge art museum that is located high atop one of the mountains just east of here in a nationally preserved area. The artist is a local and very well respected Lama. The building is not quite ready for the public but we go anyway and as luck would have it the Lama is there and invites us in and gives us the grand tour. The attraction also boasts a hiking trail along the side of the mountain in behind the building. Great experience. Back to work Wednesday. The CEO asked us to zero in on his most pressing challenges which was getting his members to save more than they do now and coming up with ideas to help him grow membership. The credit union is only six years old and is profitable. But they need to grow. Working closely with the CEO and the Chair we manage to put together a number of possible strategies that could help. On Wednesday afternoon we preseneted our report to the Board. A few anyway, not eveyone could make it. Its potato harvest time around here. A local school teacher we met said most of her classrooms are only half full right now as childern are expected to be out helping with the harvest. The CEO also pulled in a few members to join us as we walked from the office the soum hall for the meeting. A nice dinner celebration with a number of members and credit union Board and committee people Wednesday night. Hard to believe its over already.

Back to UB Thursday morning. All of the other teams will be back too as we get ready for our Friday morning debrief with our Mongolian partners MCTCC. We head home Staurday. Its an early flight out. I'll post again if I get a chance before we leave. Here's a few pic's from the 4 nights in Bonuur at the Khasbanyan Ulziit credit union. Charlie


Meeting with the Chair of the Supervisory Committee inside his office at soum hall

The Board Chair who also owns about 600 hectacre of land where he proudly grows wheat

a high tech ger

The Chair and CEO search for reports we requested to see

the Lama's art museum project we visited

the area around the building we stayed at had alot trash all over the grounds - Heather suggested we clean it up - so about 10 of us including Board members, staff and a local school teacher and two of her students did just that

The credit union CEO and I - last picture at the office before we leave to present our report to the Board