Growing Entrepreneurs Rapidly (GER) Initiative

CHF International
www.chfmongolia.org

In January, GER helped to improve or expand 120 businesses, created 30 start-up businesses, and generated a total of 122 new jobs. Also this month, GER Initiative matched 40 ger area residents to jobs.

Financial Services

GER facilitated 27 loans, valued at $23,330 with local partner banks and 13 USDA funded Capital Augmentation Fund (CAF) loans valued at $6,844 were disbursed through local banks.

Training and Consulting Services

GER conducted 156 trainings with 92 clients participating, and 122 consultations were provided to 106 clients.

On January 20-21st GER organized a pig farming training in Bayangol including a  tour of successful pig farms. A total of 14 clients, who were interested in starting a pig farm  attended the training. The training was conducted by Dr. Bataa,  Head of the Mongolian Pig Farmers' Association and covered  topics such as operational efficiencies in running a pig farm, breeding and reproduction cycle of pigs, pig nutrition, pig shelter and hygiene. On the second day, the participants visited the “Grecha” pig farm, which has 100 sows.  There they were introduced to proper pig shelter design, what materials can be used for building a pig shelter, how to regulate the heating systems, how to organize rooms for pregnant sows, piglets, young gilts, as well as delivery and breeding rooms. After the tour, the clients discussed the shelter and the trainer answered their  questions and offered consultantion on individual issues.

Also during the training, the Innovating, Monitoring, and Promoting Poverty Alleviation by Cooperatives in Transitional Societies (IMPPACTS) Project made a presentation on value chains and distributed pig feed manuals to the audience.

In Sukhbaatar, GER provided a “Financial Statement Preparation” package training for 15 clients during 20-23rd of January, 2009. The goal of the training was to improve GER clients' financial accounting knowledge and teach them how to prepare financial statements and tax reports for the coming annual financial statements due in February. The training package includes Basic Financial Statements (FS), Preparing and Analyzing of FS, Salary Calculation and Tax Report Preparation trainings. Also as part of the package, the clients will receive ongoing consulting on their entities' financial statements. Accordingly, they will later be able to prepare their financial statements on their own, which will help them to decrease their operational costs and better understand their businesses' financial situation. The same training was  conducted in Tolgoit  for three clients.

In Bulgan, GER, with Soum's Tax and Labor & Social Welfare Service Departments, provided Bookkeeping and Tax Report training for five newly established business owners. GER Business Advisors conducted the Bookkeeping training and Tax Inspectors conducted the Tax Report training.

Many GER seamstress clients lack pattern making skills and have expressed an interest in vocational training to improve their products' design and quality and reduce the material waste. In Tolgoit, GER organized a two-day vocational training for 15 clients. They learned how to take correct measurements of people, how to make basic patterns for skirts, pants, and blouses using the taken measure, how to change the basic patterns into larger and smaller sizes, fabric types used for clothes and their characteristics, structure, and more.  Ms. Uranchimeg, the teacher from the Science & Technology University conducted the training and demonstrated the pattern making technological process to the trainees. Moreover, the trainees expressed their interest in taking another vocational training for making traditional Mongolian deels for the coming Tsagaan Sar and Women's Day holidays.

In this month, GER provided four training packages: the New Loan Client  Package in Tolgoit and Zuunmod, the Organized Business Package in Choibalsan, the Service Business Package in Erdenet, and the Human Resourse Management Package in Baganuur. All package services include a number of related trainings and consultancies and other GER services based around certain client types. The packaged services are also offered at a discounted rate compared to the individual service components. A total of 27 participants received the packaged services . Both new and ongoing clients attended the trainings and learned the importance of planning their business activities beforehand, controlling their cash flow wisely, keeping records accurately, evaluating and motivating employees, positive public relations, and the importance of offering good customer service. In addition, clients shared their business experience and discussed cooperation opportunities with each other.

In Selenge, GER conducted Grocery Store Marketing training for five clients, who want to start grocery store businesses and Bookkeeping training for six clients, who were received a bank loan and a USDA funded loan.

Information Services

GER provided 358 information services to 235 clients during the month of January. One information meeting and three clients' meetings were held.

On January 13th and 14th the Sukhbaatar the Baganuur branches, respectively, organized meetings to determine potential clients and their basic needs for the next Agribusiness Support Project. A total of 62 clients came to get information and to share their opinions and experiences. GER advisors introduced GER and its services and provided information related to the Agribusiness project, and the CHF Agribusiness Program Coordinator interviewed some clients on seeking services. As a result of the meeting, GER is building a new agricultural clients' database and contact addresses for use by the new project.

On January 27th Bayangol Business Development Center (BDC) organized a meeting under the title “Cozy, Warm and Healthy Environment and Smoke-Free Fuel” to give the clients information about smoke-free, fully-burning and cost-effective new fuels, modern stoves and heating systems. Ger Stove NGO, Burhnii Gal LLC and GER client Battogtokh, who produce inner covers and floors for Gers, participated in the meeting and introduced their organizations' activities and products.

The meeting had the following goals:

• To expand collaboration opportunities between NGOs and profit entities within framework of the government policy to decrease the air pollution;
• To provide information on a variety of topics to clients; and
• To identify potential new clients and customers.

During the meeting Ger Stove (GS) explained how to improve in-use wall stoves and demonstrated it at a model house and introduced the Ger area residents to opportunities to start new businesses as they attended the GS Wall Stove Building vocational training. Also, Burhnii Gal company introduced new cost-efficient Egg-shaped fuel briquettes; what they look like, how long they burn and how much ash is left after the fuels burn. Three clients were registered to start dealerships.

In Tolgoit BDC, a Seamstress clients' meeting was held on January 12th. Nine clients, mostly new, attended and were introduced to GER's business development services. The participants were especially interested in business linkage services due to the limited sales channel, which is their common challenge. GER Business Advisors carried out a survey on whether they meet a particular standard for linkage orders by visiting their work places.

Employment Services

GER matched 40 clients to jobs this month.  Forty-five employment trainings were held for 24 clients. A total of 122 jobs were generated as a result of new businesses and expanded/improved businesses served by GER. A total of 49 clients graduated from various vocational trainings ranging from cook to knitter at the partner vocational training centers such as Abuka, Shine Garts and UB carpet.

At the request of Sukhbaatar District's Labor & Social Welfare Service Department, Sukhbaatar BDC provided the “New Start” training for registered unemployed GER clients. The training, which lasted for 15 hours, covered topics of Labor Law, Writing Resumes and Cover Letter, Preparing for a Job Interview and Soft Skills. A total of 32 clients attended the training.

Linkages and Trade Fairs

GER facilitated linkages between businesses worth approximately $15,856 this month.

On January 17th, Mercy Corps Mongolia organized a Felt Producers' Trade Fair at the National Information Technology Park's hall. The aim of the trade fair was to introduce Mongolian felt producers and their products to the public and to increase sales before Tsagaan Sar holiday. A total of 23 GER clients from Ulaanbaatar took part in it, which gave them an opportunity to learn and share experiences with other felt makers. Before the trade fair, 17 clients were given ‘Participating in a Trade Fair’ training by Business Advisor Jargalsaikhan. During the trade fair, GER clients made sales worth $716 and got orders totaling $625.

Bayangol BDC established a new relationship with C1 TV. The new partner was interested in supporting GER clients and gave its first order for service staff uniforms valued at $70. The work order was done on time and next month a bigger order will be made.

Business Groups Development

GER worked with 98 active groups this month. No new groups were established and no groups disbanded this month.  In Sukhbaatar, business groups “Khatan Tuul”(felt processing equpment, felt products) and “Elbeg Sanaa” (felt products)  gave interviews in the daily newspaper Mongoliin Medee (Mongolia's News). The groups introduced their activities and explained how they have been running businesses with assistance of GER. Both business groups were established with assistance and mentoring of GER's Sukhbaatar Business Advisors.

On January 27-28th, the Sukhbaatar BDC organized a Business Group Package and Bookkeeping training for a business group of Asian Children's Foundation, contributed by the Japanese. This organization supports low-income single mothers living in pre-urban areas of Sukhbaatar, Bayanzurkh and Chingeltei districts to start businesses. The goal of the training is to build skills on business group management and basic bookkeeping. As a result, they learned how to run a business as a group and to record financial activities on GER accounting booklets. 

Planned activities

-- Meetings:

• Pig farmers' meeting in Erdenet and Bulgan branches;
• Producers' meeting in Altanbulag Soum of Selenge Aimag with collaboration of Sustainable Livelihood – 2  Project; and
• Agribusiness clients' meeting in Bayangol.

-- Vocational trainings:

• For cooks in Choibalsan and Darkhan; 
• Soil Preparing and Seed and Seedlings training in Bayangol; and
• Vegetable Preserving training in Zuunmod branch.

-- Financial Statements Preparation training in Tolgoit and Erdenet.

-- Customer Service Training in Darkhan.

-- Participating in Trade Fair training in Tolgoit.

-- Employment trainings in Ulgii, Sukhbaatar and Zuunmod branches.

-- Tsagaan Sar Trade Fair in Ulaanbaatar, Erdenet, Choibalsan, Darkhan and Bayangol.

-- Package Services:

• The Start – Up Business Package in Baganuur; and 
• The Business Group Package in Ulgii