When Russia was dominant in Mongolia, it required 40% of the parliament to be women and now there is less than half of that number. When Russia was in charge their was universal education and literacy was higher then it is at this time. No one is wanting the Russians to return but one of the two major parties in Mongolia is MPRP, the communist party. It was the party when Russia pulled out but there is now another party the Democratic Union Party that gives the MPRP a run for their money at each election to see who can get the most members in the parliament, the Khural.
There has been almost no new infrastructure built in the cities since the Russians left. Most of the old 5 and 9 story apartment building built by the Russians are still occupied and are the primary living quarters of a vast majority of the city residents. There are a lot of new conventionally financed apartment structures being built but I have no idea how most Mongolians will be able to afford to move into them with the income structure here in Mongolia, where a waitress might make an equivalent to 150 dollars a month and I repeat, a month and teachers two to three times that amount.
But it was fun celebrating with the staff on International Women's Day.
Some of the fellows on the 6th floor had been preparing in secret for the Women's Day celebration at the end of the work day on Friday. A couple of them had asked me if I wanted to share in the event on Friday, so I tossed in my 8,500 Tugrugs, or about US $7.00 or less. CHF does not have funds for the parties. These are financed by staff contributions. There was cake, wine, candy and a rose for each one of the ladies. The guys suggested all of us men wear white shirts and black trousers, the uniform of the waiters in Mongolia. One picture shows us toasting the women and the other picture, if you will click on it and make it full page size, will show you how much fun they had with the party. The festivities lasted for only an hours and there was very little drinking but an enormous amount of laughter.
Development Solutions, the new NGO that has its offices on the third floor, pulled together a special celebration on Women's Day in their office with a little glass of wine and flowers at about 7 on Friday evening, then the fellows in that office took all of the ladies out to dinner. The pictures are of Serjmaa, the new CEO of Development Solutions and some of her Administrative and Finance Department staff.
The CHF team on the 6th floor enjoyed cake, and a beautiful cake it was, for desert at lunch in the accounting office as part of their Women's Day celebration. When the cake feast luncheon was over, I caught a picture of Oyunbayar Tserendorj, one of CHF's accountants going over some numbers with Jennifer Quellette, who has come out from Washington CHF office to do a final report on the Ger Initiative program.
