And a dombre-maker - the traditional Kazakh instrument. Couldn't resist getting one of Tilek's instruments, not sure I'll ever learn to use it!
Go here to see a Dombra in action:
Dombra Maker - Tilek
With the help of a bank loan, secured through Mercy Corps' Loan Guarantee Mechanism, Tilek is the proud owner of a successful local business, with two employees and strong local reputation for quality products. Since securing his loan, Tilek has also become a proud husband and father to two young children.
Before starting his own business the younger Tilek worked long hours based in the countryside for weeks at a time as a soldier in the army. The lifestyle was not great, and not at all suitable for a family man, but it was the only work available in the region and Tilek believes in earning his keep and providing for his family.
Tilek longed to start a family and was increasingly unable to cope with the stress of his army commitments. He wanted to start his own business making dombre - the Kazakh national instrument. He had been learning how to make the instrument since he was a small boy observing his father, and has a passion for crafting quality instruments. But to start a business he needed capital - to purchase equipment, and materials, and space to work. Tilek had no assets of value to secure a bank loan, and he was uneasy about getting into debt.
With the help of Mercy Corps, Tilek has been able to learn about running a business successfully and can see the advantages of the bank loan. He is steadily paying of his debt while making a healthy profit. When he began his business he had no idea about keeping records. After attending training with Mercy Corps staff Tilek is a vocal convert to the benefits of keeping financial records and budgeting. He proudly shows his books, with figures balanced and his budget, with savings for various stages of the future - savings for winter when sales go down, savings for building a new home, and savings for his children's education.
The benefits of the business are not limited to just Tilek and his family. With strong demand for his products Tilek has been able to hire two employees - one full time and one throughout summer. His employees are now earning an income and also learning how to make the instruments from Tilek.
Tsagaannuur - Mongol Rally Grants:
Tsagaannuur is a small village in far western Mongolia, right by the Mongolian-Russian border crossing. In times past the village was a thriving strategic base for Soviet - Mongolian trade.
Today, the village is home to 357 households, with a total of 3500 residents. This number has been rapidly decreasing in recent years as struggling families relocate to the aimag centre, or Ulaanbaatar, seeking better opportunities. There is no local industry and unemployment sits at 70%.
From time to time the village comes under the national Government radar for economic development. Currently just to the north of the village is a huge, barren area enclosed by a high security fence. Around a decade ago talk of a special economic zone began. A few years late the fence was built, and a few years on nothing else has changed.
The residents here are strategically located between the Russian border and aimag centre. They constantly feel like they are on the brink of change - if the economic zone was to take off, if the new road was to be finished, too many "ifs".
Tired of waiting for economic change, while more and more families are forced to leave ,local groups have applied for Mongol Rally grants to stimulate both their local economy, and more importantly, their local community.
The people of Tsagaannuur are hoping that these Mongol Rally funded grants will be just the start. Building on the foundation established through these community mobilisation projects, the residents can envisage a strong community with enough economic activity to sustain its families.
Children's Playground
In the yard of the Tsagaannuur school are a few scraps of metal, painted blue, forming some recognisable and some not-so-recognisable structures. There is clearly a slippery dip - too hot to use in summer, too cold in winter! And a broken see-saw.
Meanwhile, in the homes of Tsagaannuur there is a ready and waiting workforce of parents, currently unemployed. Some have skills in welding, carpentry and construction they have gained from stints in the aimag centre. Others have no had the opportunity to learn a trade, but they are willing to learn and keen to work.
A local group has applied for a Mongol Rally grant to pair these two seemingly unrelated groups in an effort to stimulate the local community as a means to stimulating the local economy.
By mobilising the community to plan, build and then maintain a playground for their children, a local community group is hoping to stimulate social cohesion, provide a service to the region's children, and lay a foundation for further economic development to combat the declining population and increasing unemployment.
The benefits of a project such as this go beyond the obvious benefits of somewhere for children to play and develop. Time formerly spent just with family members at home becomes time spent building, maintaining and enjoying a communal resource - building friendships and learning new skills. Communities develop pride in their public areas and through working with others are stimulated to move on to new ventures in the future.
Sewing Cooperative
The second grant application from Tsagaannuur is from a group of women hoping to establish a sewing and handcraft cooperative. Currently these women sew household items and clothing in their spare time meeting orders for local and nearby residents.
Zauresh is a mother of three grown up daughters. Her daughters all attend university; they return during the summer holidays, but during the long winter months Zauresh has many hours home alone. Zauresh works part time at the local hospital helping keep the books and with some other odd jobs as needed, but with long nights home alone she began meeting orders for sewn household items from her community to fill the time and earn some much needed extra income.
Zauresh can see big potential to expand her own sewing activities and as a result bring about many benefits for the wider community. She hopes to form a sewing cooperative comprised of local unemployed women to produce traditional Kazakh household items and handcrafts for tourists. Beyond the obvious economic benefits of an income source, Zauresh can see many more benefits. By working together the women can share their skills and learn from each other and also create a wider variety of products than they could working individually. Other benefits from working in a group include sharing resources, and very importantly for Zauresh, keeping each other company while forming strong social bonds.
With no business experience the group has applied for a grant to receive training from a successful sewing business in the aimag centre to teach them how to run a business, how to market their products, and improve their skills in production.
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