Positive Changes Resulting From ESEL Training

When we are no longer financially dependent on others, our self-confidence grows, we feel stronger, and our dreams expand each day,” said Ts. Azzaya and B. Galtsogt, students at the Lifelong Learning Center in Must soum, Khovd province. This husband and wife duo are beneficiaries of the “Entrepreneurship-Focused Socio-Emotional Skills for the Most Vulnerable Youth in Rural Mongolia” project and are the proud owners of Yalalt Cake House, a local coffee shop.

Ts. Azzaya shared how she and her husband, B. Galtsogt, participated in the training and activities offered by the project, highlighting the positive changes in her personal development and life. Teacher B. Nyamtsetseg, from the Lifelong Learning Center in Must soum, Khovd province, informed Azzaya about a personal development training course. In the spring of 2021, Azzaya enrolled in the ESEL course. The training was engaging and though the topics seemed familiar, they felt entirely new and highly relevant to everyday life. It offered practical lessons that were not taught in school. Encouraged by her own experience, Azzaya convinced her husband to join the ESEL blended learning program in the fall of 2022.

Azzaya recalled, “My husband and I were inspired by the ESEL training, which led us to start looking for a business idea when the ‘Entrepreneur Seeds’ subgrant competition was announced in March 2022. We submitted our proposal for the ‘Healthy Life’ project and were selected for funding. The judges recommended that we proceed with our project after obtaining official licenses to teach yoga. I was excited to become a yoga instructor and sign a contract to implement our project. However, the tuition fee to become a licensed yoga teacher was 3 million MNT, and due to financial constraints, I couldn’t afford the training. But we didn’t give up.”

Although their family was unable to implement their first project, they decided to try again with a new proposal. Previously, Azzaya had used the 50,000 MNT from their Parental Support Allowance to purchase cake-making equipment, set up a small ger provided by their brother-in-law, and began baking 20-30 cupcakes a day. They sold them at the soum shop, earning about 20,000-30,000 MNT. This small business sparked the idea for their next project proposal.

In 2023, the “Entrepreneur Seeds” subgrant competition was announced once again. Azzaya, along with her husband and friends, submitted a proposal for their new venture, “Yalalt Cake House,” named after their son. Their proposal was selected, and they received small business funding. The soum Counsel, formed as part of the project, provided them with premises for their business. The owners of “Yalalt” coffee shop believe that the personal development training and financial support provided by the “Entrepreneurship-Focused Socio-Emotional Skills for the Most Vulnerable Youth in Rural Mongolia” project gave them the opportunity to build a strong foundation for their business.

Now the future is in our hands, and we are working tirelessly to build it,” they said. In 2023, Yalalt Cake House earned approximately 1 million MNT on Children’s Day.

Azzaya added, “Just as my son Yalalt is growing and getting bigger each day, our business is also expanding with the support of the ‘Entrepreneurship-Focused Socio-Emotional Skills for the Most Vulnerable Youth in Rural Mongolia’ project team, mentors, and the soum Counsel.