Counselor and Psychological “Coach”

– Her Dream of Guiding Others to Success Began at an Early Age –

As part of the “Entrepreneurship-Focused Socio-Emotional Skills for the Most Vulnerable Youth in Rural Mongolia” project, implemented by Save the Children, business coaches are working across five provinces. One of these coaches is Ch.Narantuya, who works with secondary school students in the Sumber and Shiveegobi soums of Gobisumber province. She also works with students from the Lifelong Learning Center, the provincial Polytechnic College, and the Entrepreneur Club’s youth members. Additionally, Ch.Narantuya collaborates closely with the project’s Aimag and Soum Level Counsels, ESEL program teachers, and the “School-Based Enterprise” project team.

She developed her passion for guiding others to success at an early age. Born and raised during the challenging times of the transition to market economy, she began working at an early age, selling chewing gum at the Sumber train station. This experience instilled in her the value of hard work and the belief that every child should dream big and work tirelessly to achieve those dreams. This is why she seized the opportunity to become a coach, helping guide children toward success.

Ch.Narantuya graduated from three universities and earned a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. She began her career with the “Sustainable Livelihoods-II” project, one of the first large international projects implemented in Mongolia. She also served as the local representative of Mercy Corps Mongolia, an international NGO. Through these roles, she gained valuable knowledge and experience.

“When I was young, children would cling to the steps of passenger trains to board, selling food to passengers to earn money for their livelihood. It was a dangerous and risky practice, with many children suffering injuries, losing limbs, or even losing their lives. Children from impoverished neighborhoods were often drawn into crimes like theft and robbery, with some even taking a wrong path. There was no organization or individual to protect the rights of these children. Thankfully, we have moved past those difficult times. Today, a system to protect children’s rights has been established and strengthened in Mongolia, and is now guaranteed by law. Today, children are provided with all the necessary conditions for learning and development. However, we need to help adolescents, children, and young people reject the “entitlement mentality”, encouraging them to become more independent and equipping them with practical skills,” said coach Narantuya.

She decided to become a business coach because she was drawn to the “Entrepreneurship-Focused Socio-Emotional Skills for the Most Vulnerable Youth in Rural Mongolia” project from the start. While the project focuses on enhancing the capacity of adolescents and young people, it also allows stakeholders to develop, learn, and grow together. What makes this project unique is that it teaches children and young people to respect one another, listen and understand others, organize the work process effectively, and collaborate as a team. When the project first began, without a business coach, there was little interest in writing projects in remote rural soums, with only 1-2 projects being supported at the provincial level. However, since the business coach started working in the five target provinces in 2022, the number of supported projects has increased dramatically, demonstrating the significance of the business coach’s involvement.

Narantuya proudly said, “It is a big responsibility to provide guidance to all students in grades 8-12 at general secondary schools in the target soums of Gobisumber province, students at the Polytechnic College, and youth from the Lifelong Learning Center to grow, develop business ideas, plan their finances, implement projects in teams, and participate in project activities.”

She works closely with project stakeholders and teachers/ counselors to help young people participating in the ESEL program explore their potential and manage their time more effectively. Additionally, she focuses on instilling a business mindset in children and young people, building their skills in budgeting, teamwork, writing and presenting project proposals, and fostering persistence until they see the results of their efforts. When Narantuya began working as a business coach for Gobisumber province in 2022, only four project proposals were submitted for the first subgrant competition, and just one was selected and received a subgrant.

Today, 58 projects have been selected, received funding through seven subgrant programs, and are being successfully implemented. There is no doubt that business coach Narantuya played a significant role in this success. The children were also inspired and are now preparing to participate in the next subgrant competitions by forming many new teams. While not all of the teams’ business ideas were implemented, Narantuya did not discourage their enthusiasm. Instead, she coached them on how to modify their project proposals, making them suitable and feasible for securing funding.

She helped them understand the challenges they would face, outlined what they needed to learn before participating in the subgrant competition, and prepared their mindset to handle the possibility of not receiving funding without losing motivation. As a result, the children learned to participate competitively, accept feedback effectively, and strive to improve their project proposals without fear of failure.

To date, business coach Narantuya has provided information and training to over 1,000 children through the ESEL program and has worked with 115 teams of children and youth who developed new project ideas, 58 of which have received subgrants.

These 58 projects have attracted over 170 million MNT in investment for the local province and are being successfully implemented. She is also supporting the development of business plans, as well as quarterly and annual plans and reports, for the general secondary school in Sumber soum, which is running a “School-Based Enterprise.”

 The challenges she faced growing up motivated her to become a coach who guides young people toward success. Her colleagues recognize her as a pioneer of major projects that have instilled the spirit of entrepreneurship, business coaching, and mentorship in the community, while also emphasizing their importance.

Business coach Narantuya has set a goal to work as a qualified business consultant and coach, not just locally, but on a national scale.

B.Shurenchimeg, Project Officer (Govisumber)