I am thinking about the children in dormitories in rural areas. Combined with the effects of last summer’s drought, they also had to brave the freezing conditions of a long winter. SDC decided to make a humanitarian contribution to alleviating the distress of these families to bring them some warmth and comfort.

And memories of the terrible earthquake in Turkey and Syria are also still vivid.

Acting quickly, Mongolia showed gestures of solidarity. Among other things, Mongolia provided 35 rescue specialists from the Urban Search and Rescue Team and two trained dogs.

They saved lives.

Through a past SDC project, these specialists received training through a partnership between SDC's Humanitarian Aid and NEMA. Throughout the entire situation, I enjoyed the transfer of Swiss knowledge and expertise to those who needed urgent help in affected parts of Turkey. This demonstrates that capacity building is not just an investment; beyond 1+1, it is actually the endless multiplication of knowledge transfer. That's why I'm personally convinced that money alone cannot bring about change. With love, willingness, and commitment in our hearts, the real agents of positive change are people. You will be able to read more about this in this newsletter.

I am glad there is also good news to share with you. Don’t miss the story about the Education for Sustainable Development project study tour. In front of a large audience at an international event on education in Geneva, Switzerland, Mongolia successfully demonstrated an approach to developing a sustainable curriculum for the country’s education system.

That is not all. Mongolia was also present in Switzerland with two films, "Trio" and "Harvest Moon". Read more about that in this issue.

I don't want to tell you everything, but I would like to draw your attention to two additional highlights.

Included in this edition is a personal story from one of our long-standing employees, Dugeree Zayasaikhan, about her experience with SDC. She is a seasoned specialist in education, training, and promoting small and medium-sized enterprises. Don’t miss it.

And last but not least, SDC is organizing the Past-Present-Future photo competition through cooperation between Mongolia and Switzerland. It is a special call for applications from young photographers. Registration is open until mid-May. An exhibit of the award-winning works will coincide with Swiss National Day, August 1, 2023.

As always, we are happy to receive your feedback. Enjoy the issue!

Stefanie Burri,

Head of Cooperation and Consul General