My Mongolian Experience
The government of the province of Töv wants to introduce a quality management system based on ISO 9001. A departure scheduled for mid-June. So three weeks of intense preparation. Indeed, they use the Cyrillic alphabet and English is practically not used in the region. It is therefore highly recommended to have Mongolian training translated before departure. Moreover, the MERIT team gives us constant support to achieve this goal.
After a long journey (Montreal-Paris-Seoul-Ulaanbaatar), we arrived at the international airport of Genghis Khan, this great conqueror who has become over the centuries a national hero. The next day, a warm welcome at the CESO office. One-day training about the MERIT program, the economic, social and cultural context of Mongolia. Very convenient!
Then, departure to Zuunmod, capital of the province of Töv, and located about 100 km from the national capital Ulaanbaatar. Already we discover the two sides of Mongolia: the intense traffic of UB, then the ger (yurts in which the Mongolian nomadic families live ) and the steppes as far as the eye can see on the way to Zuunmod. Here, hundreds of animals (goats, sheep, horses, camels, yaks …) live in the pastures. The population of Mongolia is about three million and an estimated population of about 40 million!
First a meeting with the head of government, Mr. Sarangerel and the director of the evaluation department, monitoring and internal inspection, Ms. Javzanpagma to understand their needs.
The training will be given in small groups of 10 to 15 people for a total of 41 women and 27 men.
A presentation of the theoretical principles in the morning and a workshop in the afternoon. The participation of the people was remarkable and these workshops make it possible to really better understand and put into practice the ISO 9001 standard.
The city of Zuunmod with a population of about 80,000 is very peaceful. A small museum introduces us to the local history and the prehistoric and current fauna of Mongolia.
On the last Friday, Mr. Sarangerel organizes a visit with a nomadic family. We leave accompanied by the directors and directors of the various government departments.
After 10 km of road, we arrive at a village that is called Mongolian Sum. A small population of 2,000 inhabitants but very well organized: bank, daycare, schools and residences for children of nomadic families … Then we travel another 10 km to reach a group of gers.
Following a warm welcome, we go to the meal: “khorkhog” prepared by cooking the mutton with hot rocks … absolutely delicious. Here, the family will move with all its equipment as soon as the pasture will not be enough to feed a herd of several hundred goats … thus goes the life when one is nomadic!
Mongolia, people to meet, a country and a culture to discover.
So, thanks to CESO, the MERIT team and these warm Mongolians for this wonderful opportunity.
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