“We moved to the city to find jobs and be closer to opportunities,” said Suren, one of thousands of Mongolians who in recent years have made the difficult transition from the countryside to life in Mongolia’s capital city - Ulaanbaatar. Several successive harsh winters have accelerated the pace of migration from rural Mongolia to the capital city.

On arrival, many new migrants find that they do not have the skills or knowledge needed to make a living in an urban environment. Suren herself discovered that she was considered too “old” for salaried employment. However, her daughter found work in a “sweatshop” to provide an income. One day, Suren found a flyer near a bus stop advertising the USAID-funded GER Initiative designed to provide business services to new migrants from the countryside, such as herself. After talking with GER Initiative advisors, her daughter was hired by a new sewing factory with much better working conditions.

“Since we connected with the GER Initiative, three members of my family now have jobs,” Suren said. “I am very happy that our life is getting better.”