Why a crowdfund campaign?
For each person in the photo below.
This is not just a random selection of photos put together. Each person or family represented here is someone we provide long-term support to through the trips we run in Mongolia. And each person below has been impacted by Covid-19.
We’re more than just a standard tour company focusing on profit. We’re a registered social travel enterprise and look to make sure we work responsibly within tourism and that our work benefits the local people and communities of Mongolia as much as it benefits our guests and us as a business. We focus on creating local community partnerships that offer long-term support to local people, families and Mongolian projects – encouraging their own sense of enterprise.
The money we are raising is not to cover wages. It is not for covering our running or operating costs. It is not to pay the bills. All that we have done or are doing through our own savings and overdrafts (we don’t qualify for loans or grants). The fundraising money is to provide an element of support during these challenging times.
Our Rewards
We have put together a range of, what we hope, are great rewards suited for a range of budgets as well as the option of just making a donation or turning your donation into a gift voucher. We also have pledges with a charitable element to help us spread our support further. Here’s an overview with more details below.
Mongolia’s literary heritage has been greatly influenced by its nomadic oral traditions. Enjoy learning about Mongolia’s stories, legends and proverbs in our exclusive PDF guide written by Jess specifically for our Covid campaign.
A limited-edition silver ring engraved with a Mongolian khulan will be created for you by the Mongolian artist Tsagaana to help raise awareness & funds for the work of Association Goviin Khulan which works to protect the threatened Mongolian khulan & its natural habitat in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert. The ring represents a Mongolian khulan with a water hole created by the khulan – Mongolian khulan are known to dig holes at dry water points and river beds to access to water located underground and drink. Other species (wild and domestic) also use these water holes to drink when open water points are too rare in the Gobi Desert. This specific behaviour illustrates the importance of the Mongolian khulan in the Gobi ecosystem.
Marios Forsos is a travel & special assignment photographer & educator who believes that photography is, above all, a learning experience – a voyage of discovery. Marios was a guest of EL during his time in western Mongolia in late autumn 2019 where he spent time living with two of the Kazakh eagle hunters that we work in long-term local community partnership with. He captured their daily life and that of their family as well as their relationship with their magnificent golden eagles. In his words: ‘I never expected such a harsh – but very beautiful – country to have some of the warmest & most hospitable people I’ve ever met. Or that spending time with the families of the eagle hunters literally defies explanation or description.’
Enjoy learning about Mongolia’s culture in our exclusive 54-page PDF guide introducing different aspects of Mongolia’s culture. This guide has been written by Jess specifically for our Covid campaign. Includes an introduction to Buddhism in Mongolia, an introduction to Mongolia’s music scene as well as recommended books & films. ** We’ll send you the PDF link by email.**
