At a glance
- Work in disadvantaged kindergartens or care centres supporting teachers and caregivers.
- Focus on early childhood development and English, using a variety of activities to help kids reach development milestones.
- You will also have the opportunity to work with children who have special needs.
Is volunteer work with children in Mongolia right for me?
This project is perfect for anyone who loves working with children. You can put your time and energy toward a good cause and help little ones who are eager to learn, play, and explore. This experience will help you a great deal if you’re planning on a career in childcare.
You don’t need experience to join. Our trained staff are with you every step of the way. They will give you ideas and advice if you need it. We also hold regular workshops for all our Childcare volunteers, where you can share ideas and work through any problems.
In Mongolia, you’ll also learn skills like planning and teamwork. These are great additions to your CV and can be applied to any career you pursue. Use the experience to give your application an edge, or talk about it in interviews.
This program runs throughout the year. You can join at any time and stay as long as you like.
What will I do on this project?
You'll be based in one of our partner kindergartens or day care centres. You can also work at a placement for children with special needs.
Here’s a glimpse into what you will do:
- Teach children to read, write, and count in English
- Improve the learning environment
- Improve the quality of life for children with special needs
- Encourage best hygiene practices
Your work will focus on the following areas:
Teach children to read, write, and count
A key part of our Childcare Project is to give children the building blocks needed to learn English. You will create fun, engaging and educational activities for the children. You can do things like singing a song about the ABCs, or using a rhyme with gestures to count from one to 10.
This time is perfect to also observe the progress of each child, which is part of your role. You will note areas of improvement and areas that need work. These observations will be added to our Global Impact Database which monitors each child’s progress.
Improve the learning environment
When they are young, the social, physical and cognitive development of children is crucial. You will focus on boosting these areas through games, activities, and a colourful environment.
Put crayons to good use as you make flashcards, or intricately piece together recycled items to create a mobile of our galaxy. Well-thought-out activities like these will stimulate a child’s brain, and encourage a love for learning.
The best thing about your efforts? The resources you create will be used by staff and future volunteers long after you’ve left.
Improve the quality of life for children with special needs
You can choose to work with children who have special needs. You will support local caregivers and help teach and look after the children. You will focus on activities like feeding children, teaching basic English, and providing stimulation.
For work at this placement, we will guide and support you as best we can.
Encourage best hygiene practices
Part of your role will involve making sure that all children practice good hygiene every day. They need to brush their teeth properly, and wash their hands before meals and after using the bathroom. You’ll use a hygiene checklist to ensure children are doing everything they’re supposed to.
Where in Mongolia will I be working?
Ulaanbaatar
Depending on your interests, you will work at a kindergarten, daycare centre, or a centre for children with special needs.
Some of our kindergartens are understaffed, with about 30 children to one teacher. These placements always need extra hands to assist with daily tasks.
You may also work in a centre for young children with special needs. Many of the children here come from single-parent families. Your help means that single mothers can work during the day, knowing their children are in a safe environment.
You will do volunteer work with children in Mongolia’s largest city, Ulaanbaatar, and live with a local host family. The city is filled with Soviet-style high-rise blocks and traditional tents known as gers. Outside of the city, you’ll find nomadic families scattered across the vast Mongolian Steppe.
A typical day on the Childcare Project
After breakfast and morning chatter with your host family, you will walk or take a bus to your placement.
A typical day in Mongolia runs from about 9am - 5pm each day, Monday to Friday.
On arrival, you will help young children eat their breakfast. Then you will start activities like singing songs, teaching English, and playing games.
After lunch, children take a nap for two hours starting at 1.30pm and ending at 3:30pm. You can use this time to help staff plan for the following day, or work on your own activities. After nap time, you will help with more activities, before the children go home.
At the end of a full day of childcare work, you can either meet up with other volunteers, relax at your host family’s home, or explore Mongolia by night.
Weekends in Mongolia are the time to relax and explore the country’s vast plains and history. You can visit the nomads, learn about Chinggis Khan, or plan a tour through the Gobi Desert. With so much to do and see, each moment in Mongolia is precious!
What are the aims and impact of this project?
The aim of this project is to support early childhood development and education in Mongolia. Projects Abroad has elected not to work with children in orphanages in Mongolia, but rather to focus on community-based programmes that allow children to remain within their families.
Our community-based partner placements in Mongolia are understaffed and have large groups of disadvantaged children attending. They need volunteers to support their work, and to help more children reach developmental milestones for their age.
Our work with special needs children is also important. Staff need extra pairs of helping hands to care for the children and improve their quality of life. Your efforts here will also help support families. One of the special needs placements we work with cares for children from single-parent families while their mothers are at work. We also do outreach work at homes, helping families care for children with special needs.
We have identified five goals in our Childcare Management Plan to guide our work in Mongolia:
- Promote early childhood development
- Improve hygiene levels of the children
- Improve English
- Improve the quality of life for children with special needs
- Improve the level of stimulation of each child
Experience a volunteer opportunity with children in Mongolia and help us work towards these long-term goals.
Management plans
We set out the aims and objectives of our projects in documents called Management Plans. We use them to properly plan the work you’ll do. They also help us measure and evaluate our achievements and impact each year.
Ultimately, our Management Plans help us make our projects better. This in turn means you get to be part of something that makes a real impact where it’s needed. Read more about our Management Plans.
Measuring our impact
Our projects work towards clear long-term goals, with specific annual objectives. Every volunteer and intern we send to these projects helps us work towards these goals, no matter how long they spend on our projects.
Every year we take a step back and look at how much progress we've made towards these goals. We put together a Global Impact Report, which documents our achievements. Find out more about the impact our global community of volunteers, interns and staff make, and read the latest report.
Food and accommodation
You'll stay with a host family in Ulaanbaatar. They will welcome you into their home, eager to share their customs and have you teach them about your own culture. We believe that this is the best way to immerse yourself in the culture of Mongolia and have a truly unique experience.
We will always try to let you live alongside at least one other Projects Abroad volunteer or intern at the same host family. Your room will be modest, but comfortable, clean, and safe.
Your programme fee includes three meals a day.
Find out more about our accommodation.
Leisure activities and free time
Mongolia is one of the most remote countries in the world. Volunteering here is a chance to experience a completely different way of life.
Our projects are based in Ulaanbaatar, the country’s capital. This city is an eclectic mix of modern and traditional. The Government Palace is a perfect example of this, with it’s old-world style architecture and glowing blue and gold lights.
Even when you’re in the city, you’re never far from the countryside. Just a quick trip can take you out to a nomad settlement, where you can meet travelling families who live in traditional gers. We recommend going on a horse ride or trek to take in the beauty of the endless countryside horizons.
The famous statue of Genghis Khan is a must-see. You can also learn about the country’s history at the National Museum of Mongolia.
We run a range of different projects in Mongolia so there will likely be other volunteers in the country with you. So you can travel alone or explore the country with a group of like-minded new friends.
Safety and staff support
Your safety and security is our prime concern. We have many procedures and systems to ensure you have the support you need to enjoy your trip with peace of mind. Our Projects Abroad staff are available 24 hours a day to help, and will be on hand to make sure you settle in well at your accommodation and placement. If you encounter any problems, they will be available to help at any time.
Find out more about safety and backup.
This placement is fully researched, safety audited, and risk assessed in accordance with the British Standard BS8848 for the Adventure Travel Sector.
Meet the team in Mongolia
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