Dzud relief going to Mongolia

One of the things I was coordinating before I left California was getting relief supplies to Mongolia. The Mongolian community in the San Francisco Bay Area was extremely helpful in getting donations organized and sent to Ulaanbaatar at a greatly reduced price.

Tsolmon's Tailor Shop in Fairfield was especially helpful in collecting clothing, toys, and other items for delivery.The hardest part of this was getting a reasonable shipping price as a few calls to commercial carriers proved that using their services would be prohibitively expensive. That's where the Mongolian community came to the rescue. I learned from the Golden Gate Friends of Mongolia that there were monthly shipments that were going to Ulaanbaatar. Organized by local Mongolians, boxes are shipped in bulk to Ulaanbaatar in a cargo container. Once they arrive, families are called to collect the packages relatives sent from the US. The cost for the boxes we sent: $50 which was a great deal cheaper than the $650 per box that a commercial shipper wanted.We're still continuing to collect items and hopefully there will be regular shipments. It's not only the dzud that causes the need.

I'd like to offer a very special thanks to Ono Ganzorig for helping us find a shipping solution. This would not have been possible without her valuable help.

If you'd like to donate funds to ensure Go Help's involvement in this effort please make a donation here.