Mongolia… the land of Genghis Khan and rolling green hills, is for most of us somewhere over the horizon, a distant land, in a galaxy far, far away… well it’s 15,000KM from the Brussels, the ‘capital of Europe’. A road less travelled, not to mention a road travelled in a car! What sort of person would undertake such an adventure? That is what we want to find out.

Go Help is a charity based in the UK that organises the rallies to Mongolia, they work on a number of projects out there, ranging from mobile libraries to the ‘Child Protection Programme’ with Save the Children. The aim of this project is to:

1.    Provide direct services to street and marginalized children in Ulaanbaatar.

2.    Raise public awareness on child protection with a focus on positive childrearing.

3.    Build capacity of local professionals and agencies in protecting children.

4.    To advocate with the national and local government in Ulaanbaatar and Dornod for developing child protection policies.

The Save the Children Drop-in Centre is a place where street kids and others escaping a hostile home environment, abuse, or neglect can go for a hot meal, counselling, and a supportive and nurturing atmosphere. This resource for the street children was made possible in part from funds raised by the Mongolia Charity Rally in 2008. It’s a place where the kids can socialize, air out their problems, and participate in esteem-building activities. Arts and crafts are a therapeutic way for these children to deal with their situation.

The Drop in Centre has a kitchen to help provide good nutrition, and a conference room where children meet with counselors and can get advice, air out their concerns in a confidential and personal setting. Many of these children have been victimized or abused. Alcoholism runs rampant here in Mongolia, and it results in a hostile home environment. Having a place to go where someone who cares will listen to them is a key component to giving these children a sense of normalcy and support.

As professional cameramen, we intend to document the rally as participants in the rally itself with interviews and stories from the other ralliers, intertwined with our own story, adventure and whatever hardships we encounter.

It might be worth noting that both of us can only get three weeks off work. 15,000km… 3 weeks… no pressure!