In Mongolia, a single brutal winter can wipe out a family's herd, force them off the steppe, and pull a child out of school. Your donation trains rural students and teachers to study this chain reaction and design their own solutions to break it.
A dzud (a Mongolian winter disaster severe enough to kill off entire herds overnight) can destroy a herding family's livelihood in weeks. Families then migrate to Ulaanbaatar, straining overcrowded schools, while the rural schools they leave behind lose students and teachers. Climate change isn't abstract here, it's the reason a child may lose their education either way. Yet fewer than 3% of Mongolian university graduates study natural sciences, and rural schools have almost no climate education
Catalyst Students trains rural teachers and students together through a hands-on climate curriculum, then puts students in charge: teams of five design their own local climate project, manage their own budget, and pitch it for seed funding. Winning teams bring their work to a national conference in Ulaanbaatar, presenting to policymakers and partners for many, their first trip to the capital.
Since 2024, Teach For Mongolia's Catalyst Students has nearly doubled each year from 6 provinces, 10 schools, 270 students (2024-25) to 11 provinces, 15 schools, 484 students (2025-26), backed by 34 trained teachers and 20+ student-led projects. Participants also show 9.8% higher teamwork and 6% higher problem solving skills than non-participants vital for rural schools facing STEM teacher shortages.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
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