Zorig Foundation


Zorig Foundation is a Mongolian non-profit, non-governmental organization established in October 1998 after the assassination of Mongolian pro-democracy politician Zorig Sanjaasuren. The Zorig Foundation seeks to spread democratic values in Mongolian society; strengthen human rights, and social justice; as well as improve the system of transparency and accountability of the government to the public. In order to meet the above objectives, the Zorig Foundation concentrates its programs in three areas: Youth and Education, Good Governance, and Community Building.

Early history

Zorig Sanjaasuren was a prominent Mongolian politician and leader of the country's 1990 democratic revolution. He is called the "Golden Magpie of Democracy". He was murdered in 1998 and yet still his murder remains unsolved. After his death, his sister Oyun entered politics and founded the Civil Will Party along with the Zorig Foundation.

Mission

The foundation aims to spread democratic values in the society, strengthening human rights, freedom and social justice, and promoting transparency. The foundation identifies three broad areas of focus in order to complete the principal objectives aforementioned. The areas are Good Governance, Youth and Education, and Community Development. A number of project initiatives are undertaken by Zorig Foundation to promote the three components around Mongolia.

Good governance

Background

The good governance programs aim to improve the system of transparency and accountability of the government to the public. Since 1998, Zorig Foundation has implemented numerous anti-corruption, monitoring, and accountability projects. Currently, they have a project on the oral histories of the democratic revolution of 1990 to record firsthand accounts from key players of the democratic revolution.

Projects: Past and Present

In a concerted effort to promote lawful action and discourage corruption, the Zorig Foundation has at multiple times embarked on monitoring projects to curb lawlessness in government.
Monitoring was done on customs office operations in Altanbulag, Zamiin-Uud and Ulaanbaatar /2006/
Conducted monitoring of Government scholarships and loans for university students /2007/
Conducted monitoring on the spending of donations on disaster relief /2008/

Youth and education

Background

Zorig Foundation's projects in Youth and Education revolve around their provision of numerous scholarships and programs varying from domestic scholarships, to university students, to educational programs for young professionals and school-age children, reskilling programs for marginalized youth. The Foundation implements numerous Scholarship Programs aimed at helping academically talented students from financially disadvantaged families obtain higher education degrees. Another example is the School Pairing Program; under this joint Ulaanbaatar/Denver Sister Cities Committee program, high schools began a series of exchanges involving both students and teachers in four American and Mongolian communities, with the primary goal of promoting cross-cultural awareness and understanding between Mongolians and Americans. Zorig Foundation also runs development programs for young professionals. The two most notable of these programs is the and the .

Scholarships

The Zorig Foundation provides scholarships to Mongolian students studying domestically. Each scholarship is provided through a partnership with the Foundation and various organizations and companies, such as Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Rio Tinto and The Asia Foundation seeking to fund students' education. Zorig Foundation establishes, manages and selects students.

Community development

Background

Zorig Foundation's Community Development programs aim to assist low-income and vulnerable groups in Mongolia. Their projects mainly focus on empowering the urban poor of Ulaanbaatar. Projects range from improving access to social services to helping create a better sense of community for residents.

Projects

The Head of the Foundation is S. Oyun, a prominent Mongolian politician who is also the Director of External Affairs at Green Climate Fund. Its current Executive Director is Maralmaa Munkh-Achit. The full board of directors is as follows:
Oyun S. Head of Zorig Foundation;
Badamdamdin R. Former Member of Parliament;
Badamdash D. CEO, Mongolian Airlines Group;
Batbayar N. Member of Parliament;
Batbold S. Member of Parliament;
Bayartsogt S. Member of Parliament;
Medree B. Vice President, Mongolian Bankers Association;
Otgonbayar Ch. Head of the Foundation for the Empowerment of Rural Women;
Chimeddorj T. Senior Diplomatic Officer;
Sukhjargalmaa D. Independent Advisor;
Enkhtuya O. Country Director, The Nature Conservancy.
The Foundation also has an auditing board in order to ensure the transparency of the organization. Its members are as follows:
Bold M. CEO, TenGer Financial Group;
Solongo J. Director of Mongolian Cinema Company;
Sukhbaatar D. CEO, Susan Ltd.