In a country with a shortage of essential educational facilities, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – District of Alaska is overseeing the design and construction of kindergartens to improve the lives of children in Mongolia.

Over the past three years, the district has partnered with the U.S. Embassy and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command to improve educational opportunities for more than 300 students throughout Mongolia.

In 2019 alone, kindergartens were built in the communities of Baruunturuun Soum, Uvs; Erdenetsagaan Soum, Sukhbaatar; Sainshand, Dornogovi; and Sukhbaatar, Selenge.

Most new schools are in underserved areas where the existing infrastructure was built before the existence of the Mongolian building code.

“The new kindergartens focus on improving the living conditions of Mongolians in poor urban centers, while providing a model of low-cost, highly efficient structures that can be applied anywhere in Mongolia to reduce fuel and power consumption,” said Rebecca Rosenquist, project manager.

Humanitarian aid

School delivery is aided by the district’s humanitarian assistance program, which serves as a tool for diplomacy as it shapes and strengthens relationships between the United States and its allies.

“These projects strengthen relationships, build trust and open doors to more partnership opportunities, while making the United States the ‘partner of choice’ for security cooperation,” said Dave Hurley, officer liaison of the US Army Corps of Engineers with the US Indo-Pacific Command. .

To design and build the kindergartens, the district and its partners coordinate and plan the projects with advice from other agencies.

For example, the Embassy is working closely with the Mongolian Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Sports to identify high priority locations where kindergartens are needed so that the district can prepare, design and build schools in desired areas.

“The U.S. government wants to provide sustainable buildings for Mongolia, and it is helping to improve Mongolian building standards by providing more energy-efficient structures,” Rosenquist said. “The District of Alaska ensures that kindergartens are built to Mongolian building standards and commissioned by local authorities.”

Each school is built by local contractors, offering businesses and skilled workers the opportunity to learn how to develop and build low-cost, highly efficient structures on their own.

“American kindergartens are considered by Mongolians to be THE standard, a testament to American engineering, design and quality,” said Lt. Col. Philip Luu, senior defense official of the U.S. Embassy in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. “In fact, the Mongolian Minister of Construction visited a kindergarten and asked the US Army Corps of Engineers to help the ministry improve design and construction standards for Mongolia.”

Design and effects

The kindergartens are equipped with a minimum of two classrooms and an office for the teachers. Classrooms include an instruction area, sleeping area, changing room and restrooms.

All schools also include upgraded heating systems as previous buildings had outdated heating systems that were not conducive to Mongolia’s climate which reaches minus 40 degrees in winter.

As a world expert in cold climate engineering, the district designs each kindergarten with centralized heating and various insulation materials designed to withstand extreme temperatures.

“Central heating creates a safe and comfortable environment for children to play, study, sleep and eat,” Luu said.

Each school also operates as an energy-efficient building by reducing energy consumption as well as improving air quality and living conditions for all who use the facility.

“Reducing energy consumption lowers the cost of operating kindergartens and improves environmental quality in Mongolia by reducing the use of coal for heating,” Rosenquist said.

In addition to heating improvements, these educational institutions have a multitude of positive effects on students, communities, and government relations, as America’s kindergartens “outshine and outlast” all kindergartens. existing children in Mongolia, according to Luu.

“The new kindergartens reduce pressure on existing kindergartens, improve the learning environment and improve the teacher-student ratio,” Luu said. “The kindergartens also demonstrate to communities and governments the United States’ commitment to helping Mongolia.”

Currently, two additional kindergartens, located in Dadal and Ulaangom, are in the design phase and are expected to be constructed in 2022.

“The greatest thing about building these kindergartens in Mongolia is that it’s an undeniable sign of the United States’ willingness to help other countries,” Luu said. “And what better way to help another country than to help the children of that country get an education?”