In 2014, we opened a social enterprise in Dalanzadgad, Mongolia. Four investors committed a soft loan of EUR 20,000. Since then, Battuul managed to setup an impactful and profitable learning center. In December, one of her investors, Dirk Reich, will receive back his loan of EUR 6,250. We talked to Battuul (below in the center) and investor Dirk Reich about this success.
Dirk Reich, Investor in Dalanzadgad Learning Center: Dirk, in July 2014 you have invested EUR 6.250 in Battuul’s learning center. Why? Battuul immediately convinced us with her strong personality and passion.
How did the learning center develop since then from your perspective? The learning center has developed faster than I would have expected. Battuul has managed to meet all challenges with lots of enthusiasm. One year ago, my daughter’s boyfriend spent some time in Mongolia and went for one week to the learning center – they were all very friendly and he was excited.
Today, you´re getting your money back. What do you wish for Battuul and her future? I wish her many positive experiences at home and travels to other learning centers and meetings with other like-minded people. BOOKBRIDGE is a unique movement and I wish it all the best.
Battuul Aleksandr, Community Hero at Dalanzadgad Learning Center: Battuul, you have just repaid the investment you have received for setting up your learning center. What was your motivation to do this? Since I was an English teacher or learned English it changed my life a lot. I really enjoyed learning English when I began to study it. Everything which was happened to me was related my English skills.
When I met Amar who is a country manager of BOOKBRIDGE Mongolia, I have already opened my Learning Center but at that time I bought just around 50 English books at my learning center. When he talked about BOOKBRIDGE and books it sounded so cool then I started my long journey. Since I established my learning center supported by BOOKBRIDGE, they set up full of books and shelves in every classroom. Books are amazing. Since its opening this is the fourth year. Now it is well known in the community and children know where it is and what happens there.
Parents want to send their children to my learning center. They satisfied what I do here. We did many free activities here and everyone who participated those activities enjoyed a lot. I think that our aim is not only teaching English we want our children to improve themselves and being active as well as grow with us using books and attending these activities at Bookbridge learning center.
I surely say that teaching and inspiring children make me feel energetic. I can see their improvements and changes. This is my motivation to do it and keep doing it everyday. I feel and know that after few years I can see them that how did they improve and change their life learning english with me here. I absolutely believe in them that they can do that.
What were your successes, what were your disappointments? Thinking about success makes me feel proud to be a member of BOOKBRIDGE. Everyone in this family teaches, cares and shares me what they do. This is not only my success, I fell that there is something different which motivate me to be best and keep going and keep teaching well.
For example, when I am attending AST, I say to myself that you should work hard and be strong to make a better future for my students and it requires me to be stand out. Also my country manager Amar and Tungaa as well as Uuganaa inspired me a lot. I am get on well each of them. I want to be the person who is reliable and responsible for them. But you know BEHIND successful woman is HERSELF.
What are your plans for the future? I have a big dream. I do all my best to make it happen. Soon my Learning Center will turn five years old. What a nice news, isn’t it? Sometimes my rooms look very tiny and there is not much space to do some fun activities. And it is so colorful. But it is good, too.
My dream is to have a big educational center in the next two years which teaches other languages except English. This center will have rail floors and big classrooms as well as a very nice spacious library. There will be a librarian. There will be 2-3 national and international teachers. It will look like an international schools where I have been there some years ago.
And I want to offer more courses such as TOEFL and IELTS which are international English testing exams. And I want to invite or hire ESL teachers. I can imagine it. If I think I can it will happen to me. I definitely think that Bookbridge and another investors can help me and do it together. One of my another plan is to travel at least one new country in every year. I really want to feel that what is my global family.