The Gobi Women's Project, a nonformal distance education project in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia, provided the nomadic women of this area the opportunity to learn skills and practices necessary for survival under the new democratic system. The project has produced a number of beneficial outcomes for the women of Mongolia, their families, and the Gobi districts.

Overall, the project helped Gobi women survive and become more self-sufficient within the context of new political and economic circumstances. The women developed skills useful in generating income, as well as more efficiently using and recycling available resources.

Family and Community Involvement

Because the women were encouraged to involve their families in their daily activities, many of the men and children had roles in the project. A side effect of the crash courses was the high rate of male participation; for example, one man showed up at a meeting to take notes for his pregnant wife. Other men attending demonstrations and teaching sessions learned valuable skills, such as how to make a loom or a container for processing leather. Many men also showed interest in learning about family planning. Families participated throughout the project, and provided a great deal of support for their wives and mothers.

The courses and occasional group meetings provided the women with social interaction; because of the distances between families, any frequency of interaction had been nearly impossible. This type of contact, as well as visits from teachers, helped lessen the women's feelings of isolation.

Districts became extremely close-knit as a result of the high levels of local activity, including:

• the implementation of information centers;
  
• the organization of local markets and exhibitions; and
  
• the collaboration between neighboring districts.

The events and progress made within districts provided much information to discuss at meetings, among districts, and between individuals.

Quantifiable Outcomes and Future Impact

As a result of an evaluation of the Gobi Women's Project in November 1996, UNESCO and the government of Mongolia developed a follow-up project for family-based and youth education to be carried out between 1997-2000.

The project is an example of a successful distance education initiative implemented in a demographically vast and scattered country. Despite poor resources, communication, and transport, the Gobi Women's Project provided needed opportunities to nomadic women coping with the effects of political transition and a new set of rigorous demands.

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