HAPPY CENTER

Inclusion is the heart of Peacebuilding

I firmly believe that inclusion is at the heart of peacebuilding. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, I worked with locals to build the capacity and funding of a small center for children with disabilities in Govi-Altai Mongolia. Happy Center was my first foray into inclusive peacebuilding practices - capacity building, empowerment, and encouragement to tackle the structural societal barriers that prevent persons with disabilities in Mongolia to fully exercise their human rights. 

Alongside the Children and Youth Development center, Happy Center officers expanded the center's programming to include meals and physical therapy alongside daily education services. Mongolia has come a long way to encourage the inclusion of all people within its society. Happy Center now boasts direct funding from the Provincial Government.

Happy Center students range from 3-18 years old, and have a variety of abilities - many of our students have Cerebral Palsy, thus the physical therapy program. In 2016, students competed in Mongolia's Western Regional Special Olympic Games and won a few medals!

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Due to the wide disbursement of people in the countryside, Happy Center officers decided to create two manuals to distribute to parents and caregivers of children with disabilities. We wanted to share the expertise that can be found in the capital Ulaanbaatar - techniques for PT, lesson plans and development charts to help those who cannot afford to travel the 1000+ km to the capital. 2,000 copies the manuals were printed, and are still used by Peace Corps Volunteers and locals alike. 

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I even brought the manuals to the State Department and talked with Judy Heumann on the work Peace Corps is doing in Mongolia.

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