Australia Awards South and West Asia

Prompted by their Australia Awards experiences, a small team of Mongolians recently implemented the Buuvei Urtuu (nursing room) initiative to establish standardised and accessible mother-and-child nursing rooms in public areas in Mongolia. Two successful pilots have now led to a country-wide change.

This initiative began with the Women’s Leadership Program, which aims to enhance the leadership skills of young professionals who have completed master’s degrees in Australia (either with the support of an Australia Awards Scholarship or as self-funded students). The program was initiated by the Australian Government in partnership with the Zorig Foundation and is supported by Australia Awards – Mongolia.

Five of the participants who were selected for the 2023 cohort of the Women’s Leadership Program discovered that they shared similar experiences and aspirations for future impact. These like-minded individuals—Enkhjin Nergui (Master of Public Policy, the Australian National University, 2022), Erdenechimeg Ulziibayar (Master of Development Studies, the University of Melbourne, 2020), Erkhbileg Lkhagvasuren (Master of International Relations, Macquarie University, 2021), Gankhuyag Ganbold (Master of Science, Mineral Economics, Curtin University, 2021) and Munkh-Orgil Altannyam (Master of Economics and Public Policy, University of Queensland, 2020)—formed a team.

The team of alumni who participated in the project.

Beyond improving participants’ communication and leadership skills, the Women’s Leadership Program encourages graduates to implement a socially beneficial project for their country’s development. With this in mind, the new team set out to support women through a meaningful initiative, but initially weren’t sure where to start. Research led them to connect with Iim BolGoy (“Let’s Make It Happen”), a nonprofit organisation that advocates for respectful maternity care in Mongolia. Recognising their potential to support this mission, the team partnered with Iim BolGoy to tackle a pressing issue—addressing the scarcity and shortcomings of mother-and-child nursing rooms in Mongolia.

However, the team didn’t just want to furnish one specific space. To increase accessibility and inclusivity, they wanted to establish standardised nursing rooms in popular public areas and remote healthcare facilities. After thorough research, meetings and visits to various locations, they selected two key sites: Bogd Khan Mountain, a recreational area visited by up to 30,000 people daily, and Dari-Ekh General Hospital, located in Ulaanbaatar’s most-polluted ger area. (Ger is the Mongolian name for a yurt; most ger areas are not connected to water supplies or sewerage systems and experience air pollution caused by the burning of raw coal for cooking and heating.)

One of the team’s core objectives was to encourage multi-stakeholder involvement and foster social engagement. In this spirit, they collaborated with HOW Architecture LLC, which volunteered to design the project as part of its corporate social responsibility efforts.

Additionally, the team sought to engage young people in social initiatives, helping them develop a sense of responsibility. To do so, they launched an open call for volunteers to support an online campaign providing essential information for mothers and children. Four students studying in Hungary and Mongolia joined the initiative and actively contributed.

Over seven months, the team and their partners finalised the room design, selected locations, established partnerships, and launched their digital platform and campaign. In total, 17 individuals directly contributed to the project beyond the Women’s Leadership Program participants.

On 23 May 2024, the team successfully completed and handed over the first Buuvei Urtuu at Dari-Ekh General Hospital. This initiative received generous support from individuals and organisations. The team’s primary financial partner, the national baby diaper brand Tody, contributed by donating furniture and equipment for the room, as did Next Electronics. The Sleep Corner organised a workshop on children’s sleep for attending mothers, while GreenGate International LLC, Tody, Himalaya Mongolia and Busy Kids bookstore provided product samples as gifts.

The first Buuvei Urtuu (nursing room) at Dari-Ekh General Hospital in Bayanzurkh district.

The second room was completed on 29 June 2024 at a public restroom facility within a recreational area in Bogd Khan Mountain. This time, the team also included an accessible restroom for people with disability. Again, Next Electronics contributed furniture and equipment, while Tody provided financial support.

A key outcome of the Buuvei Urtuu initiative was the development of the first-ever standard guidelines for nursing rooms in Mongolia. Beginning in March 2024, the team held discussions with the Municipality of Ulaanbaatar and the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare over 10 months. On 26 January 2025, the Guideline for Planning Public Nursing Rooms was officially approved by the Citizens’ Representative Khural of Ulaanbaatar and is now applicable all over the country.

The second Buuvei Urtuu at a public restroom facility within a recreational area in Bogd Khan Mountain.

Although the Labor Law (2021) in Mongolia included provisions supporting nursing rooms, the absence of a clear model and standard hindered it being implemented effectively. Moving forward, the newly approved standard provides public and private organisations with clear guidelines for renovating existing nursing rooms and creating new ones.

This initiative, while tracing its genesis to Australia Awards, successfully brought together many individuals, companies and partners to benefit the future of Mongolia and its children. Building on these positive results and their shared vision, the team has committed to expanding this effort by establishing and equipping more nursing rooms in various locations.

Main image: Team members with Australia’s Ambassador to Mongolia at the launch of the Buuvei Urtuu initiative. (From left to right) Munkh-Orgil Altannyam, Enkhjin Nergui, H.E. Katie Smith, Erkhbileg Lkhagvasuren, Gankhuyag Ganbold and Erdenechimeg Ulziibayar.