Australian Youth Ambassador for Development (AYAD), Rebecca King, recently had her first experience with field work research in Jargalant soum, in Tov aimag Mongolia.

In line with the in-country strategy of the Swiss Development Corporation (SDC), the primary objective of the research undertaken on this trip was to conduct a baseline survey of both a representative and non-representative sample of SDC beneficiary households. The SDC’s overall goal is to contribute to equitable and sustainable social and economic development in Mongolia. SDC interventions are focused on: (1) Agriculture and Food Security; (2) Vocational Education and Training; and (3) State Reform, Local Governance and Civic Participation. IRIM was contracted to develop and maintain a monitoring system to measure the results of the Swiss Cooperation Strategy 2013-16, which requires a complementary external survey.

Experiencing the challenges regularly faced by Independent Research Institute of Mongolia (IRIM) staff, Rebecca was able to get a unique insight in to survey research practices in this remote location. By encouraging her to engage with the survey process, IRIM staff introduced Rebecca to best-practices when working with local herders and enabled her to experience a unique aspect of Mongolian culture.