For struggling Mongolian families, the idea of a college education can seem very remote—even impossible.

The Objective of the 21|21 Initiative is to locate 21 service clubs in the US to partner with Friends of Mongolia (FOM) in providing a full-tuition scholarship to a student from every province in Mongolia by the 2025-2026 academic year. It’s an achievable goal for us and our potential partners at around $1,400—$1,900 per year/student.

Often, students will come to universities with overwhelming debt or the guilt of their family’s sacrifice. Students will often attempt to work full-time jobs or multiple part-time jobs to pay off debt or send money back to their families in the countryside for basic necessities. Many times herder families will have to sell off part of their herd to come up with tuition fees. In Mongolia, the average income is about $390 per month, making a college education hard to come by without a great deal of sacrifice.

FOM, in partnership with Matthew Girvin’s family, has offered annual, full-tuition, scholarships for 10 students from the countryside for more than 10 years. These scholarships are awarded on needs and merit. We have a team of 5 Mongolian volunteers who carefully screen, evaluate, and interview applicants, ensuring they meet the intent and requirements prescribed by the Girvin family. This year, we received the largest number of applications ever, over 240, for only 5 positions. We are eager to expand our impact and support students with varying professional interests from all provinces of Mongolia.

It's an outsized opportunity to bring education to a deserving Mongolian at just $1,400 per year/student.  

Download 21|21 Brochure