How Donations from Church Members Are Changing the Future for 100,000 Students in Mongolia

In Sainshand, Mongolia, the capital city of the Dornogovi province in the Gobi Desert, local government leaders and school principals gathered on September 15, 2025, to receive a donation of Chromebook laptops enabled by charitable donations from members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Funds from these donations are used to organize humanitarian projects in Mongolia.

“Because of [members of the Church of Jesus Christ’s] donations, we were able to help these many children — to see smiling faces and the light in their eyes because they are anxious to learn new things,” said Purevjargal Dorj, executive director for humanitarian initiatives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Mongolia.

Elder Neil L. Andersen, an Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, helped facilitate the donation of these Chromebooks to schools in Mongolia. The effort was prompted by a request from Batbayar Ulziidelger, Mongolia’s ambassador to the United States and a friend of Elder Andersen.

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“[Ambassador Ulziidelger] said in Ulaanbaatar they could figure out how to learn English, and they have the tools [necessary], but in these provinces, they need help. They need a way to study online,” Elder Andersen said. “They need electronic features. It’s been a great blessing to so many communities. It is filling a real need.”

At the donation ceremony in Sainshand, nearly 240 Chromebooks were provided to 17 schools, each school receiving 14, in this remote region of the country.

“I see this as a much-needed and timely help and gift for the students,” said Surenkhuu Altankhuu, a school director in Zamiin-Uud, a town located on the China border. “This will increase the quality of students’ learning and enhance the capacity of information technology.”

“Our school lacks a digital lab and has insufficient digital learning equipment,” said Khurelbaatar Surenkhuu, a school director in Ikhkhet. “However, these 14 Chromebooks are of great importance for our sixth- through twelfth-grade students and their learning,”

Since 2023, this nationwide effort has been transforming classrooms across Mongolia. By the time the initiative concludes, 3,000 Chromebooks will have reached 300 schools — empowering over 100,000 young learners with the tools to dream bigger.

“I dream of pursuing computer science when I grow up,” said Khaliunaa Batbaatar, a student at Airag Sum Secondary School. “Last year, I couldn’t study well because our school didn’t have a regular computer teacher. With this [laptop], I promise I will learn diligently this time.”

For Enkhbayar Aruinbayar, director of Airag Sum Secondary School, the donation is more than a technological upgrade — it’s an investment in the country’s future.

“Having these students, who are our future, grow up to be citizens with education and knowledge will prepare them to be the country’s future leaders,” said Ariunbayar.

Airag Sum Mayor Sukhbaatar Ganbaatar appreciates this donation to the children in his remote city.

“We have had less opportunity to align with the modern era, to use a computer and work on our education program,” the mayor said. “We are so grateful for this help and opportunity.”

These laptops are helping children learn math, English, information technology, and animation, providing children in rural communities with similar opportunities to those in Mongolia’s major cities.

“We believe education is the key for success,” said Dorj. “This project helps the children who are living in rural areas get more opportunities to be successful in their lives.”

This donation is significant for Tuvshinjargal Gombo, director of the Church’s office in Mongolia. She grew up in the Gobi region of the country and knows this donation follows the teachings of Jesus Christ.

“Jesus Christ told us to take care of others, and that’s why it is a really great example of what [Church member donations] are doing in Mongolia — showing His love and showing His care and also showing His sincere heart to the Mongolian people,” she said.