About us
For a small charity we have a long reach with our voluntary members providing aid to remote areas of Mongolia where our projects help support herding communities in Bulgan, Selenge and Khuvsgul in the north, to Dundgobi and Dornogobi fringing the desert in the south. The projects consist of well-refurbishments, and veterinary welfare for horses.
Since first launching an appeal for funds to assist Mongolia's beleaguered nomads in the winter of 1999/2000 founder John Pirie received the support of many prominent welfare trusts and animal charities, acknowledging his understanding of the underlying problems left in the wake of the Mongolian catastrophe. That support also endorsed their belief that CAMDA was capable of delivering a form of aid that went to the heart of the many problems being faced by the country's worst affected nomadic communities.
Our chairman Dr. David Sneath heads MIASU (Mongolia & Inner Asia Studies Unit - Cambridge University) and is recognised as an authority on pastoralism in Mongolia, having written several books and leading articles on this subject. He has lived among the nomadic communities and experienced their harsh living conditions and climate extremes.
John had made several field visits to Mongolia to see the benefits of CAMDA projects, to meet up with our helpers there, as well as some of the soum (district) herding families where aid has been provided. This Gurvansaikhan family gave him accommodation and a photo of such an occasion is always greatly appreciated by the host (John pictured in centre of group).
CAMDA's small-scale but still significant achievements on behalf of the nomadic communities were recognised at the highest level when in July 2008 John was awarded the Presidential Friendship Medal known as Nairamdal.
While at Gurvansaikhan in the Gobi region, he was presented with a morin-khuur (carved-horse-head fiddle) by the soum head, as a token of his people's grateful thanks for CAMDA's work there. This involved immunising several hundred camels against mange, a serious health threat for these valuable animals. Since then, many wells in that same region have been refurbished as part of CAMDA's strategy for helping sustain the lifestyle of communities in a hostile environment.
From our UK base in Ely, the small team regularly confers to review the progress of current projects, and to discuss future plans looking for ways to add value to our aid work, or to expand projects into other regions where there is a need.
In Mongolia we are fortunate in having the invaluable collaboration of Batsaa, a highly experienced UK-qualified vet, who in the course of his own work meets aimag or soum officials and herder representatives. They provide him with the hard facts of their circumstances, which he will relay back to us, and - funds permitting - he will set up and implement the aid package. He also provides us with progress reports
(John sadly passed away suddenly 28th February 2010, and will be greatly missed by his many colleagues, friends and supporters.)
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At a small ceremony hosted by Professor Caroline Humphrey at Kings College Cambridge on 7th July 2008, Ambassador H.E. Mr B. Altangerel, on behalf of President H.E.Nambar Enkbayar presented her with a handsomely bound manuscript entitled 'The Great Mongolian State' celebrating 800 years of Mongolian government. He afterwards made the award of the Friendship Medal to John.
