MCR event guide 2018

Timetable for the

YOUR GUIDE TO THE MONGOLIA CHARITY RALLY 2018

A Guide to the Mongolia Charity Rally – The adventure of a lifetime in a nutshell. Or in a car…

The Mongolia Charity Rally is an epic 10,000 mile pan-continental road trip for charity across mountain ranges, deserts, and more barren and inhospitable lands than you’d care to shake a gear stick at. It starts in Western Europe - previously London and then Brussels, but for 2018 the starting rules are yet to be determined.

Teams, formed of maximum 5 people, find themselves a vehicle, fundraise a ton of charity and sponsorship money, and with a little help from us (to make sure ‘T’s are crossed and ‘I’s are dotted, and to ensure everyone is fully prepared), they set off not to be seen again until they reach Mongolia!

This rally, which is 100% for charity, is just one of several different rallies run by Charity Rallies, the fundraising arm of the UK charity Go Help. The Mongolia Charity Rally began as an ambulance run, supporting Go Help’s flagship ambulance service in Mongolia. It has now been expanded to include teams driving all kinds of different vehicles that are either used in Mongolia for charity services, sold to benefit the projects, or returned to Europe.

The basics in a nutshell: • The Mongolia Charity Rally is 100% for charity, run by a charity, for charity.

• Find yourself a team. Teams are made up of you and up to 4 of your friends in one vehicle or two riders on two motorcycles.

• Build up the courage to sign up to the Mongolia Charity Rally. Only charitable adventurers need apply.

• Fundraising is a must – Minimum £1,000 goes to Go Help.

• The launch is on Sunday July 1, 2018, location TBC. • Your Team can start from anywhere you like, we’ll help them out.

• The basic route is from launch to Ulanbaatar but the specific route choice is up to you and your team: the world is your oyster!

• Finding a vehicle and ensuring it complies with the vehicle rules is your responsibility, but we’ll help you figure it out.

• A vehicle must be not more than 9 years old if it is being imported into Mongolia.

Utility vehicles are tax exempt – passenger vehicles will incur you import taxes, so read the vehicle rules carefully.

• An £800 vehicle deposit is due before departure to cover eventual repair costs on

THE CHARITY - GO HELP Go Help is a UK adventure charity that is committed to working with local communities in Central Asia and Central America to improve their access to education and healthcare services. It is run by volunteers, and began as an effort to launch and operate ambulance services in third world countries. The cause is now much broader and we endeavor to help local organisations in any way we can.

Our charitable activities are largely in the fields of healthcare and education.

Go Help is staffed by past ralliers. As part of Go Help, enterprising ralliers have pioneered and trialed a number of other projects in recent years, including an ambulance to Nepal and tuk-tuks through the Cambodian jungles. There are always new and great ideas in the pipeline.

Go Help’s core objectives include: • Promoting charitable adventuring • Enabling access to primary healthcare through the provision, distribution and maintenance of emergency vehicles • Fostering local talent, through providing scholarships and employment opportunities for young people • Supporting education projects which provide opportunities for literacy and self-improvement • Facilitating the placement of skilled health and education volunteers with the aim of enhancing the capacity of local communities

Go Help’s Board of trustees David Griffiths is a co-founder of Go Help and Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

He is a lawyer based in New York with significant pro bono and human rights experience.

MONGOLIA CHARITY RALLY OFFICERS Charity Rally Officers Joanna Meade manages the events and communications for Go Help and is Charity Rallies’ Rally Commander. She tested the MesoAmerica Charity Rally in 2011 and rallied to

Willian Dodsworth is a co-founder of Go Help. He is a lawyer based in London. He has worked as a teacher at the Mongolian National Legal Centre.

Jeroen Thijs works for the Charity Rallies Brussels office helping to manage the events, teams and sponsorship for the rallies. He has done the rally to Mongolia twice and is working on his next challenge.

Charlie Hogg took part in the Mongolia Charity Rally in 2008 driving the first fully equipped ambulance to Mongolia. He joined the board of trustees in 2009 and won the Rotary Young Citizen of the Year award the same year.

Dulguun Batkhishig was previously head of the Go Help Mongolian Office in Ulaanbaatar. She is now a trustee.

Ryan Walker is a founder of the annual Go Help fundraising event the Roof of the World Charity Rally. He works for Mercedes F1 and became a trustee in 2010.

Mongolia Regional Officers Tseveendavaa Ozoi is our legal advisor in Mongolia. He deals with the Ministry of Finance and Mongolian Customs on vehicle tax exemption.

Ulziidulam (Ulzzi) Davaasuren is our project coordinator in UB. She manages Go Help’s social media, runs the projects on the ground and handles Charity Rally teams in UB. You can call her Ulzii.

Enkhsolongo (Soko) Munkhbold is the accountant of Go Help’s office in UB. When she’s not working for the charity she does yoga and hikes. You can call her Soko.

Charity Rally VOLUNTEERS Steve Barnes has been invaluable in getting Charity Rallies’ new website up and running, and assists the Charity Rally Officers in all IT matters.

The Charity Events - Charity Rallies Charity Rallies is the fundraising arm of Go Help. Under this umbrella, Go Help currently runs two rallies: the Mongolia Charity Rally, from Northern Europe to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and the Roof of the World Charity Rally, from Northern Europe to Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

The Mongolia Charity Rally has in the past launched from both London and Brussels, but this year we’re shaking it up yet again! We’ll be taking votes on the launch location iwth all teams involved so that we can cater to as many of you as possible from across the world. The voting will begin in September and be open to teams already signed up so get signed up fast to get your vote in!

The route the teams take is entirely up to them. Here’s where the imagination can really go into overdrive! Once we’ve helped a team register and finalise the paperwork for their chosen vehicle, its time to chart the route and grab that place on the starting grid in Brussels!

So what is the experience going to be? The northern route through Eastern Europe; visiting the Reichstag, the Charles Bridge, and crossing the Tatras on the way to the Ukraine? Will it be to brave the potholes and dirt roads of southern Russia, and cross onto the Asian continent in Kazakhstan and along the shores of the Caspian Sea before driving across the barren, deserted lands of western Mongolia?

Or perhaps the Southern route is on the menu? Cutting down through Western Europe to Turkey, crossing over the Bosphorus River on the Bridge to Asia; driving lazily through the beautiful countryside of Iran, before collecting as many ‘Stans as possible on the way north east to Mongolia? The average northern route takes about 3 weeks, whereas the southern takes at least 4. But this is where the imagination can be the guide; there are no rules on this one!

Taking part in the Mongolia Charity Rally 2018 Only the courageous need apply. The journey of a lifetime begins with a single step: summoning up the courage to sign-up for the Mongolia Charity Rally.

Pick your team. Once you’ve signed up on the website, you’re in and it’s time to pick your rally teammates. You’re going to spend a month rallying halfway across the world with this team, so think long and hard about who the most annoying people you know are, and make sure not to ask them. Teams are usually made up of between two to four people.

Pick a Route: Pick a country, any country… then drive through it. As long as you end up in Mongolia, this part is the easy part. You don’t even need a map. If you want to try to get to Mongolia by asking people the way, that works. We know. We’ve done it.

Pick a car. Your choice of vehicle and format of rally go hand in hand. You have 3 choices: - Take an awesome emergency vehicle and we’ll help you import it so it can be donted - Take a useful vehicle that can be sold - the rules on these are strict however - Take whatever car you like and either drive it home again or we’ll help you have it shipped back to europe where you can either recouperate it or leave it with us at this end.

Hit your fundraising target. This charity rally has three objectives, first: charity. Second, did we mention charity? Third: charitable adventuring. Teams rundraise a minimum of £1,000 for Go Help, the charity that founded the Mongolia Charity Rally, and above that can fundraise for any awesome cause that captures their heart. Hopefully Go Help, but if not, any one that does.

Find some sponsors. No trust fund? No problem. Many teams make it to Mongolia on a shoestring budget. That being said, life is a lot easier with generous benefactors. Teams are supported by a vast array of corporate sponsors (Subaru provided a whole car to one of our teams!), employers (corporate matching rocks), friends and family (hello, long lost relations). Key here is to pound the pavement, this charity rally really sells itself.

Beat the bureaucracy. You probably need a visa or two to get to Mongolia. Maybe even an entry permit to get in to Mongolia. Secret code to get in to Turkmenistan? Check. With a little help from us (to make sure your ‘T’s are crossed and ‘i’s are dotted, and to ensure everyone is fully prepared), you’ll set off, not to be seen again until you reach Mongolia!

How to Sign Up

SELECTING YOUR VEHICLE The vehicle import rules for Mongolia are strict and sometimes complicated. We are here to help you pick the right vehicle that not only meets the import requirements, but is also most appropriate for our projects on the ground.

The fundamental points are these: • All vehicles taking part in The Mongolia Charity Rally must be approved by the charity rallies team before purchasing. This ensures there are no nasty additonal cost surprises when you import the vehicle into Mongolia!

• Utility vehicles are tax-exempt, but passenger cars are subject to import taxes upon entering Mongolia. These import taxes are your responsibility, so opt for a tax-exempt vehicle if possible.

• Vehicles must be no more than 9 years old due to incremental Mongolian import taxes. This rule applies to all vehicles, including ambulances. The only exception is for motorbikes.

Registration for the Mongolia Charity Rally 2017 opens on August 5th 2017. Entry fees start at £399 and increase by £100 for every 10 teams that sign up, so sign up early to get the best price!

You can sign your team up on our website at mongolia. charityrallies.org. You’ll be asked to create a small team profile and once this is ready your teammates can join your team!

Now to think about the three key things to make your trip a success: Your vehicle The choice of vehicle is an important one and Mongolia has many rules that must be respected so make sure you read our guide carefully and get approval for your vehicle before buying.

WHAT WILL IT COST? • The entry fee starting at £399 • The min. £1,000 fundraising

• Consider getting a left-hand drive (LHD) vehicle (Europe), as there is a possibility the Mongolian authorities may soon limit the import of right-hand drive (RHD) (UK) vehicles in Mongolia.

• We are here to help! Not only do we have a really experienced team on the ground in Ulaanbaatar who can help you choose the best rally-ride, we also have a team in London that has spent years painstakingly navigating the maze that is Mongolian import tax and is here to help you!

• The £800 vehicle deposit • The cost of your vehicle • Any import taxes due • The cost of your visas • Your travel expenses

Your fundraising While your entry fee goes towards keeping our little organisation going, the funds you raise go straight to our projects in Mongolia to ensure they can continue to run smoothly.

Your Visas Visas take time so make sure you start early. We work with Real Russia, our partner agency who are happy to help you.

You can find more details on how to choose the right vehicle in our Rally-Ride Guide.

RAISING THE CHARITY FUNDS Fundraising is an integral part of the deal. While the entry fee goes a long way to helping the charity, Go Help relies largely on fundraising from the teams to support the partner projects in Mongolia. Whether it is friends donating per mile, or fa- mily chipping in per day, or better still, high flying contacts emptying their pockets in bulk, all we ask is that the first £1,000 raised goes to Go Help and, in turn, to the local efforts we’re involved in.

WHAT DO YOU GET FOR YOUR MONEY? • A spot on the starting grid for the ride of your life • A dedicated team in Europe to answer all questions • And a dedicated team in Mongolia to help with all import and handover docs

Any sum raised above that £1,000 threshold is free to be donated as wished. While many people choose to leave it with us to beef up the pot for our chosen local projects, others prefer to take this surplus and donate it to a charity of their choice, or indeed to several worthy causes. This is entirely up to the teams and we’re happy to help either way.

• All vehicle import papers and procedures

In addition to fundraising for the charity, many of our teams like to get themselves some sponsorship which, rather than going to charity, goes towards helping to cover the costs of the vehicle, the expenses, etc. It’s very important when setting out to raise money, be it fundraising or sponsorship, that it be made very clear what the money will be used for.

• Advice on routes and supplies from the team and past ralliers

Not only do we give the load of money that you raise to charitable projects, we also make sure that the vehicles that you drive are donated to the best possible places once they arrive in Mongolia. That’s why it’s important for you to choose, with our help, the right vehicle before you set off!

• A kick-ass starting line fanfare

• Monthly conference calls with the Charity Rallies team and past ralliers • Help and advice on paperwork, vehicle selection, visas and taxes • Mongolia Charity Rally t-shirts • Go Help and Mongolia Charity Rally logo stickers to pimp your ride • Reunions and Adventure Support Days • And better memories than you thought you thought possible.

We also encourage teams to gather supplies and equipment to donate in Ulaanbaatar and along the way. Examples are new or used medical equipment such as x-ray machines or dental equipment, or school supplies such as paper, pens, books, and the like. Teams on other rallies have even been creative in bringing bouncy castles, mascot costumes, and recreational sports equipment.

What you don’t get: • Your vehicle! We can advise, but getting and pimping your ride is up to you • Handholding while en-route - this is an unsupported rally once you hit the road • A phone number to call in case of emergencies • Insurance • Spare tires

OUR medical and educational PROJECTS

AMBULANCE PROJECT MONGOLIA In 2011, Go Help officially started implementing this project to improve emergency health services throughout 21 provinces in Mongolia. Since the implementation of this project, 25 ambulances have been donated accross Mongolia. The main goal of the project is to provide fully equipped ambulance vehicles for urban and rural hospitals in order to achieve better medical services for residents.

Summary 26 ambulances donated since 2011

2 new hospitals in 2016 1 continued collaboration with M2M

M2M PROJECT MONGOLIA In 2013, UK charities Go Help and Medics to Mongolia jointly implemented a medical English teaching project. The aim of this project is to teach medical English to Mongolian health care professionals. This project provides students an opportunity to understand different health care systems and cultures. In exchange for this teaching, Mongolian health care professionals provide the opportunity to students to visit wards.

Summary 30+ students participated 4 new hospitals interested 1 team participated in the Mongolia Charity Rally

scholarship PROJECT MONGOLIA In 2009 Go Help started to implement a volunteer based Scholarship project for socially conscious young people. Since 2009, 56 students have been involved in the Go Help Scholarship project. The project aims to support students’ endeavours by offering guidance and opportunities that would otherwise not be available in traditional environments.

Summary 10 gstudents per year 3+ training sessions per year

60+ volunteers since 2009

BOOK HOUSE PROJECT MONGOLIA In 2011, the Book House was established in the Nalaikh district, on the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar city. The mission of the Book House is to create opportunities that will provide educational training and promote literacy in under-served areas that will empower children and families with life-long learning. The Book House’s objectives include imparting a love of reading to children; enriching the learning experience for children in need and creating an environment for children and their parents to spend their free time learning and developing themselves.

Summary 600+ children have

received donations of warm clothes

5,000+ children have visited

2000+ books donated

Mobile library PROJECT MONGOLIA “TALES ON HORSEBACK” “Tales on Horseback” has been running since 2014 as a fully furnished library bus offering free internet access and mobile library services to places where facilities are scare. Its main aims are to impart a love of reading to children; create an environment for children and their parents to spend their free time learning; enrich the learning experience for children in need and reach out to groups of those who have difficulty accessing libraries.

Summary 2,500+ visitors 10,000+ children involved 1 famous Mongolian author supporting the event

OUR PARTNERS Real Russia - http://realrussia.co.uk/charities Real Russia supports Go Help by offering a bespoke visa service for all the rally teams taking part in The Mongolia Charity Rally. Visas for the teams are heavily discounted and they have dedicated staff and website pages for assisting the Rally teams. Real Russia is an independent company that specialises in Russian and Central Asian visas and travel services for business people, tourists and independent travelers. They have a 100% success rate, even with problematic or urgent visa applications.

SignKings - http://signkings.nl/ Sign Kings is a graphics company with extensive experience in indoor and outdoor advertising. They design and manufacture all kinds of visual advertising such as : full color , cut texts, vehicle graphics, wall advertising, carwraps , signage and more .... They provide all of Go Help’s signage.

Ingosur - http://www.ingosur.nl/ Ingosur is an insurance company who have extensive experience dealing with utility vehicles and trucks from all over Europe, traveling to all over the world. They can provide insurance for many nationalities purchasing vehicles in many countries. And if they can’t provide it themselves, they can at least give you advice.

DANGER! We’ve said this before, it’s mentioned time and time again, but we can’t stress this enough.

Driving 10,000 miles half way across the world can be dangerous.

Once we’ve helped you pick the right vehicle, get your paperwork sorted, and waved you off the starting line, you are on your own.

This is not a walk in the park. This is not a country jaunt. This is not a jolly excursion to look at the pretty views. This is adventure. This is a challenge. And it’s dangerous.

We do not handhold, we do not assist. We do not give you emergency numbers to call. No back up van will be escorting you, or hidden in the shadows should you fall flat on your face.

No mechanics will be positioned in strategic places across the Kazakh desert. No satellite will be following your every move. No translators await you at border crossings, and helicopters will be dropping food to you in the middle of nowhere.

You will be fending for yourselves. You will be dealing with irate foreign border guards, demuddying the wheels of your vehicle when you get stuck in a ditch. Be prepared to pull, push, shove, kick and abuse your car when it just can’t take any more dust and sand from dirt roads.

Forget comfort, soft warm beds and temperate running water.

No one will be there to give you advice. There is no one you can call.

We repeat, you are on your own.

We take no responsibility for you or your vehicle, so be prepared. Read up, ask questions before you leave, our team is here to help you in any way we can before you set off, so put us to good use. Take thousands of photos, bring back a million memories, do some good, but be careful, it’s a jungle out there!