My name is Ayurzana Yondonbizya and I live with my family in the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar, Uliastai area. My business produces felt roofs and surroundings of lattice from wool for Mongolian portable nomadic round tents (gers). I started production in 2005 as a family business with my husband and now the company has eight workers who are scheduled in two shifts of four people.
In 2012, I first borrowed an investment loan of MNT 12.6 million (~ USD 5,200) from Khan Bank to build the first floor of my workshop. After repaying this loan, I took out a second loan for MNT 28 million (~USD 11,600) to build the second floor and to buy a new wool carding machine to expand the business. I have also received working capital loans from Khan Bank to buy washed woolen wastes from carpet factories, which are recycled as raw material for the business, as well unwashed wools from the market. Around 43 % of Ulaanbaatar’s population lives in gers, and the city is one of the coldest capital cities in the world. It presents an opportunity for my business as many people buy woolen felts during the winter-time to stay warm. In addition, woolen felts are keenly sought after during such special celebrations as weddings and naadam (a traditional Mongolian festival held every summer). I also provide products for the General Authority of Emergency, a state agency, which donates gers to the homeless victims of fire and flood disasters.