Khulan Dorjsuren
I want to contribute to my home county – there are many possibilities and I want to share in its development.
Khulan Dorjsuren is from Mongolia and she is studying Environmental Science with a specialization in Environmental Planning and Management at UNESCO-IHE. At the moment she is the only Mongolian student studying at UNESCO-IHE. Khulan went to UNESCO-IHE International Women's Day conference and was inspired to share her story.
Since her childhood Khulan had the ambition to become an Environmental specialist. As a young girl she read the book: “The earth -an intellectual animal is crying” by an Mongolian author Arild-zembe J. The author describes in his book that Mother Earth is like a human being, in whom, for example, all the rivers are blood veins, grasses are fine hair on body and volcanoes are pimples. “I found this a very interesting book, said Khulan.
Khulan went through a difficult period, as she was suffering from bone disease and needed several operations. In 2009, she completely lost her mobility. At that time she almost gave up on life. After her last surgery in 2010, she decided that if she could stand up on her feet and recover, she would go to study to achieve an Masters degree. Her ambition was to improve her knowledge and to support her country.
Khulan is the mother of 3 daughters. “I wanted to discover the world, be educated and share my experience with my children. I think mothers are the strongest role models for their children`s education.” It took Khulan 5 years to achieve her goal - to study at UNESCO-HE, because before she could apply to UNESCO-IHE, she had to obtain her Geological Science degree in Mongolia.
“My motivation is to encourage and inspire people, especially people who are struggling with their diseases and thinking about giving up. Never give up, keep going on and be positive. If you believe and want, you can overcome any obstacles.’’
‘’Furthermore, I want to encourage mothers to keep working on their personal development, to increase their skills. My husband is encouraging me, because I never gave up on my goal, this is the reason he respects me.’’
‘’A friend recommended me to study at UNESCO-IHE so that I can become a very good Environmental specialist.’’ Khulan on her goals when she graduates from UNESCO-IHE: ‘’I want to contribute to my home country - construction and creation of a better society for our children and grandchildren. This is my dream, my life purpose.’’