Since 2002, CHF has been working in the peri-urban areas surrounding Mongolia’s largest cities. Known as "Ger" areas these peri-urban communities are located in the outlying districts of major cities. Ger areas tend to be comprised of thousands of small, fenced-in plots of land, and remain isolated from the main commercial activity and public services. The Ger areas are the fastest growing population in the country, resulting in markedly higher rates of unemployment, poverty and other social problems than the population living in the city centers. To assist the economic development of these areas, CHF has been implementing the The Growing Entrepreneurship Rapidly (GER) Initiative. The goal of the GER Initiative is to improve the quality of life of low- and medium-income families in the Ger and rural areas by providing business development and employment services. The GER Initiative works with a variety of private sector partners to facilitate its business and employment services. Local banks partner with GER to provide entrepreneurs with access to credit. Medium and large businesses are partners in the program’s employment training, employment matching, and business-to-business linkages. GER also collaborates with local, private, and government business support services to develop their capacity and promote the sustainability of services. In addition to the GER Initiative, CHF is promoting the development of cooperative systems through the Innovating, Measuring and Promoting Poverty Alleviation by Cooperatives in Transition Societies (IMPPACTS) program and the Mongolian Agribusiness Support Program (MASP). With support from USDA, MASP will support the following activities: Business development through training and technical assistance to existing and prospective agricultural micro-enterprises, cooperatives and associations.Credits and grants to organizations investing in collaborative business ventures and to organizations that specialize in the pork or felt industry sectors.Market development and expansion to develop linkages between suppliers, producers and processors as well as to strengthen and enhance marketing techniques for small to medium enterprises.Value chain development through technical assistance to the pork and felt industries and related support businesses.Animal health program to improve veterinary care for swine though introduction of a specialized pig-health training curriculum.Capacity building to provide operational and financial management, marketing, and technical skill development training, as well as consulting services, to the Mongolia Business Development Center.