Chuluunbat is 70 years old, and has been an SLE (Snow Leopard Enterprises) participant since 2004.  She lives in the South Gobi near Nemegt Mountain with her husband and grandson.  Her hobby is to spin yarn and knit clothing with both a traditional drop spindle and a crochet needle that her husband made for her out of an aluminum spoon.

Chuluunbat and her husband herded livestock for their communal unit during the Soviet Era.  In 2004, a neighbor told her about the SLE program. When she went to Soum, a nearby village where many people participate in SLE, she saw women spinning beautiful camel yarn using a modern spinning wheel. She wanted to take part in the program immediately.  

Participating in SLE, she learned many new things about craft-making from the workshops, and she also liked the thought of saving “the spotty animals” and the pristine areas that they inhabit.  The economic incentives also impressed her: Today her monthly income has increased from 80,000 tug ($69) to 150,000 tug ($130) through this program.

Chuluunbat has become a great advocator of the SLE program.  She is currently teaching two young herder women how to process their raw wool and make handicrafts with it. Additionally, through the new micro credit loan program, she acquired a modern spinning wheel, which she is very proud of.