The Mongolian Children’s Aid and Development Fund (MCADF) was officially founded by Tony Ettinger with the strong support of former Secretary of State James A. Baker III and the MACA Board members in 1995. Former Secretary of State James A. Baker III agreed to serve as honorary director on the Advisory Board to the MCADF, which also included the late Senator Alan Cranston and Advisory Board Chairman Tony Ettinger.
The MCADF allowed MACA to refocus humanitarian efforts and resources towards children, especially orphans, and their education. The MCADF also provided a more structured approach to implementing the charitable efforts MACA had previously carried out somewhat informally. Some of the earlier charitable projects included a donation of insulin to the health ministry and a donation of English language books to the Peace Corps in Mongolia.
Over the past 13 years, the MCADF has supported several institutions, starting with the Erdenet and Ulaanbaatar orphanages through donations of food and vitamins, as well as annual scholarships to worthy graduates of the orphanage. During the severe Zud seasons of 2000-2001, the MCADF carried out several fund drives for a special Zud relief Fund. Other organizations which have also been recipients of MCADF support have been the orphanage in Hatgal and the Tuv Aimag English School, which received donations of computer equipment. The MCADF has also collaborated with the Christina Noble Foundation’s Night Clinic program in Ulaanbaatar, which provided essential medical services to street children, who otherwise would have no access to medical care.
Since its inception, the MCADF has donated material and goods worth in excess of $250,000 and touched the lives of over 2,000 children. It continues to actively pursue projects to help provide the youth of Mongolia with a brighter future.
MCADF History