Severe winter in Mongolia: story of loss and strength
UNICEF is providing essential support to herder families and children affected by extreme weather event and who are struggling to get back on their feet.
In the faraway lands of eastern Mongolia, where the winters are brutal and the winds relentless, families like O. Altantogos' faced a tough time. Imagine waking up to find most of your animals dead because of the harsh winter called dzud[1]. That's what happened to Altantogos, a young mom with three kids.
Altantogos and her husband, T. Dalaibayar, usually get ready for tough winters by storing up food for their animals. But this year was different. There wasn't enough fuel to transport hay for the animals, and the snowstorms covered their shelters, leaving them helpless.
“Now we manage our daily food and other expenses with child money [Mongolia’s universal cash programme for children]” says the wife.
“We do not know what to do now. With the parents by our side, I guess we will manage somehow. I still want to work as herders” smiles Dalaibayar.
Their story isn't the only one. E. Khuderbaatar and B. Zulzaga, who got over 100 animals from their parents when they got married, lost most of their herd too. Now they only have 8-9 animals. Even Khuderbaatar's dad, who was a big herder, suffered heavy losses.
Mongolia was hit with the worst winter in decades. More than 150, 000 people, including 62,500 children, faced extreme conditions. The icy weather prevented livestock from reaching pastures and disrupting education, health, and social services.
But even in tough times, people came together to help. The local governor in Sukhbaatar, Mr. Uuganbayar, worked hard to deliver aid to those in need. He says he cleared the road for almost 20 hours just to get to one family. And while it will take time to recover, there's hope that the government will step in to help providing more animals to families.
[1] Dzud is a severe winter event
Impact on children
For families like P. Ariunbaatar and D. Zoljargal, the winter was scary. They spent the Lunar New Year stuck in a car with the children and pregnant mother because of the snow.
“Of course, I was scared!” now smiles Zoljargal. “I was worried. I never slept; I kept checking on my children. We spent hours digging through the heavy snow.”
Kids felt the winter's impact too. Especially children living in dormitories couldn't see their families for a long time because of the blocked roads. But they tried to help out during the school breaks and do well in school to make their parents worry less.
“We had many animals, and suddenly we did not have any. Our home was empty” said one child in the focus group discussion supported by UNICEF.
Another child said “I must get good grades. That way my parents will have less to worry about. They worry about the animals as it is”.
Another child talks about how she went back for spring break and helped take care of baby animals. “When the baby animals grew, my parents were happy and they cried” she says.
UNICEF fast action
UNICEF provided essential health kits, therapeutic food, and vitamins to combat malnutrition, reaching 17 provinces and serving over 127,000 people, including children and pregnant women. Psychological first aid training is underway nationwide to support affected children. Hygiene kits were distributed to households, and awareness campaigns were launched to promote hygiene. In preparation for predicted flash floods, 2000 hygiene kits are being pre-positioned, and 150 responders are being trained in emergency sanitation. Digital learning tools and school supplies have been delivered to herder households and dormitories. Child protection training is being conducted for local responders, with a focus on preventing gender-based violence. Advocacy efforts are targeting vulnerable households, and social media is used to disseminate information on well-being and education disruption. Field missions identified road clearing as a priority need, with cash support provided to severely affected areas for fuel.
“Even though the spring is here, the struggles for herders is not over yet. Spring can be as harsh as winter and already families and their livestock are vulnerable from the past winter” says Evariste Kouassi-Komlan, UNICEF Representative in Mongolia. “I just travelled to provinces myself and identified how further UNICEF can support families and children. Herders’ current concern is removal of dead animals. Some of them are close to drinking water sources. It can also lead to disease outbreaks. UNICEF will not stop its support. Next winter will be just around the corner”.
As Mongolia moves past its tough winter, scars remain. But the stories of loss and strength show how people stand together in tough times. And even though the road ahead might be hard, they're hopeful for better days to come.
