I don't share too much about my work on this blog sometimes because it can be a bit grim. Mongolia is a place of contrasts: great beauty and richness; and great extremes of life and poverty. This winter, disaster has crept in slowly, starting in many places during summer when no rain came, so the grass didn't grow. When winter arrived the temperature kept going lower, and lower, and lower - breaking weather records in some places - and the snow kept falling and falling and falling. It is usually to dry to snow much here during winter. Try to imagine -45 C, and then think of the wind chill factor, and then imagine you are a goat or sheep trying to dig through snow over a metre deep to find something to eat. Many places in Mongolia are now struggling through a Black Dzud (drought disaster) followed by a White Dzud (heavy snow disaster). At least 11 people, including nine children, have starved or frozen to death, and many more are threatened by malnourishment and destitution because of the loss of livestock. As of this week, 1.5 million goats, 921,000 sheep, 169,000 cows and yaks, 89,000 horses and 1,500 camels have died. Due to the dry summer, stocks of hay are low. The authorities say another 3 million animals are likely to starve before the thaw in June.
It is not like we didn't know this might be coming. When I travelled last autumn many countryside people we talking about dzud, as in many places the lack of rain meant no grass had grown, and families were already on the move to places that might have more grass. But this country is vulnerable, living on the edge all the time, and for many they couldn't afford to do, or didn't know how to do, anything other than hope that the weather would be kind. You all know from watching the news that the northern winter this year has been unkind in many countries (except in Canada, where they had to make artificial snow for the Winter Olympics).
These photos were taken from a recent ADRA distribution of food relief to 400 families. The road condition is terrible (basically - what road?). The trucks could only manage 10 kilometres or so an hour in some places, as they had to be dug out of the snow.
When the trucks reached the villages they were met by people with small wooden sleds to carry home some food. The recipients were chosen by the local government, and were the poorest families and the village or families headed by women or who had children under 5 years old.
This picture shows just how deep the snow is in places. These fences are high enough that only a very tall person could see over one...
It is even hard to refuel the trucks in places, with the petrol stations snowed in also. There are fuel shortages, as this winter has been so cold many people have already burned through their fuel stores. Children in the countryside attend boarding school all winter in the small towns, and there are reports of schools running out of heating fuel and food. The small hospitals have been unable to maintain their supply of medicines due to transport not being able to travel on the roads. Women can't get to hospital to have their babies, and people who are sick can't get to medical treatment. Below is a boy, taking home sacks of flour and rice after the food distribution.
So while I have been celebrating Tsagaan Sar, participating in silly fun such as food fights for a video clip, and enjoying my warm home, many many families in Mongolia have been struggling to survive. We are doing something to help, we have sent out trucks with food parcels to the communities where we work. We are currently busy writing proposals to donors for more disaster response funds and hopefully will be able to help 1600 families with two months food supply. Due to the ironic nature of international development having a disaster will pretty much guarantee us future project funding for some time....But life here for many will be much harder, and while I live and work here and am trying to be helpful I still have a life of unimaginable richness compared to many this winter who have lost their livelihoods.
