ABOUT MONGOLIA - Map & Fact file

Most of us in the West have limited knowledge of Mongolia, with its population of 2.6  million, of which some 550,000 are nomadic pastoralists roaming steppe lands and desert. The decline of the country's economy after becoming independent of Russia in 1992, combined with a series of devastating dzud winters and drought summers (1999-2003) that killed millions of herd animals, left thousands of nomadic families living at or below subsistence level. They depend entirely on their herds, the fewer in number, the poorer they become.

To be viable, a family herd needs to be at least 100 strong yet over 60% of all herds are below this level, and 40% are less than 50. (2004 statistics). This crucial relationship of animal welfare and health to family survival is clear to see, explaining why large numbers of herders are still close to poverty.

To manage even a small herd of sheep, goats, cattle, a family will need between 10 to 15 horses.In addition to herding duties, the horse for many is the only means of transport, whether to get children to school, or to get to the nearest village/town for medical aid, to obtain goods, or

just to socialise. To escape the futility of this  lifestyle, often forced to do so by insufficient animals to sustain just the basics of life, many have given up herding to go to towns in search of work. The populations of Ulaanbaatar and of smaller towns is steadily increasing, much due to herding being no longer viable.

This puts an increasing burden on the capital and other urban regions, where because of a slack economy there is not sufficient work for those leaving herding.
Unemployment in towns is already high and herders then face another kind of poverty but in alien town conditions and circumstances, or in random,  often hazardous and unpredictable mining operations. Given the right support, it is possible for herding to still be a viable way of living, but only where made by the availability of essential resources that provide the means to herd successfully, if only at a basic level.

Such resources are obviously fodder, an adequate water supply, and healthy animals that are able to withstand the many  hazards they encounter, such as parasitic infections, and extreme weather conditions.

It is not possible to control the weather, but it is possible for us to assist them, in these other ways, with your help.

Our three aid projects:
     Hay Machinery -           for full details click here
    Well Refurbishments - for full details click here
    Veterinary Treatment - for full details click here

are proving successful in giving back to poorer communities the ability to keep families together as traditional nomadic herders. It is the only lifestyle they wish to have and to keep.