No more mold on walls: New bathrooms for kindergartens No. 122

The new sinks at kindergarten No. 122 are more accessible for children.
©UNICEFMongolia/2018/Mungunkhishig Batbaatar 

The brand-new toilets in kindergarten No. 122 in Bayanzurkh district of Ulaanbaatar city are sparkling clean. The bathrooms look bigger now and the sinks are more accessible for children. With over 880 pupils, the kindergarten’s bathroom facilities were in desperate need of renovations.

Охидын сарын тэмдгийн үеийн эрүүл ахуйг сайжруулах нь

©UNICEFMongolia

2016 онд зун Уран Дөш зусланд амрахаар ирсэн охидыг нэгэн таатай гэнэтийн бэлэг хүлээж байлаа. Хөвсгөл аймгийн төвөөс 20 км-ийн зайтай оршдог Уран Дөш зуслан нь тус аймгийн хамгийн том бас хүүхдүүдийн хамгийн очих дуртай зуны зуслан юм. Энд зөвхөн аймгаас төдийгүй Монголын өнцөг улан бүрээс хүүхдүүд ирж амардаг.

UNICEF and Khuvsgul province spreading good practices on MHM

New latrines for girls

©UNICEF Mongolia/2016/AmarsanaaJ

In the beginning of July 2016, a pleasant surprise was awaiting girls, who came to “Uran Dush” Summer Camp from different parts of Khuvsgul Aimag (Province) as well as other parts of Mongolia. Located in some 20 km from the Provincial Center, Uran Dush is the biggest and most popular summer camp in Khuvsgul Aimag. The “surprise” was brand new latrines for girls, built in a few meters distance from the old wooden latrines, which seemed to have been there for ages and looked as if they might collapse any time.

Hygiene education is made more accessible to communities in Murun through home-based sessions

The house-to-house hygiene training is in session for both parents.
©UNICEFMongolia/2016/MungunkhishigB

Bayanbaatar’s family is one of thousands of ordinary young families living in Murun city. His wife Delgersaikhan, 34, is a teacher at the “Soroban” Abacus Training center. Bayanbaatar (30) is unemployed currently and takes care of their baby girl Zolboo, who was born slightly less than two months ago. Older child of the couple is a 9 year old boy called Myagmar. Bayanbaatar’s family moved to Murun several years ago from Selenge province in search of a better livelihood.

UNICEF seeks new solutions for sanitation in cold climate in Mongolia

©UNICEF Mongolia/2015/

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia - Poor sanitation and hygiene conditions were estimated to cost the Mongolian economy 35.5 billion MNT (US$ 26 million), or 0.5% of GDP.

With the population of only 3 million people, nearly half of Mongolians live in its capital and in poor and deprived areas around the city. Winter time in Mongolia is long and the temperature can go down as low as -40°C, with permafrost throughout much of the country for most of the year. In these challenging geographic conditions, access to basic social services is limited for the most vulnerable populations, and this is particularly true for water and sanitation. 

Photo story: WASH in Schools and Kindergartens in Khuvsgul

Бид НҮБ-ын Хүүхдийн сангийнхан: Ус, ариун цэвэр, эрүүл ахуйн мэргэжилтэн Нямсүрэнгийн Батнасан

Та өөрийнхөө талаар товч танилцууна уу?

Миний бие Архангай аймгийн Жаргалант суманд төрсөн. Би Украйны Одесса хотын Ус, цаг уурын улсын их сургуульд гидрологч мэргэжил эзэмшсэн. НҮБ-ын Хүүхдийн санд орохоосоо өмнө Монгол Улсын Шинжлэх ухааны академи, Дэлхийн байгаль хамгаалах сан, НҮБ-ын Хөгжлийн хөтөлбөр зэрэгт судлаач, хөтөлбөрийн менежерээр ажиллаж байлаа.

Water is cool in school

An Olympic champion in the making: Bataa shows his medals from national and international taekwondo tournaments.

©UNICEF Mongolia/2016/Enkhzul Altangerel

When the bell rings for morning break in 119^th school, Nalaikh, classroom doors fly open and the children rush out. First stop, a reviving drink of cool, clean water from one of the school’s water filters. Seventeen-year-old Bat-Ireedui doesn’t have to go very far. “I’m lucky”, he grins, taking a gulp of water. “My classroom is right next to the water filter!” Drinking clean water whenever you want to may be something that many children take for granted – but not these students.

Faces of UNICEF: Batnasan Nyamsuren, Water, Sanitation & Hygiene officer at UNICEF Mongolia

Tell us a bit about your background?

I was born in Jargalant village of Arkhangai province in Mongolia. I studied hydrology at Odessa State Hydro-meteorological University in Ukraine. Before joining UNICEF, I have worked at Mongolian Academy of Science, World Wildlife Fund for Nature and UN Development Programme as researcher and program manager.  My area of expertise is Integrated River Basin Management and it has been very applicable to UNICEF’s work on improving access to and quality of water. For example, we recently supported adoption of “Water Safety Plan” in our program areas to help ensure water is safe for children to drink. This also involved development of guidelines on water, sanitation and hygiene  as well.

World Toilet Day

Typical pit latrine in rural schools

Today is a World Toilet Day (19 November 2015). The aim of World Toilet Day is to raise awareness about the people in the world who don’t have access to a toilet, despite the fact that it is a human right to have clean water and sanitation. Globally, some 2.4 billion people do not have improved sanitation. Poor sanitation, water and hygiene have many other serious repercussions. Many children are denied their right to education because their schools lack private and decent sanitation facilities.

Improving menstrual hygiene management in schools

@UNICEF Mongolia/2012/Brian Sokol

Menstrual hygiene remains a taboo in many settings, with poor knowledge and misconceptions as great a challenge aswell as access to adequate facilities.

Шинэ хичээлийн жил, шинэ ариун цэврийн байгууламж

Далайбаяр хүрэл медалтайгаа

@НҮБ-ын Хүүхдийн сан/Монгол/Санжааханд

12 настай Далайбаяр хүү найз нартайгаа сагсан бөмбөг, гар бөмбөг тоглох дуртай. Тэр жаахан байхаасаа спортод дуртай бөгөөд спортын алдартай од болохыг хүсдэг байлаа.

New school year, new bathrooms

Dalaibayar with his third place medal

©UNICEF/Mongolia/2015/Sanjaakhand Nansalmaa

Dalaibayar is an active 12-year-old boy who loves playing basketball and volleyball with his friends. He loves sports so much that when he grows up he wants to be a sports star.

Hand washing: Keeping Mongolia’s children healthy

Children washing their hands in rural Mongolia
©UNICEF/MGLA2007-00194/Holmes  

Today is Global Hand Washing Day. Hand washing is one of the most effective ways to save children’s lives. Each year, 1.7 million children under the age of five die from diarrhoea and pneumonia. Washing hands with soap and water, especially after using the toilet and before handling food, helps reduce disease infections by up to 40 per cent, and has far reaching effects on the health and welfare of children and their communities.