How do you fight air pollution in Mongolia? Start with ballet

©️ Emmanuelle Svartz @ Ambling Light Photography

Swan Lake? Romeo and Juliet? Think again! Discover how modern ballet can tell the story of the devastating impact of air pollution on children, and trigger action.

No child benefit, no school supplies

5-year-old twins from Gurvanbulag soum in south-western Mongolia. Their parents depend on child benefit, which is the family's only source of income.
©UNICEFMongolia/2018/Sabina Netrvalova  

“One litre of vegetable oil… 500 grams of flour… and some potatoes.” The owner of the grocery store in Gurvanbulag, a small soum (village) in south-western Mongolia, is going through her notebook. Every page is for one local family – a family who cannot afford to buy basic groceries and has to get them on credit. 

“Almost everybody in the village borrows from us because they have very little money. They usually pay us back once a month but not always – the herders often pay only once a year, after they sell cashmere wool,” the shopkeeper explains.

Faces of UNICEF: Ulziisaikhan Sereeter, Early Childhood Development Officer at UNICEF Mongolia

Ulziisaikhan Sereeter, Early Childhood Development Officer at UNICEF Mongolia.
©UNICEFMongolia/2018/Sabina Netrvalova

What do you do in UNICEF Mongolia?

I work as an Early Childhood Development Officer and I oversee young children’s issues. I mostly focus on young children aged 0 - 5. For the age 0 - 2, I cooperate with other sectors like health, nutrition, and child protection as part of the integrated Early Childhood Development (ECD) program. For the age 2 - 5, I usually work with kindergartens and preschool education services.

Making early learning more accessible with ger kindergartens

Thanks to ger kindergarten, additional 20 children can access early childhood education.
©UNICEFMongolia/2018/Sabina Netrvalova

The kindergarten No. 189 in Ulaanbaatar’s Khan-Uul district is buzzing with noises. In the ger classroom, using the traditional Mongolian tent-like structure, children are running around, playing or singing. Two teachers taking care of them – Mrs. Amgalan and her assistant – certainly have their hands full.

The ger classroom was opened in February 2018 because of the insufficient capacity of the kindergarten’s main building. Thanks to the two connected gers, additional 20 children can now access early childhood education.

Mongolia moves to promote and protect children’s rights online

“Although, we emphasize online child sexual abuse and exploitation, we cannot forget about the opportunities that the Internet has to offer,” said Mr. Alex Heikens during the opening of the consultation “National multi-sectoral responses to prevent and tackle online child sexual abuse and exploitation.” ©UNICEFMongolia/2018/MungunkhishigB

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia - Every half a second, a child goes online for the first time – tapping into all the great opportunities the Internet has to offer, along with its grave threats. Protecting children online is a challenge for every country. In Mongolia, children and young people are the most active and enthusiastic users of social media. The country stands on top in the region with around 94 percent of the pupils in Mongolia actively using Facebook. Statistics show that there are over 2 million users of Facebook in Mongolia.

Агаарын бохирдлоос хүүхдээ хамгаалахад эцэг эхчүүдийн үүрэг чухал

Улаанбаатар хотод судалгааны ажил дээрээ ажиллаж буй, нийгмийн эрүүл мэндийн мэргэжилтэн
Мисбат Дауда. ©UNICEFMongolia/2018/Sabina Netrvalova

Судлаач Мисбат Дауда нь агаарын бохирдол хүүхдийн эрүүл мэндэд хэрхэн нөлөөлж байгааг судлахаар Улаанбаатар хотод ажиллаж байна. Тэрээр нийслэлийн агаарын бохирдол ноцтой хэмжээнд хүрсэн гэдгийг хэлж байна. Агаарын бохирдол нярай хүүхдийн тархины хөгжилд хэрхэн сөргөөр нөлөөлдөг, хүүхдээ агаарын бохирдлоос хэрхэн хамгаалах талаар эцэг, эх юу хийж болох тухай судлаач бүсгүйтэй ярилцлаа.

Chance of a better future with ger kindergartens

Minjinsor at the entrance of her ger kindergarten.
©UNICEFMongolia/2018/Sabina Netrvalova

“When I’m at kindergarten, I like to sing and play with Barbie dolls. I also like to play with all my friends,” says 5-year-old Minjinsor. She has a shy smile and short hair, newly cut during the Mongolian traditional hair-cutting ceremony.

Minjinsor is one of 15 children who left their overcrowded classroom in the main building of Kindergarten No. 8 in Ulaanbaatar’s Bayanzurkh district, and moved to a new ger classroom. Built in the typical Mongolian tent-like style, it is more spacious so the children can play more freely, and smaller numbers mean they can also enjoy the full attention of their teachers.

Эхийн сүү - Эрүүл амьдралын эхлэл

Ээж Б.Золзаяа хүү Очирын хамт. Хөвсгөл аймгийн Мөрөн сум. ©UNICEF/UN0188805

Очир хүү 2018 оны 2-р сарын 26-ны өдөр 3,8 кг жинтэй эрүүл саруул мэндлэв. Хүүгийн ээж, аав хоёр хоёулаа 18 настай залуу хос. Мөрөн хотод амьдардаг энэ залуухан гэр бүл анхны хүүхдээ өлгийдөн авсан нь энэ. 

Public health expert: Air pollution is highly increasing risk of respiratory infections in Mongolian children

Public health expert Misbath Daouda working on her research in Ulaanbaatar.
©UNICEFMongolia/2018/Sabina Netrvalova

Air pollution is a serious problem in the Mongolian capital, says researcher Misbath Daouda, who came to Ulaanbaatar to find out how air pollution is affecting children’s health. In the interview, she also talks about the impacts of polluted air on infants’ brains, and gives recommendations on how parents should protect their children.  

Young advisers to the UN Mongolia: Youth engagement is vital for prosperity of the country

UNYAP members Erdenedalai Odonkhuu, Khaliunaa Naranbayar and Zolboo Dashmyagmar (L-R) in front of UN House in Ulaanbaatar. ©UNICEFMongolia/2018/Sabina Netrvalova

Addressing the needs of young people in Mongolia, promoting the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and advising different UN agencies from the youth perspective. These are just some of the activities of UN Youth Advisory Panel (UNYAP) in Mongolia. How can one become a part of UNYAP? And what are their plans for the coming months? We talked about it with UNYAP members Zolboo Dashmyagmar, Khaliunaa Naranbayar and Erdenedalai Odonkhuu.