When there is a will, there is a way: Investing in early childhood development (ECD) in Nalaikh, Ulaanbaatar

Uranbileg and her favorite Teddy bear
©UNICEFMongolia/2016/Mungunkhishig Batbaatar

“I want to be a doctor when I grow up so that I can heal others,” says 5-year-old Uranbileg, also known as Urnaa. She lives in Nalaikh, a peri-urban district in the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Her bright, intelligent smile belies the chronicle of her past pain and doubt. Having been born with bilateral orofacial clefts, her parents wondered if her little daughter would have a normal life in the future.

Шийдвэр гаргахад хүүхдийн оролцоог дэмжих нь

Бааска охин эмээгийнхээ хамтаар гэртээ
© UNICEF Монгол /2016/А.Энхзул

17 настай Бааска охин Хөвсгөл аймгийн "Aвъяас" сургуулийн ахлах ангид сурдаг. Тэрээр аймгийн төв Мөрөн хотод эмээ, хоёр дүүгийн хамт амьдардаг. Бааскагийн ээж, аав нь Төв аймгийн нутагт мал хариулан амьдардаг.

Together against measles

Otgoo and her daughter Munkh-Undral outside the “Ulziit Manal” family health center. A banner for the SIA campaign is hanging in the back.

©UNICEF Mongolia/2016/Enkhzul Altangerel

       It was 11 o’clock in the morning at the “Ulziit Manal” family health center of the Songinokhairkhan district. An unusual site for a small family health center greeted us, a hall filled with crowd, as dozens of young people in their 20’s were lined up to get vaccinated against measles. 30 year-old Otgonbayar (Otgoo) was one of them.

Otgoo is a nomadic herder, and she lives with her husband in the Bayantsagaan village of Tuv province in central Mongolia. The couple has a 9 year-old daughter Munkh-Undral, who goes to school in Ulaanbaatar.

Few days ago, when the nationwide measles Supplementary Immunization Activity (SIA) campaign started, Otgoo received a call from her village health center doctor, as well as an SMS from the Ministry of Health and Sports that she need to be vaccinated

Амьдралын зөв дадал хүүхдийн эрүүл мэндийг хамгаална

Цэргийн малгай өмссөн Түмэн-Өлзий
©НҮБ-ын Хүүхдийн Сан/2015/Н.Санжааханд

Түмэн-Өлзий таван настай, их сэргэлэн цовор охин. Тэр гадаа найз нартайгаа тоглох дуртай. Түмэн-Өлзий сумынхаа цэцэрлэгт явдаг. Түүний ээжийг Отгонбаяр гэх бөгөөд охиноо цэцэрлэгтээ дуртай болох тухай бидэнд хуучиллаа. "Охиныг маань сайн сурдаг. Бас цэцэрлэгтээ явах дуртай гэж багш нар нь дандаа хэлдэг юм" гэв.

Supporting education of Tuvan ethnic minority children in Mongolia

A primary grade Tuvan girl reciting a poem in her mother tongue

©UNICEF Mongolia/2014/Gansukh Kh

Eight year old Bolormaa is a Tuvan girl who is in Grade 3 of primary school in a remote border soum, Tsengel, in Bayan-Ulgii province.

Located nearly 1,800 km away from Ulaanbaatar, at the skirts of the picturesque snow-capped Altai Mountains, Tsengel soum is home to around 1,600 Tuvans. These people are a “minority among a minority”, since Bayan-Ulgii province itself is predominantly inhabited by the Kazakh ethnic minority. In Tsengel soum, only around 20 percent of the population are Tuvans and the rest are Kazakhs.

Changing behaviors, changing lives

Tumen-Ulzii at home playing dress up 

©UNICEF/Mongolia/2015/Sanjaakhand Nansalmaa

Tumen-Ulzii is an active five year old. She loves playing with her friends in the yard outside her house. Tumen-Ulzii goes to the local kindergarten.