Despite the warming temperatures ahead, this last winter has significantly impacted the Mongolian people. The extreme cold weather, known as the Dzud, has seen temperatures drop as low as -50 degrees Celsius, impacting the households, livelihoods, mental health, well-being, nutritional, and education needs of over 24,000 children, according to the recently published Mongolia Humanitarian Situation Report from UNICEF.
The conditions have aggravated the situation of many children, especially the children who are living on Mongolia's streets. Often left to fend for themselves, they come from broken families, where domestic violence and lack of parental care often push them outside of their home.
To offer a secure environment for these children, the Don Bosco Caring Center opened in 2003 to provide children with shelter, a place to find warmth, food, and care.
“In Mongolia, many children become victims of domestic violence...making them lose any interest in being at home, or making them run away from home,” shares Namdag Ivgeelt, a social worker at the Caring Center. “For forty per cent of the children, we don’t know where their parents are. For the others, alcohol addiction, poverty, and domestic and family violence mean that parents are unable to take care of their children.”
Located in the centre of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, the Caring Center has been providing a beacon of hope for many children, not only providing them with shelter but also offering the opportunity to access a brighter future.
“Our teachers, psychologists, directors, managers, and all those who are working with children, accept these children as their own. When working, we always think ‘Why is this child so different? How can we make him not sad? How can we make him capable of openly expressing himself? How can we make him happy?’ We talk with these children individually. Only when the child is seen as the most valuable person, he becomes a better person, opens up his inner worries, and becomes more relaxed. This is the way I work,” shared Namdag.
Supporting the Don Bosco Caring Center means contributing to a cause that goes beyond immediate needs, echoing Pope Francis’s message for World Mission Day 2024 “Go and invite everyone to the banquet” (Mt 22:09). It is a way of extending a family’s warmth to the people who have none, ensuring that every child has the opportunity to grow, learn, and thrive.
Every child has the right to grow up in a safe and stable environment. Unfortunately, an estimated 4,000 children are without a home in the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar. See how the Don Bosco Caring Center is addressing this need.
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