Interview with Shari Tvrdik, Mongolia representative

1. Where, geographically, are you located?
Mongolia, city of Ulaan Baatar

2. How long have you been at this location?
4 months

3. What made you decide to go where you are?
We truly beleive it is the call of God on our lives to serve the poor in Mongolia at this time.

4. What is your current living situation?
We are living in the poorest district of Ulaan Baatar. We live in what is called a "ger district" the name is because most of the houses are gers (yurts). We chose to live here among the people we are working with because we feel it would be the most effective way to become familiar with their struggles. We live in a brick house. No running water, but we do have electricity. We have an out door "pit" toilet.

5. What is the community that you are working with living situaion?
The families live in gers. They are circle homes that can be moved in about an hour. They are very small...appx 15 feet across. I have seen as many as 10 people sharing these tight quarters to sleep and live. Many have no electricity and of course there is no running water. They have fences built around thier gers which creates a bit of a yard called a "hasha". If you do not have your hasha built you have no privacy and no formal property so it can be taken from you at any time. Some families are fourtunate to have mud or brick homes. Usually one room. Toilets are outside and called "pit toilets". The streets are very uneaven and dangerous. Sometimes impossible to drive a car on the steets. Extreme temperatures here offten reach -40 below zero. I have yet to see a garabage can outside of my yard. The filth is tremendous. people defecating on the fenceline and in the streets. Garbage in layers everywhere.


6. What are specific living conditions for the children in the community? (i.e. food, clothing, education, shelter).

Food consists of flour and water bread, that is fried. Very little meat and even less vegetables. The water here is not drinkable unless boiled first. Most children are extremely malnourished and vitamin defficient which causes an unbelievable numer of rickets in this area. Most of the children in our area have bowed legs. Children offten do not have enough clothing. One family takes turns playing outside because they only have one pair of shoes for two kids. Many children with shoes too big or too small. Coats with pink and fluff on little boys (handed down from big sister). Shelter is tragically insufficient for many. The gers are small and need to be heated with coal. However coal is expensive for the poor here andmany children sleep in the cold all night long. Education, although valued to the extreme here, for many is unattainable. It becomes too important to make even a dollar to contribute to the families survivial. children offten are removed from school by 3rd or 4th grade. Alos text books must be bought for each student. The poor can not afford these items. Even pencils, pens and erasers become too great of a burden.

7. How do the children get there?
Those that go to school get there by walking a mile to the bus stop and taking a city bus to school. For most this bus ride would be traded for food, so the walk to school is extended. Our program includes a head start program for 6 year olds. 38 students arrive each morning, most have walked.

8. How are these necessities funded?
At the moment there are several humanitarian efforts going in this area. Through the work of many dedicated people these children are being provided with food, coal, clothing, textbooks, and education. Each organization is in charge of raising its own funds. Funding for our organinzation, Flourishing Future, is coming from individuals world wide who give financial donations to our team memebers.

9. Is the education, if provided, more textbook based or basics-of-living based? Please give an example.
This depends on the school. Mongolian public school is very textbook based. The education is much of what is left over from the recent communist regime in this country. Children learn math, science, and language very well. Math skills are amazing even at early levels. They lack completely in basics of living. There is a form of denial in the education system that does not address the poverty that is in epic proportions here. For instance you must have all your books, and educational supplies to attend. Most children in this district can not afford this. However, in many of the NGO (non governmetn organization) schools, there is more of a balanced education. Teaching even the basics of hygein, disease prevention and vocational training.


10. Approximately, how many of the children have a living parent/guardian?
In our class room of 38 6 yea olds all of them have at least one living partent

11. Of the children that have a living parent/guardian, what are the reasons that they abandon them?
Alcohol addiction accounts for most of the cases of abuse, neglect and abandonment. There is a staggering statistic here that 72% of males are alcoholics. Poverty accounts for the rest. It becomes impossible to feed the children. Many children are first neglected, abused and then end up as run aways, into the city and living in the man-holes underground.

12. Approximately, how many of the children have never had any contact with their parent?
This is not common. Most of the children have contact with at least one parent. Contacct occurs from time to time. Offten children will return home for brief periods of time before they return back to the streets. parents mostly do not search for their children.

13. Out of all of the children abandoned, what are the main factors for their parents leaving them, i.e. death, drugs, violence/gang relation, work migration, unknown, etc.
violence, alcohol, poverty

14. Are all of the children up for adoption?
No most of these children are running wild alone. Some however do get detained and taken to a government run orphanage. Many of the NGO foster homes have come under extreme scruitany byt he Mongolain governmetn. However there are several homes running in the Ulaan Bataar area that are very successful at providing a loving home, enviroment to these children.

15. Who (demographics) are adopting the children?
Very rarely, a foreigner can adopt a mongolian child. The children are being adopted out to Monoglian families...but due to poverty, it is not common for monoglians to be looking for another child.

16. Where are the children being adopted to, geographically?
Some have been adopted out to the USA, Germany, or Korea but most are adopted in country or not adopted at all.

17. What does the adoption process consist of?
Extreme Government scrutiny. If you are a USA citizen you must first go throught the process that you would have to in your own country. After you are apporved by your country then you go throught the approval process here. You will hear that it is basically impossible to be approved by the mongolian government for adoptions. However, it does happen. I know of one woman who has adopted three chirldren. However, she is living in country. I also know of a familiy who has adopted one boy...however, it was nearly ten years ago. Things have gotten much tougher since then.

18. What happens to those who do not get adopted?
They grow up in the government run orphanages if they make it there. Others, just survive on the streeet, underground in the man holes.

19. How are people, in general, being informed of the current situations of the orphaned children, their community, and their issues?
Mongolia is a forgotten country in many ways. The world has not yet taken notice of what Mongolia's poor are suffering with. We hope to bring awarness to individuals who will help support the foreign organizations that are trying to bring some relief here.

20. Who is supporting them, be it money, food, education?
Mongolias children are self supporting. However, there are some organizations here that are doing a great job working to provide safe homes, food, and education for these children. Thre are schools running, food sponsorship programs, community centers that provide vocational training for teens, vitamins, medicine, health training....and so much more. It is not hopeless and we have seen great change happen with just a little effort. Sometimes, just rice,bread and some coal for the stove can change a childs life.
Our organization is called Flourishing Future. We live next to the little community centr that is in the heart of the poor. Here we provide school, extra curricular activities and further education such as English teaching, algebra, chemistry and d Biology classess. Vitamin distributioin. We have 32 families that we worlk closely with providing food, clothing, and shelter because they are on the brink of disater and having to turn their children out to the streets beause they can not provide. The aid they receive from the community center is a life raft they can hold onto and keep the family together.

21. What is working on spreading the word?
Individual contact one one one works the best.

22. What can help spread the word?
When you think of Mongoia think of the children. Educate yourslef on the needs of the world. Its so important. The most amazing way to help spread the word is to get people over here for even a few weeks. Once you see it, you can not help but spread the word about the condition of the poor...no matter where you go. Poverty is wolrd wide.

23. What are the childrens’ demographics?
I dont know these for certain



I wanted to add as my final thoughts that every little bit helps. However more then anything, these children need love and attention put into their lives. Even a visit to the orphanges to play games and just spend tieme with them is vital. Education is not the most important thing, food is not the most important thing, love is not the mostimportant thing, shelter is not the most important thing. I have discovered that the most imoportant thing, the greatest need is whatever the little child infront of you is desperate for at the moment. That may be bread, a hug, a math class or a blanket...but you have to pay attention and ministetr one at a time.