FEAST OR FAMINE

In the past two weeks, since February 14, public hospitals in Ulaanbaatar have accommodated 2,300 flu patients—more than 1,300 of them children. Patients with flu symptoms were advised to stay home because the city’s public hospitals lacked sufficient beds for the increasing number of people diagnosed with respiratory diseases. The newspaper, The UB, reported that a four-year-old child died from the flu as the child’s parents travelled between two major hospitals to find one that had a vacant bed. Sukhbaatar District Hospital declared a state of heightened preparedness as it could no longer accommodate patients below five years of age. Another hospital reportedly had 6-10 children together in a room, with their parents. Some children were sleeping in hospital corridors on mattresses and bed linen brought in by their parents.

Month - Average High - Average Low - Average Precipitation  January -16.0°C -27.0°C 0.00 cm February -11.0°C -24.0°C 0.25 cm  March -2.0°C -15.0°C 0.25 cm April 8.0°C -6.0°C 0.76 cm May 17.0°C 3.0°C 1.27 cm June 22.0°C 8.0°C 4.06 cm  July 23.0°C 11.0°C 5.84 cm August 22.0°C 9.0°C 5.08 cm  September 16.0°C 2.0°C 2.54 cm October 7.0°C -6.0°C 0.76 cm November -4.0°C -16.0°C 0.25 cm December -14.0°C -24.0°C 0.25 cm http://weather.yahoo.com

Each year for the past nine years, Mongolia’s local newspaper announces the nation’s top people of the past lunar year, on the eve of the Lunar New Year on February 14. The top nine for 2009’s Year of the Ox were: President Elbegdorj of Mongolia (elected in May 2009 as the nation’s fourth President, he was one to the top leaders of the peaceful democratic revolution in 1990 that ended more than 65 years of communist rule) Member of Parliament, E. Bat-Uul (awarded with the Order of National Hero in 2009) Former Prime Minister, S. Bayar (chair of the Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party) Current Prime Minister, S. Batbold Deputy Prime Minister, M. Enkhbold (the ninth consecutive time on the list of top 9) Grand Champion of Japanese sumo wrestling, D. Dagvadorj (known as Yokozuna Asashoryu) Olympic boxing silver medallist, P. Serdamba (who recently won a gold medal in a world championship event) Olympic judo bronze medallist, Kh. Tsagaanbaatar (who won gold at t

To mark the Lunar New Year on February 14, the first day of the Year of the Iron Tiger, Mongolians celebrate new beginnings, good fortunes, and well-being for all. It is traditional at Lunar New Year to visit the home of the oldest person in the family to greet each other, after making their first footsteps of the year in the direction that is most auspicious for them. The local English newspaper, The UB, reports that the Leader of Mongolia, President Elbegdorj (the nation’s fourth President), visited the home of the oldest person in Mongolia on Lunar New Year. Dulam, a 108-year-old woman is a former nurse who lives with her 75-year-old daughter. The President presented Dulam with a key to a brand new apartment.

In October 2009, the Ministry of the Environment and Tourism undertook a census (count) of wild mountain sheep, wild goats, black tailed gazelle, antelope and wild horses. The results currently available are: Antelopes 466,352 from 560 herds Wild goats 24,370 from 162 herds Wild sheep 19,701 from 385 herds Black tailed gazelles 2,610 from 255 herds Wild horses 3,404 from 56 herds Reindeer unknown The last count of reindeer was at the end of the 1980s conducted by the National University of Mongolia and the University of Irkutsk in Russia. The students counted 400 reindeer at the time. Apparently, no-one has seen them in the wild since. Each year, Mongolians celebrate the “Thousand Reindeer Festival” for the domestic reindeer. However, in 2009, the Mongolians did not celebrate because the number did not reach a thousand. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongoli

The supermarkets here are not as grand, well-stocked, nor as large as in many parts of the world, but interesting nevertheless. The labels on goods are simplistic and are neither informative nor helpful. Most pre-packed vegetables are labelled ‘China vegetables’ – this includes cauliflower, broccoli, capsicum (red peppers), and beetroot. Potatoes and onions are sold loosely in most places because they are locally grown. Pre-packed fresh fruit is labelled ‘Import fruit’ – oranges, apples, pears, and strawberries. It’s the middle of winter and almost everything is imported. White yoghurt is plain yoghurt and anything from the sea is labelled ‘Fish item’. Current grocery prices are as follows (in Australian dollars): Loaf of wholegrain bread $1.65 Butter (250g) $0.75 Tub of white yoghurt (150g) $0.72 Tub of fruit yoghurt (150g) $0.82 Frozen prawns (250g) $3.50 Tomato paste (250g) $1.54 Large jar of jam (340g) $4.00 Small jars of jam (200g) $2.28 Lipton Tea Bags (100) $6.65 C

The United Nations warned that extreme winter weather has killed more than a million livestock in Mongolia and this may harm the country's food supply and worsen poverty. Local Ulaanbaatar newspapers report up to two million livestock have died nationwide. Of Mongolia’s 21 provinces, 19 have suffered heavy winter snow and -40C temperatures. This harsh winter has come after a severe drought during the summer months, which prevented Mongolian’s from stockpiling food for their livestock. United Nations agencies were trying to reach the worst-hit people, particularly pregnant women cut off from medical facilities by the heavy snow - three have reportedly died in childbirth so far this winter. In addition, pneumonia rates and malnutrition among children have increased.

In Ulaanbaatar, I am housed in an apartment within a 10-storey new building in the eastern district. The metal doors to the building require an entry code. The building is stark, with cement passageways, a staircase, and two elevators. Lights automatically turn on whenever someone enters a passage or departs the elevator, because it is quite dark. My apartment on the 6th floor is a standard design. The entry with a coat cupboard, leads directly into the kitchen to the right, the kitchen table straight ahead, and the living area beyond the kitchen table. The living area has a large flat-screen television and two settees. A doorway leads onto a narrow closed-in balcony, which people use as a storage room in most apartments. In any case, it acts as double-insulation against the cold. It's freezing on the balcony. The kitchen has a large refridgerator, a modern stove, a bread maker, a microwave, a toaster, pots and pans, cutlery and crockery and a kettle. There is, however, no

Similar to the Chinese New Year, Mongolians celebrate the auspicious lunar new moon, the Tsagaan Sar, to commence a new year and a new beginning. Tsagaan Sar literally means “white moon.” The celebrations mark the hope for prosperous and joyous times ahead. Many of the symbols surround the giving and receiving of food. For example, a full stomach represents a full year with everything coming in abundance. I joined in the festivities with a visit to my colleague’s grandparents’ apartment. Grandfather greeted me first by placing a blue silk sash over his open arms and embracing me. It is traditional to place your hands underneath the older person’s elbows as a gesture of support – to support them physically, spiritually, emotionally and financially in the future. Grandmother then greeted me with two touches to each cheek. Most of the elderly wore their traditional clothes of silk gowns tied with an ornate sash or intricate silver belt. The gentlemen opened their snuff bottles –

The morning was -34C with no wind. The sun rose over the mountains. Surrounding the capital are four mountain peaks; the four holy peaks. They are the Bogdkhan, the Chingeltei, the Songino Khairkhan and the largest, Bayanzurkh Uuls. They are located at roughly the four points of a compass: south, north, west and east. So in this photograph, from my apartment on the eastern side of the city, the morning sun is rising over Bayanzurkh Uuls. And it glowed a brilliant red. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

Starting in December 2009 and running for 4 years, the Technical & Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Project will implement competitive grant programs in two areas: promoting Employers and Training Institutions Cooperation (formerly called Public-Private Partnerships) in TVET; and (2) incubating and disseminating best practices of TVET institutions. The Millennium Challenge Account – Mongolia (MCA-M) will provide the technical support for the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the TVET competitive grant programs. Currently there are 64 TVET institutions throughout Mongolia: 44 state-owned, 20 privately-owned, and 4 schools established with foreign investment. Almost half (28) of the institutions operate in the capital, Ulaanbaatar. Each of the 21 aimags (provinces) has one or two TVET institutions. According to the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science 37,867 students were enrolled in TVET institutions across the country in 2008-2009. The number

My apartment in Ulaanbaatar is in the east of the city, on the outer edge, but within a kilometre of the office. The view from the 6th floor is one of mountains in the distance and the bowl of construction in the foreground. An apartment block is being constructed next door so the view of the mountains will be blocked in a year's time. The apartment blocks look similar, except most are notoriously old, crumbling, and grimy. To respond to the booming city population, many new apartments are being constructed on any spare block in the city - the new are distinguished from the old by a coat of paint. Those left concrete grey will age quickly and look 50 years old in two years. There are no discernable shops nearby. A small, under-stocked supermarket, a hairdressing salon, and two phone shops are on my un-signed street. Further down the street is a sauna, a restaurant/pub, and more phone shops. I'm in the small industrial area and the restaurant area is a car-drive away.