Help for Mongolia’s Street Kids

In Mongolia the death rate among the adolescents is quite high. Laurel Evans reports on ADRA’s new program aiming at tackling this growing concern.

Previously nomadic, the majority of Mongolians are now young, urban, and live in the capital Ulaanbaatar. With the transition in 1990 from a socialist to a market economy, 2.4 million Mongolians had to adjust to drastic political, economic and social change. More than a third live in poverty, with 20 per cent classified as “ultra-poor.”

Many youth facing the normal challenges of adolescence, such as peer pressure and parental approval, must also deal with the wide-reaching negative effects of the post-transition period. Children of the poor often miss out on education and health care, and are deprived of necessary food and clothing. Many end up in the “informal” sector, washing cars or transporting heavy loads, to help support their families.

With the transition to a market economy, school enrolment rates decreased. In 1999-2000, up to a quarter of teens didn’t attend school. Whereas literacy was previously very high, it’s now a serious problem with tens of thousands of illiterate.

Poverty intensifies family conflict, anger, depression and pessimism, and increases the potential for alcohol abuse and domestic violence. Violence toward children at home, including sexual abuse, has become widespread recently.
A study of children aged 7 to 18 in Ulaanbaatar found a majority unhappy with their home life, citing a lack of money as the main reason, with domestic conflicts and alcohol abuse also significant.

And one-third of women experience domestic violence, with one in 10 beaten by their partners. Not only do children witness this, but rape against girls is also common. One third of girls involved in prostitution report being raped, many by their fathers or stepfathers.
Prostitution of young teenage girls is also growing. A survey in Ulaanbaatar showed that unemployment, poverty and previous sexual abuse were the main reasons for entering the industry.

The death rate among adolescents aged 12-16 is extremely high, the result of respiratory and digestive disorders. As they also lack knowledge of reproductive health issues, so the incidence of pregnancy and abortion among teenage girls is high.

To meet these challenges and give youth a way to break free from the cycle of poverty, Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA)–Mongolia developed a pilot project to help youth in the transition from childhood to adulthood. It aims to establish positive values and behaviours among adolescents who lack education and live in environments devoid of support and structure.

Known as Youth Adventure Challenge (YAC), it gives “adventure” experiences aimed at encouraging the development of self-esteem, motivation, problem solving, leadership, communication skills and social competence among at-risk youth. The YAC pilot project is based on the premise that personal growth through participation in an adventure program will help prevent the adoption of more serious at-risk behaviours and attitudes.

When ADRA–Mongolia’s began its education program in 1995, it focused on the distribution of food and clothing to street children. Since then it has grown to include school re-entry, literacy training and life skills training. Through acquiring practical coping skills and positive life philosophies, YAC participants are prepared to respond more favourably to the common challenges facing them in Ulaanbaatar—boredom, unemployment, crime, lack of vision and drug abuse.
With coping strategies and improved self-awareness, it is equipping youth to break the poverty cycle.