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Traditional Mongolian tents (Republic of Mongolia) – (October 2003)

The traditional housing of the rural population in Mongolia, to be found throughout the territory of the Republic as well as in the province of Inner Mongolia in China, is a felt tent upheld by wooden arches and is called a “ger”. This type of lodging allows cattle-raising families to move easily with their herds from pasture to pasture.

In the last few years where climatic conditions in Mongolia have become worse and worse, some families have lost all their belongings, including their lodging, and have come to Oulan-Bator in the hope of finding a job and a place to live. But in reality this is extremely difficult and many of these couples, sometimes with very young children, have to live outdoors, even in the coldest periods of winter, with only a wooden board to sleep on, which they place as near as possible to the underground hot-water piping of the city.

You have only to look at the temperature above to realize how drastic the situation is…

Thanks to the initiative of the French nuns who work there all year long, CNB has been able to commit to a collaboration program for the purchase of new tents.

These new “ger” purchased at 500€ each are lent to the families free-of-charge so that they can settle in the outskirts and thereby attempt to start a new life. At the start of the winter of 2003, and in spite of the relentless work of the voluntary workers, 37 families selected for this operation were still waiting for a lodging.

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