Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 1

I visited the website of the Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Centre’s page (http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/),  and read about issues in Mongolia.  Mainly because I didn't know anything about the goings-on in Mongolia, I was curious what their situation was like.  After reading about it, I have to say I was greatly disheartened.  Mongolia was heavily tied to the USSR but when they opted for the "shock reform" in 1990, things began to go downhill.  Such rapid change that took place hit the economy hard, and unemployment rose and social services were cut.  Health care options for poor families were greatly reduced.  30% of children under 5 years of age showed signs of malnourishment and many children were not attending school.  Migration is a common practice in Mongolia due to the amount of livestock herders.  However, it was reported that most migration began taking place to give children a better education.  However, those who did move to another area for education were 3 times more likely to be out of school than those who had not migrated.  This is due to a number of factors including non-acceptance of students at schools, lack of nearbye schools, or cost of attendance.  Though the situation in Mongolia is beginning to look up, these facts are still an issue.  With such a gap between the rich and the poor, something needs to be done to help the children in this country so that they can overcome these obstacles and perhaps eliminate them in the future.