Erdene-Bolor Tsogtsaihan is 11 years old. She lives with her father, and hundreds of others, in the heating tunnels under the Mongolian capital city of Ulaanbaatar.
Above them, modern cars and trucks roar by, a sign that Mongolia is slowly but surely emerging from the desperate economic state that has brought destitution to virtually the whole population. But Erdene-Bolor is evidence that there is still a long way to go. In fact, those who can afford cars are very few and far between.
Unemployment and alcoholism are still the way of life for the majority. Erdene-Bolor is one of an estimated 200,000 malnourished Mongolia children.
Erdene-Bolor lived with her parents in a small town many miles form Ulaanbattar. Mr. Tsogtsaihan used to work as an army cook. Then sadly his wife died and he started to drink the readily available vodka. He became addicted and lost his job.
Finding it impossible to find work in their small hometown, Erdene-Bolor and her father sold their ger (tent) and moved to Ulaanbaatar in the summer of 1999. Mr. Tsogtsaihan hoped the chances would be better there.
For the first few days they lived in a friend's home. Then Mr. Tsogtsaihan said they would have to move out, it was too difficult to stay with another family. In fact, he had lost all money which he got from selling the ger. They moved to live among the heating pipes, their front door became a manhole cover.
Erdene-Bolor’s story is not unusual. And yet, there is some hope and some help. Many young lives are being introduced to a special love that they have never before experienced.
Every morning Erdene-Bolor and her father would emerge from the network of undergroung heating pipes to collect tin cans and left over bones from the rubbish tips. They would be able to exchange them for a few pennies so they could buy bread for breakfast. The rest of the day Erdene-Bolor would hang around the market and collect scraps of meat and anything else she found on the floor.
Other children would come in the afternoon after their class and discuss what they had learned that day. One day Erdene-Bolor asked if she could go to class with them. The next day they came back with the answer from the teacher that she would be welcome. There was great excitement as Erdene-Bolor had never been in a school before.
There were tears of joy on her first day as the teacher handed Erdene-Bolor a school bag, books and pencils. Nobody had given her gifts before. Now she attends school from 1pm - 5.30 pm with the other children. After class she still goes to the market to look for something to take home for her father to cook. Then it’s homework by candle light, snuggled up to the massive heating pipes trying to keep warm.
Erdene-Bolor says,
“ Sometimes I cannot concentrate
well because of the stray cats and
dogs.
But I like to study and my dream
is to be a teacher. I used to collect
books and newspaper to make fires.
Now I collect them to read.”
Erdene-Bolor and the other children also learn about how Jesus came to save them from sin and give them an wonderful eternal home in heaven.
Through the Literacy Class project operated by AsiaLink partner, Genesis, in Mongolia, not only the children, but their families and teachers are hearing the Gospel and giving their lives to Christ.