In 2024, People in Need (PIN), a Czech-based NGO working in Mongolia, implemented the “REACH” post-disaster recovery assistance project to support herder families in Bayan-Ölgii and Khovd provinces. During dzuds, herder parents often struggle to care for their children. Children are sent to work with livestock, miss school, or are left unattended, exacerbating risks to their safety and well-being. Additionally, the emotional toll of losing livestock can lead to psychological stress in parents, creating an unfavourable environment for children. PIN is working to prevent this.
"As part of the [REACH] project, we selected 15 herder households affected by the dzud in our district and conducted assessments for each family. According to our initial assumptions, these households were identified as being at risk for child protection issues. During the assessment process, what I noticed was that we were assessing these families because they were deemed at risk. However, we do not know what issues may be affecting other herder households that were not labelled as at risk or how their children might be suffering. It is not easy to understand people at a glance. This made me realise the importance of conducting child protection risk assessments for all herder households, if possible," D.Battsatsral, Child Protection Multidisciplinary Team member.
One significant aspect of this project, which sets it apart from other similar initiatives, was conducting child protection risk assessments by visiting 270 herder households individually. During dzud, they may be too busy to attend to their children. Some children are left unsupervised, sent to tend livestock in harsh conditions, or miss school to assist with herding activities. Additionally, herders who lose their livestock and experience emotional distress may unintentionally vent their frustrations on their children, leading to psychological risks.
Even under normal circumstances, visiting herder households to provide basic social services, including child protection, is a rare undertaking. For this reason, these assessments were made a central part of the project. A total of 794 herder parents, guardians, and children participated in these assessments, during which child protection specialists from the provinces provided advice to mitigate and address the risks identified.
This risk assessment was conducted by specialists from the Child and Family Development and Protection Departments of Bayan-Ölgii and Khovd provinces. Prior to the assessment, methodological training on conducting risk assessments was organized for these specialists in each province as part of the project during the first half of June 2024.
"In June, I attended training on Child Protection Risk Assessment Methodology held at the aimag centre. I received guidance on my tasks, and later that month, I conducted assessments by visiting herder households. I had visited herder households before for various purposes. However, after the training and conducting assessments, my perspective has changed. Now, when I visit herder households, I observe the living conditions, how the children are, whether there are any risks to the children, and how the parents interact with their children," B.Bat-Erdene, Child Protection Multidisciplinary Team member.
The risk assessments conducted as part of the project have shifted attitudes among herder parents, guardians, and children and the members of the soum-level Child Protection Multidisciplinary Teams.
“I have worked in child protection for 19 years. However, I had never gone to herder households to conduct child protection risk assessments. This assessment, conducted as part of the project, was the first. Previously, we would only visit households to investigate reports of abuse and take measures to protect the child. However, after participating in this work, I realised the importance of visiting herder households to identify risks, even when no reports of abuse have been made. Providing advice and information to reduce these risks is essential,” explained O.Mandalsuren, a State Inspector for Children’s Rights.
A one-time financial assistance of 660,000 MNT (approx. $180) was provided to each of the 270 herder households included in the child protection assessment. Herders primarily used this financial aid to prepare their children for school and academic activities. For herder households, it is evident that money is necessary to cover school-related expenses, and the challenge becomes even greater when there are multiple school-aged children in the family. Furthermore, the situation worsens if they have lost livestock or had to take out loans to keep their livestock alive. Thus, the cash assistance helps alleviate the financial burden caused by the dzud and ensures the children can go to school.
Herders are undoubtedly among the first to feel the harsh impacts of climate change. Offering them support during this transition—so they can adapt and plan for their future—is a fundamental act of humanity and compassion.
The REACH project, primarily funded by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, aimed to address needs in education, health, and child protection for herder families and their children affected by the dzud in these remote provinces.
In 2024, People in Need (PIN), a Czech-based NGO working in Mongolia, implemented the “REACH” post-disaster recovery assistance project to support herder families in Bayan-Ölgii and Khovd provinces. During dzuds, herder parents often struggle to care for their children. Children are sent to work with livestock, miss school, or are left unattended, exacerbating risks to their safety and well-being. Additionally, the emotional toll of losing livestock can lead to psychological stress in parents, creating an unfavourable environment for children. PIN is working to prevent this.
"As part of the [REACH] project, we selected 15 herder households affected by the dzud in our district and conducted assessments for each family. According to our initial assumptions, these households were identified as being at risk for child protection issues. During the assessment process, what I noticed was that we were assessing these families because they were deemed at risk. However, we do not know what issues may be affecting other herder households that were not labelled as at risk or how their children might be suffering. It is not easy to understand people at a glance. This made me realise the importance of conducting child protection risk assessments for all herder households, if possible," D.Battsatsral, Child Protection Multidisciplinary Team member.
One significant aspect of this project, which sets it apart from other similar initiatives, was conducting child protection risk assessments by visiting 270 herder households individually. During dzud, they may be too busy to attend to their children. Some children are left unsupervised, sent to tend livestock in harsh conditions, or miss school to assist with herding activities. Additionally, herders who lose their livestock and experience emotional distress may unintentionally vent their frustrations on their children, leading to psychological risks.
Even under normal circumstances, visiting herder households to provide basic social services, including child protection, is a rare undertaking. For this reason, these assessments were made a central part of the project. A total of 794 herder parents, guardians, and children participated in these assessments, during which child protection specialists from the provinces provided advice to mitigate and address the risks identified.
This risk assessment was conducted by specialists from the Child and Family Development and Protection Departments of Bayan-Ölgii and Khovd provinces. Prior to the assessment, methodological training on conducting risk assessments was organized for these specialists in each province as part of the project during the first half of June 2024.
"In June, I attended training on Child Protection Risk Assessment Methodology held at the aimag centre. I received guidance on my tasks, and later that month, I conducted assessments by visiting herder households. I had visited herder households before for various purposes. However, after the training and conducting assessments, my perspective has changed. Now, when I visit herder households, I observe the living conditions, how the children are, whether there are any risks to the children, and how the parents interact with their children," B.Bat-Erdene, Child Protection Multidisciplinary Team member.
The risk assessments conducted as part of the project have shifted attitudes among herder parents, guardians, and children and the members of the soum-level Child Protection Multidisciplinary Teams.
“I have worked in child protection for 19 years. However, I had never gone to herder households to conduct child protection risk assessments. This assessment, conducted as part of the project, was the first. Previously, we would only visit households to investigate reports of abuse and take measures to protect the child. However, after participating in this work, I realised the importance of visiting herder households to identify risks, even when no reports of abuse have been made. Providing advice and information to reduce these risks is essential,” explained O.Mandalsuren, a State Inspector for Children’s Rights.
A one-time financial assistance of 660,000 MNT (approx. $180) was provided to each of the 270 herder households included in the child protection assessment. Herders primarily used this financial aid to prepare their children for school and academic activities. For herder households, it is evident that money is necessary to cover school-related expenses, and the challenge becomes even greater when there are multiple school-aged children in the family. Furthermore, the situation worsens if they have lost livestock or had to take out loans to keep their livestock alive. Thus, the cash assistance helps alleviate the financial burden caused by the dzud and ensures the children can go to school.
Herders are undoubtedly among the first to feel the harsh impacts of climate change. Offering them support during this transition—so they can adapt and plan for their future—is a fundamental act of humanity and compassion.
The REACH project, primarily funded by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, aimed to address needs in education, health, and child protection for herder families and their children affected by the dzud in these remote provinces.