It has taken its time. Getting off the beaten track. Corona was – and is – in the way. But when you do succeed, the joy is great. Watch this shortvideo of an exuberantly happy 5-year-old boy in a nomadic Mongolian family.
On the last day of 2020, he and his family were visited by a teacher with books and other goodies under his arm.
The family is part of our project to give five-year-old nomadic children a better start to their upcoming school year. Studies have shown that 80% of children who drop out of school within the first 2-3 years are from nomadic families.
Compared to other children who have benefited from educational stimulation in kindergarten and are used to being surrounded by many other children and adults, nomadic children are at a disadvantage when they start school at the age of 6.
Nomad children can’t go to kindergarten. It’s simply too far from home to institution. And the home – the Mongolian ger – even moves 4-6 times a year as family and animals move pastures.
The Better School Start-Better School Life project brings educational stimulation to families on the steppe and their 5-year-old children. Educational games and games, tips and ideas for parents, notebooks and drawing pads etc. are provided.
The project was supposed to be in full swing in 64 rural areas from September 2020, but with corona lockdowns across Mongolia followed by the usual harsh winter, we can only reach a few dozen families this time around.
In return, we will then be able to use the experience to fine-tune the initiative when it can hopefully be rolled out to the many hundreds of families and 5-year-olds over the next few years.
