In the winter, it goes down to -58 degrees F, in the summer, up to 95 degrees F, but the cold prevails during 8 months in the year, very harsh and merciless, causing the death of hundreds of people who live in their country yurts, and those living in urban, very neglected buildings; as for their cattle, millions of animals also succumbed, which gave a terrible blow to the main source of food for the inhabitants of these lands.

They just came out from Communism some twenty years ago, now the Mongols have to face a bad economy, however improving. After we had remarked that medical care was quasi inexistent, or extremely archaic, Bishop Jean Marie decided to open a hospital there, able to offer free health care to the poor, which they greatly needed, along with hot and nutritious meals.

The Hospital of Charity opened its doors in 1999, and its 62 beds are now all occupied.

In addition to this, Fraternite Notre Dame's religious people also assure a shower service and they distribute clean clothes and personal hygiene items.

Again they make shoes for all these poor people, who often lose their fingers or toes because of the freezing cold.

Arrived in Mongolia in 1995, Fraternite Notre Dame opened a soup kitchen for the poor of a particular area in Ulaanbaatar, very neglected indeed; then, in another, thus allowing a certain portion of the population, notably extremely destitute families and street children, to feed themselves.

In parallel to this, the religious Priests and Nuns of Fraternite Notre Dame come to the help of imprisoned children, teaching them French and providing them with food and clothing. They also keep them busy with educational games.

The same type of support is offered to inmates in the life sentence prison, and very satisfying results are obtained, thanks partly to a good collaboration with the personnel of the center.

What an unbelievable scene this is: whole families, suffering from all kinds of diseases, living in promiscuity and suffering.

Fraternite Notre Dame assures weekly visits to families living in yurts, bringing them some food, clothes, foot-heaters.

They must face many cases of children who have become deaf and mute because of the cold; they have no heat in these poor yurts.

Because they lack beds, the members of a same family have to take turns in order to get some rest and sleep… how many examples of this kind! The list would be endless.

• back to Worldwide Missions