Dzud Emergency Response 2017
Published: Mar 22, 2017 Reading time: 2 minutes
HIGHLIGTS
Steppe fires and dry summer followed by heavy rains in September and early snow in October has put the rural population in an extremely vulnerable position. By February 2017, 77.8% of the country was covered in snow. Thick layers of snow and ice in the mountainous regions, as thick as 50 cm, cover most of the pastures and causing animals’ injuries and starvation. These harsh weather conditions and breakouts of deadly infectious diseases have already killed more than 45,000 heads of livestock, leaving more than 8,000 households in need of emergency assistance.
This year’s dzud caught even the usually prepared herders by surprise. An absence of cash and exhaustion of all reserves has forced the herders to look for a short-term solution. They are borrowing food and essential goods from shops, getting a bank loan if possible, or selling the animals for very low prices, consequently losing possible income from the cashmere, dairy, and meat. When a herder loses his livelihood, his whole family is threatened because they depend on him. This results in impoverishment of the rural population and undermines their resilience for the upcoming winter. People are not able to cope without help.
Soums of Dornod province, Eastern part of Mongolia. Photo: Wikipedia 2010
DORNOD PROVINCE MONGOLIA
FEED PACKAGES FOR ANIMALS AND CASH SUPPORT
March is a crucial month for Mongolian herders affected by dzud. The herders’s reserves of fodder and cash are almost gone and those animals, which were able to survive the winter, are exhausted and malnourished. Afraid to lose their livestock, the only source of income, herders' families have to sacrifice the basic household needs as food, clothes, education etc. due to buy animals feed.
From 9th to 16th of March People in Need (PIN) with financial support of Ministry of the Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic and support of the Czech Public who contribute through PIN’s Club of Friends provided emergency aid to the most vulnerable herders of Dornod province, Mongolia. The assistance was provided in two phases: distribution of animal feed packages and cash support. As usual fodder is not enough for weak animals to survive after extreme winter, People in Need distributed packages of special concentrated animal feed and multivitamins to ensure the higher survival rate of the livestock. Additionally to the animal feed packages every household received multipurpose cash grant to cover basic family needs.
The complete factsheet report is also available here.
People in Need team:
Quentin Moreau, PIN Country Director for Mongolia, M: +97 695 260 764 quentin.moreau@peopleinneed.cz
Jaroslav Petrik, PIN Coordinator for Mongolia, M: +420 778 485 029 jaroslav.petrik@peopleinneed.cz
Zuzana Filipova, PIN Emergency coordinator for Mongolia, M: +976 94 771 501 zuzana.filipova@peopleinneed.cz
