We have lived here for more than a year since I lost my job, says a middle-aged man as he climbs out of a manhole in Ulaanbaatar. At least it s warm. He and his family live in one of the many sewer and heating pipes that run under the streets of Mongolia s capital city. These fetid pipes provide shelter for many people against Mongolia s bitter winters, during which temperatures can plummet to minus 35 o C or lower. Among them are a substantial number of Ulaanbaatar s estimated 4,000 street children.
Flies swarm around leftover food.
Unlike this man s two sons, many of the underground children are orphaned or separated from their parents. Many live in groups, either with their siblings or other children. The incidences of diseases such as tuberculosis, scabies, and sexually transmitted diseases are high among the children, who typically earn money for food by selling empty bottles, begging, stealing, or being involved in prostitution. NGO staff members regularly go under the streets at night when the children are home to make friends with them and eventually persuade them to go to their shelters. But convincing the children to move is not an easy task.