Davaatseren

• “Many years ago, after losing my livestock during Dzud, I moved to Ulaanbaatar and struggled to survive for eight years. Life in the big city was very difficult, I couldn’t settle down and decided to come back. I came to understand that living here and herding my animals is true happiness. I encourage migrants who have moved to the city to come back to herding.” – DASHNYAM, 45
• This story is inspired by the lives of Mongolian nomadic herder families. Children in these families play some very important roles. They can be responsible for herding sheep, caring for horses and even managing the household if their parents are herding too far away from school.
• Herding life can be difficult, and some new challenges are starting to make life even harder for nomadic families. Increasing demand for the cashmere produced by their very special goats has led to a huge increase of animals grazing on the grassland. Climate change has also changed weather patterns in the region, making long harsh Mongolian winters (called ‘Dzuds’) even more extreme.
• In this story you’ll see what one little boy discovers about herding life when he makes his first trip to the big city.