Otgonkhuu’s Family, Mongolia (FVP Story 2021.34 )
Mongolia is a very cold country located in Northeast Asia. In the middle of winter, the average minimum temperature is -21.6℃ and the average maximum temperature is -11.9℃. But even in the cold, families bring warmth to each other through service.
On International Women’s Day in 2019, Otgonkhuu and her husband prepared and delivered gifts to women in a rural village outside of Ulaanbaatar. In the metropolitan area of Mongolia’s capital, hard-pressed families who face challenges like single-parenthood, disabilities or income generation, usually have access to social assistance. Otgonkhuu’s couple decided to visit families in Ulchit village who don’t have ready access to help. Six friends who were inspired to join the couple’s effort.
They delivered gift bags to 60 children and their families. Receiving gifts is always exciting. The villagers welcomed the couple and their friends warmly and thanked them for their kindness. The villagers’ smiles warmed their hearts on the cold day.
Otgonkhuu said the village felt like her extended family. She wants to continue to serve others and help with a pure heart. Her husband said the same, “Let’s keep going. I would like to continue to support this project.”
When snow falls on the road, snowflake by snowflake, it becomes a blanket that covers the ground in white. Helping others is the same, the joy builds up gradually, action by action until it envelops our hearts and the heart of our communities.