Out in the Cold: Homeless in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Widespread unemployment in Mongolia has caused many social problems such as depression, alcohol abuse, domestic violence and crime. Otguntugs, 28, and his wife Ounsuren, 36, use what money they have from collecting bottles to purchase cheap Russian vodka which they drink in order to stave off the bitter cold that embraces Ulaanbaatar for large portions of the year.

Early in the morning in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Ounseren, 36, lights a fire in order to boil a soup which consists of any food left over from the previous day. The country is currently experiencing its highest inflation rate in over a decade, mainly as a result of rising fuel and food costs. This directly affects the family because the price they receive for the bottles they collect has dropped, meaning they can afford less and less food.

An abandoned garage in central Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, serves as a home to one family of homeless people. With no heating, temperatures inside the garage match those outside with winter temperatures dropping as low as minus 40 degrees Centigrade.

Battsetseg, 36, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, is a former nurse who, 10 years ago, was forced onto the streets when she ran out of money during the country’s worst economic recession in the 1990s, following the country’s move to new democracy. She now lives underground in a sewer that has hot water pipes running through it, which she and her family use to keep warm and escape the cold.