"A fish's place in in the water, a bird's place is in the air, a child's place is in the home."
- Mongolian Proverb
MY BACKGROUND
I was a missionary in Mongolia for two years, where I learned the Mongolian language and fell in love with the culture. I have been back thrice since then, the last two times for research-oriented studies abroad with the College of Social Work at the University of Utah.
WHAT DO VIDEOGAMES HAVE TO DO WITH HOMELESSNESS??
Our study abroad group had the great fortune of meeting with the Chief of Child Welfare in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. This passionate man told us of his years' experience working with the city's "street kids," all of whom he knew by name. We were surprised to learn that, according to his estimates, the leading cause of homelessness among this group was not poverty or abuse, but video game addiction. A few interviews with these kids in front of internet cafes the following year made clear just how little we understand about their situation; the global phenomenon of gaming at public centers has not been investigated as a factor in child homelessness in any of the current literature.
THE SIGNIFICANCE FOR MONGOLIA
Mongolia has come a long way since gaining independence from the Soviet Union a little over 20 years ago. In recent years their economy has ranked as one of the fastest growing in the world. But with the free market also comes inequality, and a generation of young people are being left behind. Every country sadly has children without a permanent home, but today most industrialized nations do not have children living on the street without basic shelter. This is a basic human rights milestone that marks a country's progress and development. With your help, we can help the Mongolian people achieve this goal.
WE CAN SOLVE THIS PROBLEM
When I first met the Chief of Child Welfare in the fall of 2014 he was operating a shelter that had brought the number of children on the streets from over 200 to around 80. Due to some complex regulations intended to protect human rights, this shelter was subsequently shut down, and by 2015 the number had risen back to the 200 range. This shows that dramatic reductions of child homelessness is within grasp. Solid research that paints a picture of what is happening will help us increase awareness and public support so we can pick up where the shelter left off, and then take it all the way to zero. No children on the streets! It's possible with your help.
THE DETAILS
Using my connections with the Chief of Child Welfare, the National University of Mongolia, and the American Center for Mongolian Studies, I will spend six weeks this summer gathering data and conducting structured interviews to produce a published paper. This research will give direction to future projects with the goal of ending child homelessness in Mongolia.
