Fundraising Gala raises funds for children’s healthier future
Celebration of the World Children's Day
- English
- Mongolian
Since 1990, November 20th has been celebrated as World Children’s Day, marking the adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989 by the UN General Assembly. Every year, UNICEF Mongolia commemorates this day with significant events.
In 2023, in celebration of the World Children’s Day, UNICEF Mongolia organized its first ever fundraising Gala concert, named “For Every Child – Blue Sky,” at the Shangri-La Hotel in Ulaanbaatar. The event aimed to draw attention to the air pollution situation in Mongolia, which has reached critical levels, posing severe health risks, especially to children. Over 150 high level guests attended, raising a fund of 173,153,240 MNT.
UNICEF has been actively addressing the air pollution crisis through various initiatives, one of which is the CHIP or Cooking, Heating, and Insulation Products package. CHIP initiative aims to improve living conditions, particularly for families in traditional gers. The funds raised from the Gala concert were used to provide CHIP packages, which include fuel efficient electric heaters, air filtration systems, and additional insulation to replace coal-fired stoves. This initiative helps reduce indoor and outdoor air pollution, providing a cleaner and warmer environment, especially for children and pregnant women.
So far UNICEF has reached over 2,200 households in 10 provinces nationwide with CHIP packages and continues to advocate for increased investment and subsidies for families with vulnerable children and parents with disabilities.
The concert featured performances by Mongolia’s leading artists and singers, the Mongolian State Conservatory, Delkhii band, violinist Baigali Ochkhuu, Moon Dance dancing band, Sweetymotion band, Rapper Big Gee, and Gurvan ohin band. Composer Odbayar wrote a bespoke musical composition for UNICEF and donated the copyrights as a gesture of support. This ringtone was distributed by all Mongolian telecommunication companies: Mobicom, Unitel, G-Mobile, and Skytel. There was also an auction featuring international and Mongolian artworks and jewelry.
As a result of the gala concert, UNICEF Mongolia was able to provide 62 CHIPs to Ger kindergartens and flood affected households, benefiting around 800 people. The impact of this initiative is best expressed through the voices of those who benefited:
My 6 year old daughter has a severe oxygen deficiency, and she used to faint very often. Since we began using the CHIP, the indoor air quality in our Ger has improved a lot, as has my daughter’s health. I hope more families in the Ger area use this package and benefit from it.
In the past, our children camp staff used to spend a lot of time preparing to build fires, and indoor air quality was poor due to coal dust and soot. By using the CHIP package, our children are now able to learn and develop in a healthy and safe environment.
We used to fire 3-4 times a day in our Ger kindergarten, causing a lot of smoke and soot. and there was a lot of smoke and soot. After starting to use the CHIP package, 30 children in our ger kindergarten are now able to grow and play in a healthy and safe environment.
Air pollution in Mongolia, particularly in Ulaanbaatar, the capital city, where nearly half of the total population lives in, has severe health impacts on children. Each year, approximately 240 children under the age of five die due to air pollution related illnesses. Air pollution contributes to respiratory diseases like pneumonia, now the second leading cause of under five child mortality in the country.
“For Every Child - Blue Sky” concert symbolizes UNICEF’s collective commitment to ensuring that every child in Mongolia can breathe clean air and enjoy a clear blue sky. UNICEF’s approach, combining fundraising, education, and advocacy, marks a significant step towards a healthier and brighter future for the nation’s children.
This year, in October, we plan to organize our annual Gala concert with an education theme to raise funds for the “Teacher with Tablet” initiative. In collaboration with the General Authority for Education, UNICEF has launched this initiative to deliver home-based early childhood education (ECE) services to remote rural children.
Join us in making a difference! Your support can help transform the lives of children in Mongolia. For every child, education!
