This web page is dedicated to the memory of Ajuna or Ajuniuslotusmaximus, as he liked to be called. He was an incredibly inspirational man, who gave himself totally for the development of Mongolia and for the welfare of its children. From the beginning of Lotus Ajuna gave 100% of his time and effort, without expecting any payment or recognition. For those who never knew him, basically he volunteered full time for Lotus for over a decade.

“Many times, I have walked home late at night, it is a long way especially in the winter… because I have missed the bus or have no bus money.” His house is between 5-7 kilometers away and he refused to take a cent from Lotus, even for a bus fare.

His gentle nature and amount of time that he had for the children was incredible, while his devotion and tenacity when defending Lotus was truly admirable. His courage when dealing with corrupt high-ranking officials or violent drunk parents set him apart from the norm. He had unshakable values that he held onto in the often confusing and difficult situations; which is aid work, living in a ger suburb and dealing with some of the craziest of kids.

He was a father figure to many of the children and we thank his family for supporting him though his ups and downs. He helped Lotus to grow and on the Thursday before he left us he said; “I can really see this place (Lotus) is improving”.

The following are some of the stories of children who have come to Lotus. The Lotus centre is heavily dependant on funding from donations and it is because of the kind donations of so many people that we have been able to offer these children a home and a chance at a brighter future. For the privacy of the children their names have been changed.

“A mother tried to abort her child very late in her pregnancy, but he came out alive. Luckily for him she had enough heart to dump him at a hospital. Years later they meet and she told him, “don’t you ever step a foot in my door, you’re not wanted”. That’s tough for an adult to hear, for the child it was shattering. Ajuna

Chimgee

Chimgee was born into a very poor family that struggled to make ends meet. Chimgee’s mother died when she and her brother and sister were still quite young. Her father soon remarried a woman who had two children from a prior marriage and Chimgee’s situation went from hard to desperate. Sadly, Chimgee’s stepmother abused her and her siblings, taking them out of school and treating them like unpaid servants instead of children. Chimgee was often subject to beatings, hunger and other physical cruelties by her stepmother. As Chimgee and her sister got older, they also had to endure sexual abuse by their father and brother, resulting in Chimgee’s sister becoming pregnant before she was 16.

Fortunately, Chimgee had a friend who knew about the Lotus Children’s Center. She encouraged Chimgee to leave home and take shelter at Lotus. Following that advice Chimgee ran away when she was 14 and was immediately welcomed into the Lotus family. One year later Chimgee now has a new, healthy life. She is back in school and is quickly making up for lost time. She has learned to write sufficiently well to write stories for a children’s newspaper. She is also slowly recovering from the years of abuse with the help of counseling that she receives at Lotus. Also, simply being in a safe environment where she is surrounded by other girls her age who understand what she has gone through has allowed Chimgee to begin to put her past behind her and to begin to blossom into a talented, happier teenager.

“You need lots of strength in this work, sometimes emotions explode” Staff

“Old Man”

“Old Man,” as staff affectionately calls him, is a calm, happy six-month-old boy. Perhaps his nickname stems from the fact that he has big ears and very kind looking sloping eyes, which gives him a wise look – much like a little Yoda. The police brought Old Man to Lotus in November when he was just several weeks old. He was found abandoned one cold day on a bus stop bench in Ulaanbaatar. He was very dirty and skinny and whoever left Old Man did not leave any message or information about him. No one knows who Old Man’s parents are, what his original name was, when or where he was born or anything else about him.

Although Old Man must have had a very difficult first few weeks of life, his luck changed the moment the police brought him to Lotus Center. Didi and her staff quickly cleaned him up, gave him warm clothes and immediately started to provide him with the nutrition he needed. Just as importantly, Old Man was surrounded with the warm affection that pervades the baby house at Lotus. Now, five months later, Old Man is healthy and happy. Consistent with his nickname, Old Man is a calm, content baby. Yet he is also very bright and interactive and he is quick to give big, gummy smiles to the staff and his fellow babies. The police are still searching for Old Man’s parents and, as sometimes happens with children at Lotus, it is always possible that his mother or father

“This job is very difficult, I have to try my best” Staff

Otgoo

When I saw him, Otgoo lay fast asleep in snuggly wrapped swaddling clothes. At two months old, he made a very small bundle. Otgoo came to Lotus during his third week of life. His mother had been living in a doorway of an apartment building with two other children before she gave birth to Otgoo. She had no job and little hope of finding one soon. She simply had no place to keep Otgoo and no money with which to support him. When she gave birth to Otgoo in a public hospital the hospital discovered the mother’s desperate situation and referred her to Lotus. The mother brought Otgoo to Lotus as soon as she was released. The mother has not returned for her son yet and it is unclear whether she ever will. In the meantime, despite a persistent cough, Otgoo appears to be doing well and is eating and growing at a good rate.

“Sometimes it is difficult especially when babies are sick but being emotionally positive equals happy kids, it is also good for you” Staff

Enkee

Enkee spent the first years of her life living in the countryside with her family. Unfortunately, as she got older, Enkee’s older brother became very abusive toward her. By the time she was 12, her brother’s violent outbursts and abuse became so severe that Enkee ran away, taking the small amount of money that she possessed and buying a train ticket to Ulaanbaatar.

Enkee was picked up by the police during her first few days in Ulaanbaatar and taken to a temporary safe house for street children. After a short stay at the safe house Enkee left to take a job in a nearby restaurant, where she worked and lived for several months. When the restaurant closed Enkee was once again homeless and in dire straights. As Enkee describes, her luck changed when she learned about Lotus Center, where she was readily taken in and given a safe, secure home.

Enkee has now lived at Lotus Center for seven years and is close to 20 years old. With the help of Lotus, she completed her education through the 8th grade and is hoping to find the school fees to continue her education and to eventually go to a university. At Lotus, Enkee learned English and is now quite skilled and fluent. This skill helped Enkee to land a good job with an Australian company where she works part time as an office assistant.

Enkee continues to live at Lotus where she assists the staff in the care of the younger children. Although Enkee still has occasional contact with her parents in the countryside she also considers the staff and children at Lotus to be her family.

Hossa

Didi first saw Hossa when she was riding a bus one day and saw a very dirty, wild looking little boy who was spitting on passengers as they got on. A week or so later, some unidentified street people brought Hossa to Lotus along with his infant brother and left them there. Both were malnourished. Hossa behaved much like a small, wild animal – hitting other children, hiding under tables, throwing things and eating dirt. However, with time and patience, his defensive behaviors slowly began to diminish and a bright little boy began to emerge. After joining the kindergarten, it soon became apparent that he excelled in school and when he began to realize this, his confidence grew until the final defensive behaviors completely disappeared. Today Hossa is one of Lotus’ brightest students and is in a private school where he can fully develop his sharp mind.

“So a girls mother and father spilt up and the girl went to live with her mother and her new partner. She was only 10 or 11 years old when the new partner tried to rape her. She managed to run away and kept on running until a social worker found her; the social worker took her to us. When she arrived, she had shut down “ I always think if these kids just had one loving parent their whole lives would be totally different.” Ajuna

“Without Lotus I cannot see a future for these kids” Staff

Batbold

There are currently no adequate facilities in Mongolia to care for disabled children. Consequently, children with physical or mental disabilities are often sent to the state mental hospital. Although the Lotus Center is not equipped to care for special needs children, it has begun to take in disabled children in order to save them from a life sentence at the mental hospital.

For example, the Lotus Center has recently begun to care for Batbold, a ten-year-old boy with cerebral palsy. Because of his special physical needs the Lotus Center houses Batbold in an apartment in the city that is also home to ten homeless toddlers. Unlike the buildings in Yarmag, the apartment has running water and indoor plumbing, which is necessary for Batbold’s care. Living in the city instead of Yarmag has also allowed Batbold to attend a private kindergarten that has a special program for disabled children. Because Batbold has a difficult time walking, Lotus hires a taxi to take Batbold to and from school every day.

Although it is not ideal for a ten year old boy to be living with toddlers Batbold’s life is significantly better than it would be if he was locked up in Mongolia’s ill equipped and poorly run mental hospital.

Jargal and Zaya

Mongolians consider twins to be bad luck. Because of this unfortunate superstition, the Lotus Center often becomes home to twin babies. Jargal and Zaya are cute 1 and ½ year old twins; they are so identical that the staff has a difficult time telling them apart. Jargal and Zaya came to Lotus when they were just six months old. Their mother already had five children, no permanent home and explained that her husband was an alcoholic who often beat her and the children. In addition to not being able to feed or provide for her twin babies, the mother was worried that her husband would be especially cruel to the twins as they represented bad luck.

Now, over a year later, the twins are very bright and are doing well. In fact, at close to three years old they are the youngest members of the kindergarten class.

“One day a mother came to us for help, she was very sick with an internal problem. We took her to hospital. However it was a in the times when you had to have paid the registration to use health the cities services. She hadn’t paid this fee, as she couldn’t afford it. As we left the hospital she so despondent that she said, “I want to die”. That night she died of her illness. So we took on her baby girl, a shattered thing without a name. So we gave her a name that means Progress or growth in Mongolian.” Ajuna

“When a sick baby comes it is all on me. I have to do my best.” Staff

When asked to recall a happy story a staff member looked at the first child she saw and said “She came here so skinny, so frail, now look at her…she is happy, walking and in good health. It is a happy story.” Staff

One of the first girls who came to Lotus arrived from a very difficult background. Her Chinese father and his friend’s repeat ably raped her until she ran away from home. Now homeless, she was forced to resort to prostitution and stealing in order to survive on the streets. Luckily the Lotus Centre was able to offer her a home and stability, both of which very likely saved her life.

Enkbold

At first, I mistakenly took Enkbold, a toddler of almost two years, as a tough little girl because one of the staff had jokingly put his long hair into two little ponytails (most likely to keep it out of his face until he could get a haircut). Enkbold has a quiet, serious expression, but it’s clear that his little mind is quite active as he calmly but continuously explored anything that wasn’t battened down during my visit (including my pen and paper which I accidentally left at baby level). Enkbold came to Lotus a year and a half ago when his mother suddenly appeared one day and asked if she could leave him at Lotus for just a short time while she took care of a personal matter. Although she returned once about a week and a half later, the mother completely disappeared after that and has not had any contact with her son since then. Not much is known about Enkbold’s young mother, but it is likely that she is living on the streets or is a prostitute, as is often the case with the children who are brought to Lotus. Because Enkbold was left at Lotus while he was still a very young infant, Lotus is the only home that he has known. Thanks to Didi and the Lotus staff, Enkbold has thrived at Lotus and he is growing into a healthy, strong little boy. Next year, Enkbold will start Lotus’ preschool, which will give his curious little mind and hands more to work with.

“We are proud, we get much pride from good kids” Staff “I know so many kids who live on the streets” Staff

Aruin and Gala

Aruin is approximately 9 years old and her younger brother Gala is about 8. Several years ago, both of Aruin’s and Gala’s parents died, leaving them in the care of a very elderly grandmother who was extremely poor and ill. The grandmother attempted to care for the children but her bad health prevented her from providing them with even the most basic care. Finally, in desperation, the grandmother took her grandchildren to a police station in Ulaanbaatar and left them there in hopes that the police would find someone to care for them.

As the police often do with abandoned children, they brought Aruin and Gala to Lotus. Now, two years later, Aruin and Gala are described by the staff as being bright, clever, happy children who do very well in school. Both Aruin and Gala have settled well into the Lotus family and are a delight to the staff and other children because of their quick minds and senses of humor.

“One boy living on the streets of Marlagk, he came here, at first he was stealing, playing out like a street kid but now he goes to college and speaks English. He has a future.” Staff

“One boy was so hurt inside, always crying and breaking down at the smallest of problems. He tried to kill himself. Now at college he is trying to help and make a big change.” Staff

Baatar

Baatar first came to Lotus as a tiny infant when his mother asked if she could leave him in Lotus’ care while she and the rest of the family tried to get their feet on the ground. For several months, Baatar prospered at Lotus and, along with another baby his age, became known as one of the two “fat boys” because he was growing so quickly and becoming so big for his age. However, a few months ago, Baatar mother returned and took him back. She disappeared from contact with Lotus and for several months there was no news of Baatar. Recently, Baatar father returned him to Lotus where the staff found him to have changed quite a bit for the worse. He had lost a lot of weight and was very dirty. When I met Baatar, he was far from fat and his thin arms and legs lay limply as he sat passively in a baby chair.

Didi explained that unlike some of the other impoverished parents who abandon their children, Baatar’s family had a place to live in a grandmother’s home. But, despite having shelter, the family lacked stability, often moving in and out of the grandmother’s home and possibly dealing with many of the problems that plague the poor in Ulaanbaatar – alcoholism, domestic violence, unemployment, hunger and poor nutrition (among other problems). Didi and the staff are now slowly nurturing Baatar back to health. In addition to having lost weight, Baatar had also become lethargic and had lost muscle tone due to malnutrition. In addition, he was having a difficult time handling all the sudden changes in his life and Didi told me that he had cried during most of his first few days back at Lotus. He is now beginning to readjust to being back at Lotus and is starting to put on some weight. Didi and the staff are hopeful that with patient nurturing, he will once more become one of the happy “fat boys.”

“A smiling, healthy child makes me so happy” Staff

"There is a Mongolian saying, without illness there is happiness. Ouchingui bol.” Staff talking about new babies that come to Lotus.

Alta

Like many of the children at Lotus, Alta came to Lotus through the police’s identification center when she was about 4 years old. Alta had been abandoned at the police station and her life prior to that point remains a complete mystery as the police have no idea where she came from, who her parents were, or why she was abandoned. Alta herself has provided no clues as to her life and for the first several months at Lotus Alta was extremely withdrawn and quiet, unwilling to make eye contact or interact with the staff and other children. Now, however, one year later, Alta is almost unrecognizable as she is now talkative, can easily look people in the eye and she can often be found running around, happily playing with other children in her kindergarten class.

Gaana

Often, finding the Lotus Center can mean the difference between life and death for children. For example, a staff member describes the life of Gaana who came to the Lotus Center in extremely bad shape. As a young girl, her alcoholic father and his friends repeatedly raped Gaana. She finally ran away and began life on the street, where in order to eat, she often resorted to prostitution. When she heard about Lotus and showed up at its door, she was sick, malnourished and emotionally exhausted. Gaana is now doing well and is beginning to heal in a safe environment. The staff member who described Gaana is confident that the Lotus Center has saved her life.

“All of her emotions, she was like a shell, we couldn’t see what was inside. She is slowly improving but we still don’t really feel like we know her.” Ajuna

“The kids who come from the streets, they are the real heart breakers, they are just so tough and so hard to help. To help a street kid is really hard, to change a street kid takes so much strength and heart. They are just so affected. “ Ajuna

Bogee

Bogee is a pretty little 11-month-old girl with healthy, chubby cheeks and soft, dark eyes. As with many of the children at Lotus Bogee’s mother is a prostitute who did not wish or plan to become pregnant. However, unlike the other children, Bogee’s story has an odd twist to it. Shortly after discovering that she was pregnant, Bogee’s mother decided that she would not keep the baby. Before she terminated the pregnancy she happened to meet a Russian filmmaker who was working on a documentary about prostitution. The filmmaker somehow persuaded the young mother to keep the baby so that he could use her and her baby’s story in his film. The filmmaker disappeared and never did finish his documentary. In the meantime, the young mother gave birth to a baby girl that she could not and did not want to support.

Before Bogee was born, the mother had contacted Lotus and told the staff that she wanted to give up her baby. Lotus Center agreed to care for the baby but asked if the mother would be willing to breast-feed the baby for at least the first three weeks of its life. The mother agreed and during the three weeks she developed a bond with Bogee. By the end of the three weeks the mother had changed her mind and decided that she wanted to maintain a relationship with her baby daughter. Bogee’s mother is still engaged in prostitution and has not yet been able to structure her life so that she can care for Bogee. She often comes to visit Bogee’s and maintains hope that one day she might be able to create a home for her daughter and herself. In the meantime Bogee is getting a healthy and happy start in life under the care of Didi and her staff.

Tuvshee and Mende

Tuvshee was 13 when her mother died, leaving her and her two sisters orphans. Tuvshee’s mother had been a cleaning lady, often not making enough money to feed her and her sisters or to send them to school. When Tuvshee’s mother died, a social worker sent Tuvshee and her sisters to Lotus where for the first time in their lives they have a warm, safe place to live, plenty to eat and a consistent education. Tuvshee is now 15 and has adjusted well to her new life at Lotus where she is busy with school and her friends.

Upon their arrival, Lotus discovered that Tuvshee’s eldest sister, Mende, then about 17, suffered from epilepsy and that she had never received any education at all. Mende is now on medication to control her epilepsy and she is being provided with basic occupational training and simple jobs at Lotus. Although Lotus is designed for children and Mende is now an adult, Lotus will not send her away unless an appropriate situation for her is found.

Sad Losses

Unfortunately, not all stories at Lotus have a happy ending. One staff member describes how over the last several years she witnessed the loss of three infants. Each of the babies was brought to Lotus badly malnourished or ill. Although Lotus quickly sought medical help for each of the three babies, they were too weak to be helped and despite treatment, died while in the hospital. The staff member described how hard each death was and that such tragedy never gets easier to deal with. But, she explains that the other children need her and that there is no time to grieve, as there are so many other little lives to take care of.

Never Ending Challenges

Although many children at Lotus are able to turn their lives around with the help of Lotus’ staff, for some children it is a never-ending challenge to leave their pasts behind and learn to trust people again. One staff member describes the process of helping street children as being “heartbreaking” because sometimes the damage done to the children is just too great to overcome, no matter how much love and care is showered on them. Some of the street children, especially the older ones, simply can’t break the cycle of wildness and violence that they have known. She explains that sometimes, even when it appears that a tough street child has made progress, something will unexpectedly set the child off - such as a fight in the schoolyard or an argument with another child -- and cause a relapse, which sends the child running back to the streets. The staff describes how sad and hard each of these failures is. But, despite these disheartening situations, the staff never gives up and learns to balance the heartbreak with the joy of that comes each time a child does successfully transition to a new, healthier life.

Children With Children

Sometimes, the Lotus Center finds itself in a position of caring for two children at once when pregnant teenage girls seek shelter at Lotus during their pregnancy. For example, Monko had run away from home at a young age to escape a drunk, violent older brother. She had lived on the street for many years before she became pregnant. When the father of her child was sent to jail Monko found herself with no shelter or adequate means to care for herself during her last few months of pregnancy. Monko came to Lotus where she is receiving medical attention and nutritious meals in addition to counseling and job training. Lotus hopes that it will be able to find her a job that will allow her to support herself and her baby after it is born. Another young mother was not so lucky. She came to Lotus when she developed a serious medical condition following the birth of her baby. Lotus rushed her to the hospital, but because the mother had no identification or money, the hospital refused to treat her. That night the young woman died in her sleep leaving behind a tiny baby with no name. Lotus took the baby in and in hopes of symbolizing its new beginning at Lotus gave it a name that means “growth” in Mongolian.

Didi and the Staff

Stories about Lotus would not be complete without at least a brief mention of Didi and the dedicated Lotus staff. It is hard to describe Didi in a few short sentences. She is the heart and soul of the Lotus Center and it is through her compassion and perseverance that so many children have been saved from the harsh streets of Ulaanbaatar. Although each of the children has a housemother who cares for a family group of up to ten children, the children also consider Didi to be their mother. That makes Didi a mother to 150 children. When one happens to stop in at the Lotus Center, it is rare to see Didi without a child in her arms or holding on to her hand or leg as she coordinates the hundreds of details that go into raising a family of 150.

Didi’s dedication has attracted an equally dedicated staff and many of the workers at Lotus are volunteers who work for no pay. Others work more than full time for a very small salary. All of the staff at Lotus are there for the same reason – their commitment to the children.

One staff member describes why she came to work at Lotus: She was visiting Lotus one day when a young boy was brought in. He was so malnourished that he could not put any weight on his skinny, bowed legs and his stomach was distended with hunger. Lotus readily accepted the boy and the she realized that in that act Lotus had literally saved the child’s life. With this realization, the woman decided that she wanted to be a part of Lotus and do what she could to help Lotus save the lives of more children.

The staff often describe how intense and difficult it is to work with children who have come from such harsh backgrounds. No matter how many times they see it, it is always heartbreaking to learn of the terrible abuse, sexual molestation, hunger or abandonment to which the children have been subjected. It is disheartening to see the sad things that the children have been forced into in order to survive, such as prostitution and stealing. It is also difficult and requires an infinite amount of patience to try and heal the physical and emotional scars of children who have had to live with years of abuse and neglect, or who were harmed before they were even born because of their parents’ alcoholism, poor nutrition or diseases. However, despite these challenges, the staff all agree that the rewards outweigh the hardships and as one housemother describes, seeing the smile of one healthy baby can make her whole day’s effort worthwhile. As another woman says, knowing that they are giving desperate children a true chance at life keeps her going even during the difficult times.