Byambadorg, 36, lives with his wife Ogoonoo in a hole next to Sukhbaatar Square (UB).
A group of alcoholic homeless people keep themselves warm on the hot water pipes coming from the outskirts' power station, west of Harhorin market (UB).
Gambold, also called Sharaa (Yellow) inside his group, drinking pure base of alcohol of 96º early in the morning, west of Harhorin market (UB).
Batsumya completely drunk around Harhorin market's open land area (UB).
Ogoonoo smoking a cigarrette inside the hole where she usually spends the day with her husband Byambadorg, next to Sukhbaatar Square (UB).
Tuvshee, who has been living in the street for over 14 years, plays with Batbold after having drink heavily, west of Harhorin market (UB).
The hot water tubes that homeless people use to be warm can reach temperatures over 80º, often causing burns in different parts of the body that, usually, get infected because of the lack of attention (UB).
Tugultur set on the hot water tubes west of Harhorin market (UB).
A frozen dog eaten by the ravens (UB).
Sukhea and his wife Maenga are the ouners of the alcohol that is sold at the tubes west of Harhorin market. They buy it from China and sell it not only to homeless people, but to ordinary citizens who don't have enough with vodka and need a stronger beverage (UB).
A view of the downtown of Ulan Bator.
Byambaa entering in a hole seeking for shelter at Bayangol District (UB).
Byambaa passing the alcohol bottle to his partner Soyoloo in a hole at the Saporo area (UB).
Munguntuya waiting her turn for drinking in a hole next to Sukhbaatar Square (UB).
Munguntuya and her husband Sumya sleeping in the hole where they live, next to Jamyan street. They have a daughter that lives with Munguntuya's sister (UB).
The abandoned amusement park of Ulan Bator.
Uuganaa, 24, shows proud his homemade Buddhist tattoo and the self-made injuries' scars, both made at his childhood as a symbol of his bravery (UB).
A man walking around Songinkhairkhan District (UB).
Aiyurgzan and his adopted disabled daughter (nowadays turned into his wife) Tamirbulgan, both alcoholics, at their home, and abandoned container next to Circus area in downtown Ulan Bator.
Soyoloo entering in a hole seeking for shelter at Bayangol District (UB).
A view of the downtown of Ulan Bator.
Byambaa looking for plastic residues at 4th District (UB).
Munguntuya in a hole next to Sukhbaatar Square (UB).
Tamirbulgan, a disabled young woman, lives with her stepfather Aiyurgzan. Both are alcoholic and have sexual relationships. Both take care on from each other. At their home, and abandoned container next to Circus area in downtown Ulan Bator.
Bayangol District, Ulan Bator.
Amarksahan lives with Batsakhan and Miiga at the ger area, north to Harhorin market, in a 4 square meter shack made of wood and cardboard. They are the high class of the alcohol dependent homeless around Harhorin market (UB).
Otgontsetseg (30) lives in the street with his couple,Tugultur (33). Both are from Erdenet city and came together to UB. She is pregnant of 6 months, but keeps drinking heavily, Songinkhairkhan District (UB).
A drunken woman is carried by two policewomen into a sober cell at the police station of Bayangol District. This is the only sober cell that remains open in Mongolia where troublesome drunken women are forced to spend the time enough to be sober. They are undressed not to commit suicide (UB).
Alcoholic men in a group therapy at the Center of Mental Health and Drugs (CSMN) of Ulan Bator.
Khaliun is against her will at Maaint detention and medical center, 100 kilometers south of Ulan Bator, under the threat of the judge of taking her son away from her if she keeps drinking heavily. She must stay at Maaint between 6 and 24 months, depending on her behaviour.
A drunken woman in a sober cell at the police station of Bayangol District. This is the only sober cell that remains open in Mongolia where troublesome drunken women are forced to spend the time enough to be sober. They are undressed not to commit suicide (UB).
Batbold under treatment takes some pills to quit drinking alcohol. Center of Mental Health and Drugs (CSMN) of Ulan Bator.
Ouyndeleg (35) lives with his youngest son, Tumenulzii (14), at the shelter that the religious organization Betel has for alcoholic men at the northwest part of Ulan Bator. Thay have been living there for 8 months together with 34 more men. Tumenulzii is the only teenager there (he's not an alcoholic).
Gantulga shaving at dusk at the shelter that the religious organization Betel has for alcoholic men at the northwest part of Ulan Bator.
Erdenbaatar at the dining room of Maaint detention and medical center, 100 kilometers south of Ulan Bator.
Mongolia holds numerous records related to the consumption of alcohol, among them having the most alcoholic population in the world. According to the information published by the Center of Mental Health and Narcotics (CMHN) of Ulan Bator, 22 percent of the Mongolian males between 15 and 65 are addicted to the alcohol, which is equivalent to the fourth of its masculine population. Some of these people end up losing the control of their lives in a progressive deterioration and degradation of their social relationships and skills until they loose everything they have, even their families, ending up living as a homeless in the street. Unfortunately, so far nothing exceptional, but taking into an account that the average temperature during the long Mongolian winter, which goes from November to March, is -20 degrees Celsius, thing gets much worse.
I arrived to Mongolia with the only goal of finding out how these homeless people do to deal with such an adverse weather conditions. And that's how I knew about how they seek shelter amongst the network of underground hot water pipes of the capital, Ulan Bator. Left to their fait, the life of these people happens out of the rest of the citizens and their only worry is to obtain the base of alcohol of 96º that, paradoxically, gives them life and, at the same time, steals it to them.
The alcoholic homeless of Ulan Bator are totally helpless and, in general, are perceived as evildoers, lazy people and without any will to get off the gutter by the other citizens, and not as sick people or, even less, as a victims of the brutal socio-economical restructuring that suffered the country with the fall of the Soviet block at the beginning of the 90s. In fact, the majority of the people have stopped considering them humans, turning them into dangerous beasts from whom must to keep as far as possible.
The government lacks any program focused for their rehabilitation. Very on the contrary, the only method for the control of the population of these individuals is their detention and forced internment in the penitentiary and rehabilitation center of Maaint, 100 km from Ulan Bator. In spite of its proved inefficiency, these persons are retained there against their will from 6 to 24 months.
The body of this personal work, still unpublished, that I present to FotoVisura Grant was made thanks to another photojournalism grant -Fotopres- given by La Caixa Foundation (Spain).
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Gritty and disturbing, while still remaining respectful of the subjects - excellent work!
By: brocknanson 03/08/13