Malnutrition, neglect by overburdened parents and homelessness are just some of the reasons for the desolate nutritional and dental condition of thousands of children in Mongolia. About 2.2 of the 3.3 million inhabitants currently live in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. Like everywhere else in the world, people are moving from the countryside to the city in the hope of a better and easier life. But not everyone is lucky. A whole generation of young Mongolians is growing up between the blocks of newly built settlements in the ever-expanding so-called ger districts (yurt settlements). There, those who have found neither a connection nor prospects in the modern city have pitched their tents and live from hand to mouth. It is not uncommon for the children of these ‘fortune seekers’ to fall by the wayside.
 
Numerous orphanages and day care centers have sprung up in Ulaanbaatar in an attempt to provide for the worst affected, often very young children, with a roof over their heads and healthy food. Dental care is at least as foreign to these children as it is to those living in the countryside, far removed from any infrastructure. Unlike in rural areas, children in the city often lack the additional care of their parents, as many adults in Ulaanbaatar struggle with alcohol problems – the ones who suffer most are the children.