Kazakh children are not being afforded the same opportunities to learn as other children in Mongolia. In addition to the barriers shared to some extent by children in other poor and rural areas, the language of teaching and learning for Kazakh children is compounding their disadvantage. The particularly low preschool participation rates in Bayan-Olgii aimag and the lack of either Kazakh language preschool materials or Mongolian as a second language instructional strategies mean Kazakh children start school lagging behind in language and literacy skills and may not gain a sound footing in either Mongolian or Kazakh. Olgii, Western Mongolia, 2015.

Three little girls fetch water from a local well in the town of Olgii. Running water is a rare commodity in most homes . Olgii, Western Mongolia, 2015.