ULAN BATOR--On the grassland that stretches to the horizon in Mongolia's Tov province, a nomad named Ganbaatar tends to his goats and sheep, but his mind is on the suffering of the faraway people in northeastern Japan.
ULAN BATOR--On the grassland that stretches to the horizon in Mongolia's Tov province, a nomad named Ganbaatar tends to his goats and sheep, but his mind is on the suffering of the faraway people in northeastern Japan.
The 50-year-old in the suburb of Zuunmod, about 50 kilometers south of Ulan Bator, picks out a sheep and says he wants to send it to Japan.
"In Mongolia, it is a custom to offer a sheep to people facing hardships. I want to convey my feelings to the Japanese people," he says.
He asked Mongolia's Red Cross Society to send the animal to Japan. But the group was at a loss on what to do.
Like Ganbaatar, many Mongolians are fond of Japan. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, which had been the largest aid donor to Mongolia, Japan offered $1.2 billion in aid to the country.
After the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake, Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj told his people: "We have to offer aid to Japan. I want every citizen to make efforts."
Every public servant was required to donate a day's wage. NGOs started aid campaigns under the name "pure feelings."
Some nomads traveled several tens of kilometers by horse to donate money.
Mongolia is four times as large as Japan, but it has a population of only 2.7 million.
A Mongolian who operates a travel agency and is also named Ganbaatar said, "If the affected people in Japan have nowhere to live, they can use this land freely."