About Nomadicare Project

Welcome to Nomadicare

Nomadicare works to harmonize ancient and modern medicine to support the health and cultural survival of Mongolia’s nomads. (Mission)

The goal of Nomadicare is for all sum (rural) Mongolian hospitals who serve the nomadic herders to have improved health care by 2020. Our plan is to provide a tested model of training and materials to each of the hospitals, one aimag (province) at a time.

“I have a heart connection with the nomadic herders of Mongolia and provide health care so they will have every opportunity to succeed at their lifestyle,” says Sas Carey, RN, Nomadicare director. Since 1994, Nomadicare (under various other names) has been working to improve nomads’ health care options. From an intensive health database gathered over 7 years, we understand the needs of nomadic herders. Today our goal is to provide traditional Mongolian Medicine training and laboratory equipment with training to sum (county) hospitals and vitamins, hygiene kits and public health education to individual herders. In 2010, we begin our pilot project to provide diagnostic and treatment capabilities to all 14 sum (county) hospitals of South Gobi Aimag (Province).

Mongolia’s nomads live a sustainable life, protecting the environment and animals of their country. Yet, their lifestyle is at risk due to its extreme remoteness. This is compounded by the lack of infrastructure like roads, electricity, water, and telephones. If nomads get sick and need to go to a hospital  with adequate diagnostic and treatment capacity, it can be nine hours or more away. To support their cultural survival, nomads need effective heath care close to their homes. Nomadicare’s pledge is to work toward this goal for every nomad in Mongolia by 2020.

Our Story

The roots of Nomadicare came in 1994, from the first moment director Sas Carey stepped on the Mongolian earth and felt the strong pull of the land. With other American holistic nurses, she met Dr. B. Boldsaikhan, the President of the Union of Traditional Mongolian Medicine, who was copying Tibetan Medicine folios onto his computer. A nurse and healer, she found what she was seeking—a harmony of Eastern and Western medicine, old and new.

The next year, she spent three months being trained in Traditional Mongolian Medicine by Dr. Boldsaikhan and in 1997 she became a health education consultant with the United Nations Development Programme. From her UNDP work in water, sanitation and hygiene in the Gobi Desert area, she set up a program to document the harsh life of the nomadic women.

In Mongolia, nomads who herd their livestock in the countryside have fewer options, especially in health care, than city dwellers, and many are moving to the capital city, Ulaanbaatar. Nomadicare was formed to support improved health care so that nomadic herders can continue their sustainable lifestyle.

Dukha Health Database

In 2003, after nine years working in other areas of Mongolia, director Sas Carey traveled to the northern taiga (boggy forest) area to assess the health of Dukha reindeer herders. Since that time, Nomadicare has been creating a Dukha health database, which is updated annually. The database allows Ms. Carey to follow the health care needs of the herders and respond accordingly. Nomadicare provides vitamins, health care, and hygiene teaching to the Dukha herders. This includes traditional Mongolian medicine, as well as western medicine and supplies, for both hospitals and individuals.

Documentary Movie

While interviewing a Gobi woman doctor for the documentary, the doctor requested a laboratory.  This inspired Nomadicare’s director to seek donations and materials from U.S. medical centers, professionals, and personal associates. Eventually, she delivered five laboratories to remote hospitals in the Gobi Desert. With these came not only training in the use of diagnostic equipment and tests, but the beginnings of close personal bonds. Those relationships led to the movie “Gobi Women’s Song”, which was completed after four more trips and five years.

From a screening of the movie in Connecticut,  Sas was invited to share her work Jane Goodall, the founder and UN Messenger of Peace. From this connection, Jane Goodall has endorsed the important mission of Nomadicare. Jane Goodall Letter.

Sum Hospital Project

Nomadicare’s Rural (Sum) Hospital Project, which harmonizes ancient and modern medicine by training rural doctors and nurses in both, has now been joined by her original teacher, Dr. Boldsaikhan. Starting in 2012, he will teach the Traditional Mongolian Medicine component of the program.

Sas Carey, through Nomadicare, is committed to promoting effective health care for the entire nomadic population of Mongolia by 2020.