The Mongolians are facing one of the harshest winters in living memory. With temperatures plunging to minus 50 degrees Celsius in some places, millions of livestock have perished in the freezing conditions.
Unable to deal with the crisis, the government in Ulaanbaatar appealed for help to the United Nations. Aid is coming in but much more needs to be done.
Mongolia's severe winter is simply known as a 'zud', which is caused by a dry summer and a particularly cold and snowy winter leading to massive deaths of livestock.
About 30 per cent of Mongolia's population of 3 million people are nomads and the drought had prevented their herds from grazing. The long, dry summer had also left farmers with too little food for their animals.
Scientists have predicted more extreme weather patterns in the future. This does not bode well for the nomads who live in Gers on the country's grasslands.
For a nation where a third of the population depend on livestock for a living, a 'zud' can be particularly damaging.
Mongolia's nomads take great pride in their way of life, as they roam the steppes in search of food, grass and water.