Maikhuu Sengee

Ever since its shift toward liberalism after the Cold War, Mongolia has opened up its mines in the Gobi desert for exploitation – resulting in an onslaught of truck convoys transporting Mongolian coal to China. Within this arduous, predominantly-male line of work, Maikhuu – a former taxi driver and hairdresser —– stands alone as one of the only female truck drivers working the mining boom.

On Mongolia’s coal highway to the Chinese border, truck driver Maikhuu dreams of a better life and financial security for her three children. However, the road from the mines to China is riddled with accidents, toxic pollution, poor hygiene and now, amid the Covid crisis, drivers face days of quarantine on the border. Trapped in a hazardous industry, Maikhuu's journey reflects the human and environmental costs of Mongolia’s mining boom.