Christian Aid in Ethiopia: Healthy animals equal healthier communities

www.christianaid.org.uk In times of drought, it is usually the weakest animals who, unable to travel the increasingly long distances to the pasture that remains, die first. For tribes like the Dasenech who rely on livestock for food, milk and an income to buy essential items, keeping them healthy is a priority. But with few vets working in the Dasenech area, doing so is no easy task. Kole Awrarese is a Community Animal Health Worker (CAHW) in South Omo — a region in southern Ethiopia bordering Kenya. In 2009, Christian Aid partner Agri Service Ethiopia launched a project in South Omo which trained Kole and other CAHWs to provide advice and basic treatment for animals. In this film Kole explains how during the drought in 2011 he and the other CAHWs helped prevent many livestock deaths. Building on this success, funds donated to Christian Aid through the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) for East Africa are allowing Agri Service Ethiopia to run more courses so the existing CAHWs can further improve their skills and more can be trained. This new training will ensure that some 6000 families benefit from this vital service.