Photo: Workshop Participants

HEAL was attending a workshop organized by Tufts University and VSF-Suisse with the theme “Opportunities for One Health Integration of Community Health and Community Animal Health Workers: The Somalia Scenario”. The purpose of the Somalia scenario workshop was to share lessons learned on One Health service delivery at the community level and discuss the way forward to further strengthen access to and integration of health, animal health and environmental services. Representatives and stakeholders with different roles including Community Animal Health Workers (CAHWs), Community Health Workers (CHWs), local implementing partners, local/regional and national governmental officials, and technical advisors) were attending the three days (April 26 – 28, 2023) workshop in Mogadishu.

The workshop among other things captured participants’ views on:

• The strengths and challenges of current community human, animal health and environmental interventions in the context of emergency response and also under normal (non-emergency) settings.
• Appropriate activities for implementation by community health and community animal health workers.
• The impact of incentive systems on service availability and implementation.
• The role of public, private and community partnerships in One Health service delivery in emergencies and recovery periods.
• Ways forward to build synergy, collaboration and integration of community health and animal health programs.

Importantly, the workshop mapped the way forward to enhancing access to services in both normal and emergency settings.

Contributed by:

Metalign Ayehu

HEAL Regional MEAL Lead