OH4HEAL shared its experience to the Regional Livestock Program (RLP) co-financed by SDC and implemented by Mercy Corps, IGAD, Helvetas and Welt Hunger Hilfe. The event took place in Addis Ababa on March 29, 2024 and the experiences shared among other things include:
1. The work VSF-Suisse does in the pastoral and agro-pastoral communities including:
- Provision of decentralized animal health service: Voucher based community animal health service provision.
- Public Vet Support: Supporting the government of Ethiopia in providing animal vaccination, infrastructure including cold-chain facilities, capacity building for animal health practitioners and support the eradication of PPR.
- Community based and managed initiatives including climate smart agriculture.
- Innovative feed production using locally available resources including the weed “prosopis”.
- Hydroponic fodder production.
- Drought response including camp feeding of drought hit emaciated animals.
- Asset building and Livelihood Diversification: Provision of livelihood support including provision of milking goat and poultry to support the effort of pastoral people to ensure their food security and re-build their asset.
- Silvo pastoralism.
- Livelihood diversification.
2. One Health service delivery in the Horn of Africa (HoA) with a focus on:
- Livestock production in the Horn of Africa
- The OH4HEAL architecture
- Peculiar features of HEAL
- Institutional arrangement and partnership with the government of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia
- So far accomplishments
- Results of client satisfaction surveys
- Evidence: a glimpse at promising practices
- Challenges, lessons and way forward.
The Regional Livestock Program is 12 years-three phase intervention on implementation starting last year in the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia). There are lots of rooms for partnership and synergy between the two programs given that VSF-Suisse in partnership with Amref and ILRI is also leading a regional program, OH4HEAL, in the aforementioned three countries. Areas for collaboration could include:
- Rangeland health and governance systems
- Animal health and nutrition inputs
- Drought response
Contributed by:
Metalign Ayehu
HEAL Regional Program Manager and MEAL Lead