One Health for HEAL
The One Health for Humans, Environment, Animals and Livelihoods (HEAL) program applies a One Health (OH) approach to enhance the well-being and resilience of vulnerable communities in pastoralist and agro-pastoralist areas of Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya. Read moreRationale
The rationale for the HEAL program is underpinned by the very fact that opportunities for better engaging with governments on the provision of appropriate basic service for pastoral communities exist. Nonetheless, the process of building capacity and enabling environment for appropriate service provision is long and complex in any community, and is particularly difficult among pastoral people, given their levels of poverty and a policy environment that does not fully support the dynamics of their livelihood systems. Yet, until pastoral citizens develop the skills and confidence to define and defend their vision for their development and appropriate service provision, they will remain vulnerable to others’ interpretations of what is best for them.
Unique value proposition
Potential development impact
HEAL builds the capacities of vulnerable pastoralist communities, services providers and regional institutions to ensure needs-based services provision.
Bottom-up approach
HEAL brings a participatory approach to applying One Health by ensuring that vulnerable communities, service providers and governmental institutions participate in every stage of the program, from problem identification to implementing solutions and managing the end-of-program handover of responsibilities and processes. Multi stakeholder innovation platforms support communities to develop sustainable, gender-sensitive strategies for coping with threats, especially environmental threats related to climate change.
Regional approach
The mobility of pastoralist communities requires solutions that are not limited to a defined geographical area. HEAL’s regional approach covers border areas of Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya, offering the comparative advantage of reaching communities, regardless of their current location, who move across regional and national boundaries.
Community of Practice
A monthly web seminar series that brings together One Health practitioners from Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia and elsewhere to discuss One Health in the field.
A practitioner will be invited to speak for 30 minutes on a topic, share best practices and discuss challenges. The seminars are organised by the HEAL program.
HEAL Attended Ethio-Swiss Microbiome and AMR Symposium
HEAL attended the 'First Ethiopian-Swiss Microbiome and AMR Symposium,' organized by Jigjiga University, Swiss TPH, and Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI) and Jigjiga One Health Institute (JOHI), in Addis Ababa on January 15, 2024. The symposium deliberated on...
The First Ever Rabies Intervention in Borana
Rabies, a zoonotic disease that was not given the desired attention, has been a One Health issue of high concern in Borana zone, Ethiopia. Recognizing the importance and urgency of the issue, VSF-Suisse in collaboration with VSF-Germany and Polio Core Group of...
HEAL Co-Facilitated AMR Awareness Week
On the occasion of Antimicrobial Awareness Week, the HEAL field team, in conjunction with the County Government of Isiolo, conducted a series of healthcare outreach programs aimed at raising awareness about Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR). Accordingly, the team has...
Donors
Supporting Partners
