Aisha lives in the Dhagaxdheer village, in Southern Somaliland, near the border to Ethopia. Like most people in the region, her livelihood depends on her livestock. Her animals’ health are her only wealth.
“We used to travel that long distance to treat our livestock. It was very tough for us, many animals died on the way to Burao [the district capital, 145 km away].”
Candlelight, an Oxfam partner, trained several villagers in the area to be Community Animal Health Workers.
“After the training, there was immediate and dramatic changes in the health of livestock; veterinary shops are available in our village and our trained Community Animal Health Workers are well equipped. During the dry season, one month ago, I communicated with Mohamed, one of them, and he came to me, despite the long distance, to treat my sick animals. I didn’t have the money to pay him for his service (on average $7/$10) so I gave him one goat in payment.”
