By Laura Skippen (Veterinary Advisor (Training))
20 Feb 2012

We have spent the past two days travelling across Ethiopia, a country of extremities. From straight tarmac roads to tracks so dusty it pours through every crack in the car, from the shimmering expanse of Lake Tana, where the Blue Nile starts its meandering journey north, to lands so dry people and their donkeys walk for hours every day to queue for what little water there is, we have certainly covered some ground in our few days in Ethiopia.

Led by Alemayehu (Regional Project Manager) and John Harvey (Senior Veterinary Advisor) we are a group of Brooke vets from Ethiopia, Kenya, India, Nepal and the UK. We have come to the Southern Nations and Nationalities People’s Region of Ethiopia (SNNPR) to meet Community Animal Health Workers (CAHWs – pronounced cows) who have been trained by the Brooke to provide basic care to equines in remote areas.

And what a lot of equines there are! I have never seen so many donkeys pulling carts, carrying water, dragging vast loads of eucalyptus poles, they are everywhere. With the price of even a second hand car around $4000 and many people living on a dollar a day, equine transport is usually the only sort.

The CAHWs system is well established in Ethiopia and we are all here to observe the approach taken and reflect upon this, and working together as a group to learn from experiences and in delivering practical solutions in other Brooke countries which may have very different challenges to face.

We have been lucky enough to meet several CAHWS, many more owners at a focus group discussion, a government animal health assistant and of course our own Brooke staff.

CAHWs frequently go above and beyond the call of duty travelling on foot for 2-3 hours to reach needy animals in neighbouring villages. Jemal Hussein, who received his equine training from the Brooke only 2 months ago, is the perfect example of this.

He tells us he was called by a neighbour to examine his only donkey which had been attacked by a hyena and had deep wounds on its chest. This was far beyond Jemal’s training but he didn’t panic.

Instead he phoned the government vet in the nearest town and told him he must come to the donkey as it couldn’t possibly move. The vet had no transport as frequently is the case and Jemal had to organise a motorbike to go and pick him up.
In the meantime, Jemal cleaned the wounds and started the donkey on antibiotics to control infection. After the government vet has sutured the wounds Jemal continued to give follow up care with daily cleaning and antibiotic injections until the sutures could be removed and his neighbour’s donkey was well enough to return to work.
 

A fantastic example of why the CAHWs system is so important to animals living in rural areas whose owners can’t easily access vet services and how the CAHWs can bridge this gap.