Improved Livestock Services: A Lifeline for Pastoralists and a Path to Resilient Food Security in Rural Yemen

With funding from the European Union (EU), CARE works to empower pastoralists in Lahj Governorate through capacity building and strengthening. To achieve this, CARE trained 12 pastoralists in the Gawalla District to become Community Health Animal Workers.

The training, held over 26 days, covered topics such as animal disease management, animal protection and care methods, reducing the use of antimicrobials, and promoting good practices in sustainable livestock production that preserve the environment. The trainees received a toolkit of critical equipment and medicines to provide veterinary services.

“My husband is a daily worker. When he goes to work, I take care of our livestock,” says Fawzia Ateeq, a mother of five children from Gawalla area in Lahj. “Our livestock used to get sick, and I didn’t know how to treat them and couldn’t find anyone to help. As a result, many animals died, and the number of our livestock was decreasing.”

Fawzia is one of the trained Community Health Animal Workers in Gawalla. She received a comprehensive package of educational messages on services that focus on disease prevention and improving livestock productivity, such as animal vaccination, disease control and prevention, nutritional counseling, and reproductive services. Fawzia and other trained Community Health Animal Workers were able to provide veterinary services and education to more than 200 pastoralists in three villages in Gawalla area of Lahj, helping them to improve treatment and care for their livestock.

“Veterinary services are not available here,” says Fawzia. “After the training, I decided to fill this gap and seize the opportunity to provide veterinary services to the villagers. Within a short period of time, I became the veterinarian for many farmers in the area. This work provides me with a daily income of 6-8 US dollars per day. I’m grateful for the training, the tools, and the doors that have been opened for me and other pastoralists.”

Women in rural areas are often responsible for the daily care of livestock, including feeding, cleaning, milking, and collecting eggs. Their strategic role in livestock management allows them to detect disease symptoms early. Including women in veterinary training is critical to the overall health of livestock. By equipping women with veterinary knowledge and skills, we ensure better animal care and contribute to improved food security for rural communities.

“In the future, I plan to build a veterinary clinic in the village and buy a small vehicle to travel between villages and provide veterinary services in neighboring villages,” concludes Fawzia.