Veterinary project has big impact on small island

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Carrie Bernard
  • Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa Public Affairs
CAMP LEMONIER, Djibouti (AFNEWS) --  Armed with syringes of multivitamins, a group of U.S. military women recently laid the foundation for a healthier populace on the small island of Socotra through an intense training program developed specifically for the women inhabitants.

The Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa servicemembers conducted a veterinary civic action project at the remote site with a goal to teach the women basic animal husbandry techniques. Those learned skills will be used to improve the country's overall livestock health and productivity, as well as educate others villagers.

"By 'training the trainers' these animal health workers can build capacity by going on to train additional animal health workers, thus perpetuating the cycle of education," said  Army Capt. Gwynne Kinley, CJTF-HOA veterinarian and mission commander.

Socotra, located nearly 220 miles south of mainland Yemen, is naturally isolated and veterinary care tends to be limited, she said. It was because of this that the site, situated in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia, was chosen.

"By teaching the women to be self-sufficient, they can help their local and regional government with veterinary-related issues," Captain Kinley said. "This is paramount for creating self-sufficiency in the region."

Because the animal workers in Yemen are predominately women, CJTF-HOA created an all-female team to carry out the mission in the area. With the help of local officials, 30 women were chosen to represent the villages of Qalanisah and Hadibo during the training.

"It was important to have an all-female team based on cultural awareness," said Army Staff Sgt. Jennifer A. Brooks a civil affairs specialist. "The women in Yemen are usually completely covered except for their eyes and do not socialize with men that aren't family members."

The training, which consisted of two days of lectures and a day of hands-on instruction, required constant interaction with the American VETCAP team. By having an all-female team, a comfortable learning environment was created for the Yemeni women, she said.

During the instruction, the women learned a variety of skills, including how to identify infectious diseases and treating common ailments. Class participants also received nearly $400 worth of veterinary supplies, including syringes, multivitamins, a stethoscope, a thermometer, veterinary gloves and various Arabic-language instruction pamphlets.

To help facilitate the Arabic lecture-based training, the servicemembers relied on a local veterinarian to explain the information and translate the women's questions.

"The women are very happy to receive this training," said Dr. Ahmed Saeed Saif, who has practiced veterinary medicine for four years. "They had no training before and didn't know how to take care of the animals. This is a good start."

With more than 150,000 farm animals on the island primarily used for food, Saif said the training will have a positive impact on the wellbeing of all the inhabitants.

"Healthy animals make for a healthy population," he said.

After being taught animal husbandry fundamentals, the class moved outdoors so participants could practice what they learned.

"The most important part of the training was the practical exercises," said Brooks. "The practicals allow the VETCAP team to see first hand that the female students understand what they were taught."

The hands-on portion also allowed the VETCAP team to emphasize safety and foster proper techniques, said the Columbia, Md., native.

While the training concepts such as vaccinating animals were new to the women, they each demonstrated their ability to properly care for the livestock and were awarded certificates of completion for the class.

"They were very confident in their handling of the livestock, especially the older women," said Air Force Maj. Pauline Lucas, CJTF-HOA public health officer and assistant mission commander. "They responded well to the animals, as well as to the instructions we gave them. For the most part, they picked up on the technical aspect of the lecture quickly."

With the groundwork laid, future plans include follow-ups in Socotra to evaluate the success of the training and pursue further training for the women.

"It is my hope that that these women will continue the process and build capacity within their villages by taking this knowledge and teaching others the value of keeping livestock healthy," said Captain Kinley.

In addition to following up with this current project, future additional VETCAPS are being planned by U.S. military forces in coordination with the host nation government, the U.S. Agency for International Development and U.S. State Department.

"Training like this is essential for our mission here with Combined Joint Task Force -
Horn of Africa because it empowers the local population and provides them opportunities, not only to help themselves, but to help others in their community," said Major Lucas, a Hilo, Hawaii, native.

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