GALVmed’s Market Development & Access (MD&A) department in South Asia has been working with the Jeevika Trust recently to deliver training in goat rearing in Bihar, India.
The trust was aware of GALVmed’s work and its expertise in animal health and management. It approached the organisation through the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) to train their officials on goat health and management. GALVmed is a technical partner of AKF on its goat project in Bihar.
Dr Peetambar Kushwaha, MD&A’s Project Manager in South Asia, led the officials’ training on goat health and management during a three day training programme, which demonstrated the approaches to goat health and management being implemented in the AKF project. This venture aims to improve goat health and management in 500,000 households in Bihar.
The Jeevika Trust exists to alleviate poverty in India through revitalising rural communities and promoting social and economic empowerment of rural poor communities.
The work of the Jeevika Trust is gaining recognition as a model for the sustainable development of socially and economically marginalised people as well as those regularly affected by natural disasters such as flooding.
A key strategy of the Jeevika Trust’s work is economic empowerment through small businesses such as livestock rearing. In the past this has included small-scale poultry farming and now encompasses the keeping of goats.
‘This is just the beginning of co-operation between GALVmed and Jeevika,” commented Dr Kushwaha.
Find out more about our work in South Asia through these stories:
Let’s eradicate Peste des petits ruminants
Building a strong community animal health care system in rural India
Reflections from the field: On the trail of Pestes des Petits Ruminants