March 12, 2020 – U.S. Embassy Bamako’s Civil Military Support Element (CMSE) in collaboration with USAID and implementing partners Catholic Relief Services and the International Livestock Institute (ILRI), provided resources and veterinarian kits to train 25 Malian veterinarians from March 9-13 in Bamako. This veterinarian civic action project (VETCAP) used the capabilities and resources of the U.S. military in cooperation with USAID and Malian partners to provide long-term capacity building for veterinarians who serve pastoralists across Mali.
A main goal of this initiative was to quickly enhance the capacities of a large group of veterinarians to serve the Malian public in rural regions in order to prevent diseases and extend the lifespan of livestock herds which are a principal livelihood in Mali’s agricultural sector. Specialists from the Direction Nationale des Services Vétérenaires (DNSV) provided the training, which included veterinarians from: Bamako District (1) Mopti (4), Segou (5), Koulikouro (5), Sikasso (5) and Kayes (5). The U.S. military provided state-of-the-art veterinarian kits for the participants to enable them to return to their home regions fully equipped with the supplies and instruments needed to send in biopsies to the central laboratory.
The seminar trained and equipped the participating Malian Veterinarians to identify and prevent five priority zoonotic diseases: Bovine TB, Rabies, Anthrax, Avian influenza, Foot and mouth diseases and how to conduct testing on dead and live animals and send biopsies to the Laboratoire Central Veterinaires (LCV) in Bamako which will assist in averting disease outbreaks and provide Malian citizens with services needed to protect the lives of livestock herds. Additional topics of the training included veterinary diagnosis and the control, and epidemiological surveillance of animal diseases.
The week-long training course enabled the veterinarians to receive technical training on how to follow correct protocols, to take and submit biopsies, and built relationships to enhance interaction with the national laboratory in Bamako.
This initiative is one of many that the U.S. carries out in Mali to strengthen the government’s capacities to serve rural populations. The U.S. is committed to broad-based agriculture led growth in Mali to improve poverty, nutrition, and resilience for all Malians.
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