(ZAMBIA) “He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, And vegetation for the labor of man, So that he may bring forth food from the earth. from the earth.” ~ Psalm 104:14. Recently the world’s media has had most of us grimly captivated by the terrible outbreak of ebola in West Africa.
Recently the world’s media has had most of us grimly captivated by the terrible outbreak of ebola in West Africa.
The chilling images of gowned health workers in bio-hazard suits seem to come straight from a Hollywood movie, and it is hard to reconcile the fact that this is the awful reality being played out in many communities across Liberia, Nigeria, Guinea, and Sierra Leone. In a crisis such as this, eradicating or even containing this disease seems impossible. The very contagious nature of ebola, especially through exposure in African cultural practices surrounding death and care for the dead provides a “perfect storm“ of opportunistic infection that will require significant education and awareness to overcome.
We can, however, take hope. Contagious deadly disease and its control is not a new concept in Africa. In 2010, an outbreak of anthrax occurred in western Zambia and in the six weeks it took to bring it under control, it killed 15 people in Sesheke and Mulobezi, and laid waste more than a thousand head of livestock. Like ebola, anthrax conjures up images of decontamination experts, air-locked laboratories, and chemical terrorism.
Unlike ebola, anthrax is a naturally occurring bacterial spore that, under the perfect heat and moisture conditions, emerges from the ground in areas prone to flooding or high rainfall. Animals that graze in these pastures inhale the spores as they eat, and in 24 to 48 hours, they are dead. It is common to find a number of animals dead in one spot, as if they were struck by lightning. The animals often die before their owners even realize that they are sick, field-dress them, and then send the infected meat home to their villages for consumption. Unfortunately—and similar to ebola—only 20% of those who are infected with anthrax survive.
One of World Renew’s partners, the United Church of Zambia, oversees outreach programs into the communities where communicable diseases are common. The UCZ vaccinates livestock against diseases and educates local residents about the dangers of processing and consuming contaminated meat from any source.
In the months ahead, establishing earlywarning systems, implementing local containment measures, and creating local action plans to outbreaks of disease will all contribute to the eventual containment of the ebola virus.
Education is the key to building community resilience and equipping communities with the necessary knowledge and skills to take the early vital steps that will secure their own community while government and international organizations build a wider response to disease outbreaks.
Thanks to a Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security Grant (SAFS grant) from World Renew, the work in Sesheke and Mulobezi will be up scaled to help these communities and the communities around them protect themselves, their families, and their livestock from diseases like ebola and anthrax. The program will also help them get the most they can from their own readily-available assets.
For the first time in Zambia, local herding and farming communities will also have the opportunity to introduce new bloodlines to their cattle through an artificial insemination program that will provide genetic diversity in an area that has been adversely affected by quarantine measures.
More importantly, the insemination program provides farmers with the opportunity—through improvements in calf mortality, simple animal husbandry, and developments in herd health—to achieve the economic potential their cattle truly provide for them. In an area like western Zambia, where traditional, arable agriculture is marginal at best, cattle are the only source of wealth and income for many people who live in poverty. When they receive opportunities to market and develop their own livestock industry, they will succeed in transforming their communities into sustainable and economically-resilient centers of enterprise.
Blessings,
