The very mention of Afghanistan conjures images of war, international power politics, the opium trade, and widespread corruption. Yet the untold story of Afghanistan's seemingly endless misfortune is the disruptive impact that prolonged conflict has had on ordinary rural Afghans, their culture, and the timeless relationship they share with their land and animals. In rural Afghanistan, when animals die, livelihoods are lost, families and communities suffer, and people may perish. That Sheep May Safely Graze details a determined effort, in the midst of war, to bring essential veterinary services to an agrarian society that depends day in and day out on the well-being and productivity of its animals, but which, because of decades of war and the disintegration of civil society, had no reliable access to even the most basic animal health care. The book describes how, in the face of many obstacles, a dedicated group of Afghan and expatriate veterinarians working for a small non governmental organization (NGO) in Kabul was able to create a national network of over 400 veterinary field units staffed by over 600 veterinary para professionals. These paravets were selected by their own communities and then trained and outfitted by the NGO so that nearly every district in the country that needed basic veterinary services now has reliable access to such services. Most notably, over a decade after its inception and with Afghanistan still in free fall, this private sector, district-based animal health program remains vitally active. The community-based veterinary para professionals continue to provide quality services to farmers and herders, protecting their animals from the ravages of disease and improving their livelihoods, despite the political upheavals and instability that continue to plague the country. The elements contributing to this sustainability and their application to programs for improved veterinary service delivery in developing countries beyond Afghanistan are described in the narrative.
David M. Sherman is an American veterinarian with a global practice. He has worked and consulted in over 40 countries for a variety of international agencies, including the UNDP, FAO, the World Bank, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), Heifer International, Farm Africa, and others. He is the author of Tending Animals in the Global Village: A Guide to International Veterinary Medicine and coauthor of the textbook Goat Medicine. His international activities include animal health service delivery, veterinary infrastructure development, transboundary animal disease control, goat health and production, and veterinary and veterinary paraprofessional education. From 2004-2009, Sherman worked in Afghanistan, managing a nationwide USAID-funded program to restore basic veterinary service delivery to livestock owners in that war-torn country. In 2006, the American Veterinary Medical Association awarded him the XII International Veterinary Congress Prize for his outstanding contribution to international understanding of the importance of veterinary medicine in society. He currently works for the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) at their headquarters in Paris, France.
Foreword Introduction Abbreviations 1. Go See the Warlord 2. Unexpected Destination 3. Negotiating with the Taliban 4. USAID Comes Back to Afghanistan 5. Going to Kabul 6. Introductions 7. Dinner Conversations 8. Starting Up the RAMP 9. Reality Check 10. Veterinarians in Name Only 11. Street Life 12. Unexpected Adventures at the Ministry of Planning 13. Hiring Dr. Nasseri 14. Veterinary Scavenger Hunt 15. Off to the Zoo 16. Ramping Up 17. Aerial View 18. Samaruddin 19. Growing Pains 20. Cold Chain 21. Progress Report 22. At Home in Kabul 23. The Graduates 24. Life at the Office 25. A Raft of Problems 26. The French Connection 27. On Target 28. A Paravet in Parliament 29. Torah! Torah! Torah! 30. Sliding Down the RAMP 31. Goodbye RAMP, Hello ASAP 32. Hints of Trouble to Come 33. The Ambassador 34. Sorrow in September 35. First Annual Convention 36. Front Row Seat 37. Return to Kabul 38. Dr. Noor Jahan 39. Jinns 40. Bombproofing 41. No Dairy Farmers Here 42. Who Are You Again? 43. Too Close for Comfort 44. Afghanization 45. Ahmad Nasir's Cow 46. ASAP Claptrap 47. A Civil Military Affair 48. Hostile Takeover Attempt 49. Good Dollars, Bad Dollars 50. Letting Go 51. Encounter in Tiangi Pass 52. Yankees Cap 53. Teamwork 54. What Were They Thinking? 55. Return 56. Dreams Deferred 57. Coming Full Circle Epilogue: Lessons Learned and Applied Acknowledgments Bibliography Notes Index
"Dr. David Sherman's account of his experiences in post-Taliban Afghanistan, working to improve veterinary training and treatment for livestock by establishing a network of rural vet centers, is a hard-hitting cautionary tale leavened with hilarity and warmth. He and his colleagues must constantly navigate bureaucratic rivalries and improvise to overcome logistical obstacles. Yet the author finds glimpses of charm and beauty in an impoverished, militarized setting. His most meaningful passages are about animals--whether examining an ailing pig at the Kabul Zoo or a cow at the home of his office cleaner, where he relaxes under a mulberry tree and is later gratified to learn the cow has delivered a healthy calf. Despite all the frustrations, the reader can see what keeps drawing Sherman back to this hardscrabble war zone, where both animals and people struggle daily to survive."
