My cows, my greatest pride and joy
Aboud, breeder of Al-Raqqa
“In one year, I have managed to double the number of cows and, most importantly, I have a dairy cow that is my pride and joy.”
Aboud has been a breeder for ten years now and is glad to have a considerable number of cows. He comes from a small village called Hatunia in the province of Al-Raqqa, where he lives with his children and his wife. In total they are twelve in the family. For Aboud, breeding is part of his identity and cultural heritage. His animals , above all his cows are his source of happiness and joy.
“The project has provided us with an excellent veterinary service; we have technicians and veterinarians who always take care of our animals. In the past, farmers didn’t know what kind of medicine was the most appropriate for each disease and each animal. Now, through the project, we have the opportunity to obtain information on the most appropriate drugs for each specific case and we can buy a good quality drug at affordable prices. In addition, the project supplies farmers with concentrated fodder, according to a cost recovery approach, through which the farmers pay 70% of the cost of the inputs; thus, additional batches of inputs may be purchased, and a substantially higher number of beneficiaries reached.”
The collapse of veterinary services due to the war in Syria has led to a significant deterioration in the quality of animal vaccines and available drugs, affecting in particular the farmers of Raqqa, an area where breeding has always been part of their culture. Cooling chains for vaccine storage were no longer working and animal vaccinations were often counterproductive. Since 2018, the “Ra.L.A.” project, funded by the Italian Cooperation, has been supporting the Local Administration to reactivate veterinary services for farmers and assist them with vaccines and quality medicines.
“In one year, I have managed to double the number of cows and, most importantly, I have a dairy cow that is my pride and joy. With a one-year discount, which adds to the increase in production and animal health and the good amount of sales, I managed to save 150’000 Syp every month. For us, as a family of twelve, food is the primary need. Before, I could only afford to buy chicken once a month. Now I can buy more than three chickens once a week, a great success for me. Before, even the clothes were not accessible to us, my wife was forced to repair pants and shirts for all our children. Now she is happy, she can go to the market and buy clothes that are needed for the summer, and especially for the winter. To my eldest daughters, I gave a maximum of 100 Syp as pocket money in a month. Now I can afford to give them 500 Syp to spend on things they need for university, school or leisure. I pray to God for the help that the Italian project has given me over the last year.”
To date, CIHEAM has vaccinated nr. 221,000 sheep & goats and cows against several diseases in about 49 villages around Al-Raqqa and Hassakeh. While these vaccinations need to be repeated, the project made a real difference to the lives of hundreds of Syrian farmers who were able to keep larger herds, and consequently generate more income. CIHEAM project staff inside Syria and a team of community-based veterinarians carried out routine checkups, vaccinations and raised awareness about the prevention of contagious animal diseases through early treatment. Rehabilitation of veterinary services across the two cities was also promoted along with the dissemination of technical brochures, raising awareness among breeders on the dangers of the diseases.