Yusuf, H.

This article describes a seasonal disease calendar exercise which was carried out with herders in the Sanaag region of Somaliland. The information it provided was then used to plan a Primary Veterinary Assistant training programme. One surprising finding was that common ailments that cause loss of production were considered by the herders to be less important than infrequent, but often terminal, infectious diseases.

An ActionAid programme in the Sanaag region of Somaliland provides basic animal health care to the pastoral communities living in the area. Participatory methods have been used by the project staff to build up a more detailed picture of the herders' lifestyle, particulary management of communal resources, animal husbandry practices and methods of managing disease. This article describes mapping exercises which were carried out to chart the seasonal migration patterns followed by different groups of pastoralists in the region.