Women-led, One Health Solutions in Tanzania

It’s been a busy fall for the Women’s EARTH Project! On the heels of the One Health workshops in Itonya and Mboliboli last summer, the women of these communities immediately began implementing their group interventions to alleviate local health and environmental challenges. The women focused on four key areas: preventive animal health, water health and conservation, soil health and climate mitigation, and human-wildlife co-existence. To map their progress, the women produced weekly reports in the form of photos and verbal accounts to keep project leaders, Jesca and Eliza (FOECOE Directors), updated on their accomplishments.

There were too many achievements to count, but some of the highlights of the women’s activities this fall included: opening up a One Health store in Itonya; vaccinating over 300 chickens for Newcastle disease; providing education on soil and water health to over 20 households; and building chili pepper fences to promote greater harmony with elephants and other local wildlife. These examples offer a snapshot of the tremendous progress the women have made toward strengthening community resilience in health and conservation. The beauty of the initiative is that all the One Health interventions developed by the women are rooted in nature-based solutions, collaborative innovations, and indigenous knowledge.

The community excitement around the One Health store in Itonya, in particular, has been infectious. As the recognition of the women’s activities have grown, local farmers come to the One Health store as a trusted resource to buy products that promise greater food security and crop production in the face of climate and environmental change. Among the goods available include drought resistant seeds, organic fertilizers, preventive animal health medicines, and chili fence bricks to name a few. The store also serves as an outpost for educational outreach and services in One health, with a growing number of women fulfilling the roles of animal vaccinators, soil and water technicians, and wildlife conflict mitigators. This has been a huge help for local extension officers who are stretched too thin to address the burden of animal health, agriculture, and environmental problems across this region.

In 2023, we intend to build on the successes of the Women’s Earth Project in Itonya and Mbolboli, with the goal of developing a sustainable network of One Health workers comprised of technicians, peer-to-peer educators, and entrepreneurs. With the support of the communities and a growing list of Tanzanian collaborators, we are confident in the path ahead and look forward to extending the program to additional communities in this region in the future. Here’s to exciting 2023!

With immense gratitude to all of our supporters,

Kate and the EVG / FOECOE Team

Give women education, and they will heal the Earth. The evidence of this statement was all around us this past June as we kicked off our third workshop in a series of One Health* training modules for rural women in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania. It was an especially wonderful experience for the Women’s EARTH Team since our collaborators from EcoVet Global in the U.S. were able to travel to Tanzania to engage in workshop activities and meet the amazing women and project stakeholders contributing to the project.

To provide some background and a refresher, the June One Health Specialization Workshop was offered to 60 women from two remote farming communities located in Tanzania’s Southern Highlands where we are piloting the program. The workshop built on past training modules and sought to transform the women’s training into real-world outputs. Our incredibly talented project leaders, Jesca Mlawa and Eliza Komba, along with a dream team of local and regional Tanzanian experts, guided the women through participatory activities and lively discussions in four thematic areas of One Health: 1) water conservation and health; 2) animal health and biosecurity; 3) soil health and eco-farming; and 4) human-wildlife conflict mitigation and biodiversity protection. Climate change served as a cross-cutting theme. At the end of the workshop, the women developed practical nature-based solutions to address local challenges related to each of the four One health themes. In the coming months, the women will be will be meeting regularly with Jesca and Eliza and workshop facilitators to ensure the solutions the women are implementing in their communities are achieving the desired objectives. They will also work with the Team to begin to operationalize their activities into income generating-pursuits with measurable environmental and species-wide health benefits. Over the next two years, we plan to scale the program to four additional communities and create the framework for a system of regional, women-led One Health hubs.

The women in these two communities are truly inspirational, and their determination is unmatched. Please take a look at the photos that accompany this report to catch a glimpse of the EARTH women in action. They are the definition of positive change-makers. As always, we are immensely grateful to all of you who have made this work possible. Know that you have made a significant difference in the lives of over 60 women and their families, hundreds of animals, and in the regeneration of natural resources and the biodiverse landscape they share.

With gratitude, 

Kate & The Women's EARTH Project Team 

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