‘Mama Doctor’

Treats Animals, Protects Livelihoods

By Elizabeth Mayang Elango, West Africa Program Officer

Bosomtwe, Ghana—Martha Bodua is a fixture along the narrow bush paths in the rural communities of Bosomtwe, Atwima and Kwawoma in Ghana. As a community livestock worker, she covers many miles to care for ailing animals and to administer vaccines and medicines to keep livestock healthy.

“Mama Doctor,” as Bodua is affectionately known throughout the eight communities she serves, will make house calls at all hours of the night.

With all livestock, as with humans, the threat of disease is ever-present. The more prepared a community is, the more resistant it will be to a potential outbreak. That’s why Heifer supports training members of the community to provide animal health services at affordable prices.

Bodua has plenty of work to keep her busy. In the small community of Bosomtwe and its neighbouring villages, a group of people came together two years ago and applied to become Heifer project participants. In October 2005, after months of training, planning and anticipation, 100 families received their animals. Participants were given a total of 2,000 chickens, 250 beehives with beekeeping equipment, 250 sheep and 250 goats.

Bodua and her husband Kwasi were given a gift of goats through a separate project five years ago, and their homestead is now overrun with goats that multiplied from the original gift.

Animals throughout the community are thriving, but challenges occasionally pop up. Bodua was eager for the training that would help her handle these challenges with her own animals and those of her neighbors. Today, she is one of three community livestock workers trained and equipped to provide basic animal care to people in the community who would not otherwise have access to these services. Each of the workers received an initial grant to buy veterinary supplies at the beginning of the project, but now they’re able to buy supplies with the revenue they generate through their services.

Bodua’s work not only increased her confidence in herself; it also provides income, which makes a big difference to her family. “I even borrow money from her sometimes,” her husband jokes.

Despite their value to the community,
the idea of community health workers is sometimes looked upon with skepticism. Often, delicate negotiations
and partnerships with governments and veterinarians are required to allay fears that these new animal health workers pose a threat to established animal health professionals. Heifer Ghana is working hard to avoid ill feelings. Heifer asked veterinarians already established in the region to provide training and certification for the community livestock workers. The local veterinarians are also ready and willing to step in when the community livestock workers need help with difficult cases that require injections, surgery or autopsies to diagnose disease.  

Bodua hopes to pursue more training so she can do even more to protect the health of the animals in her region. She knows livestock health is directly related to the well-being of their owners. “When someone’s animal is not well, he is not very comfortable himself,” she says.

For now, she is focusing her energies on expanding her reach. She hopes to buy a motorbike to help her get around faster and easier across the six-mile radius she serves.