1- Ambassador Christian Bader posing with a cattle keeper at Shirikat Cattle Camp during a recent livestock vaccination exercise.

This project implemented by FAO is worth over €27.5 million and it aims at improving household food security, nutrition and income, and enhancing livelihood resilience of pastoral and agro-pastoral communities, particularly in cross-border areas of South Sudan. It entails vaccination and deworming of livestock and provision of seeds, tools, training and equipment to its beneficiaries in the country and neighbouring countries to increase quality of livestock and their productivity.

European Union Ambassador to South Sudan Christian Bader strongly believes cattle vaccination is key to control and eradicate serious animal diseases because outbreak of animal diseases have devastating effects on the subsistence economies of the agro-pastoral communities and may jeopardize the lives of thousands of vulnerable people in the country.

From 2017, the project has supported 7608 households. Yaka Moge, 65, in Gasmalla village in Upper Nile State who before this intervention used traditional beehives and could barely make ends meet, thanks to this EU-FAO partnership, can now fend for his family.

“I can finally buy food for my family and pay the school fees of my two grandchildren,” he happily said of the project. “I bought these chickens, thanks to my honey. If I need extra money to buy something now, I can sell a chicken.”

With support from the European Union through FAO, the South Sudan Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries intends to vaccinate and treat 11 million animals in all counties of South Sudan to protect more animals against priority diseases.

2- Ambassador Christian Bader listening to an FAO official during a recent vaccination exercise at Shirikat Cattle camp.

3- Ambassador Christian Bader administering a vaccine at Shirikat cattle camp during a recent vaccination and deworming exercise. (All photos by Francis Apiliga Lagu)