Announcement

U.S. Ambassador Wood Inaugurates new Veterinary Clinic in Northern Afghanistan

Remote, mountainous province gains access to new veterinary services.

Faizabad, Badakshan  | Saturday, November 15, 2008

Photo: USAID/Afghanistan

Ambassador Wood speaks with veterinarians on the grounds of the new Badakshan Veterinary Clinic.

In Afghanistan’s northern Badakshan province, many villagers rely on their livestock to sustain them through long winters and a harsh climate.  The province’s steep valley walls make farming difficult, and for thousands of years herders here have raised flocks of sheep, goats and cattle to support their communities.

To strengthen the health and production of these life-sustaining herds, Ambassador William Wood, joined by Badakshan Governor Monshi Mahid and provincial and district officials, inaugurated a new Provincial Veterinary Center in the capital city, Faizabad. This new facility will not only be an important resource for Badakshan’s 500,000 animals, but will also serve the more than one million animals from neighboring areas which graze in the area’s rich pasturelands every year.  The center will provide examination rooms, a quarantine space for investigating disease, and a cold-storage center for preserving vaccines.  It will also give veterinarians the tools to process blood samples. When completed, the clinic will equip the people of Badakshan to better care for their animals and ensure that they benefit from stable and profitable livelihoods for years to come.