Livestock-based Drought Response in Doolo  Zone of Somali Region, Ethiopia The Ethiopia Food security alert document of the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS Net) that was issued in July 2017 confirmed that Doolo Zone of Somali Region is one of the areas still experiencing high levels of acute malnutrition, excess mortality among children, and a heavy reliance on emergency food aid. The emergency outcomes are likely to persist up to January 2018. 

The initiatives to respond to the emergency situation which has started working as a Consortium (including Save the Children, Mercy Corps (MC), Islamic Relief (IR), Action Against Hunger (ACF), and Veterinaries sans Frontiers – Suisse (VSF-S)) has continued and is on the follow-up phase of the emergency response.  VSF-Suisse has continued the livestock interventions based on the priorities presented under the HRD’s objective 2 and informed by field missions.  
Recognizing the forecast for intensifying drought conditions and the escalating threats to livestock the SAG issued a Livestock Contingency Plan (FEB 2017 ) that prioritized livestock feed supplementation of core breeding animals, destocking – commercial and slaughter and animal health in particular for those animals receiving supplementary livestock feed.

Following the delayed onset, erratic and poor autumn deyr rain and the poor regeneration of browse and pasture, livestock that were already in poor condition have continued to lose weight with the result that pastoral households have little or no access to milk and increasing numbers of households are reporting livestock deaths. The lack of adapted, indigenous, core breeding livestock when the drought eventually ends will leave the livelihoods of families throughout the region crippled. The inability to regenerate livestock assets will likely keep many pastoralist families in severe poverty, extending the humanitarian crisis long after the drought ends. Reproductive livestock assets can be protected through supplementary feeding. In addition, it may also be appropriate to promote parasite control through private sector-led, voucher-based treatment interventions that will help ensure that animals can utilise their feed intake fully. 
Proposed Intervention: Livestock feed supplementation and private sector-led, voucher-based curative, preventive or supportive veterinary treatments.
Project Target Area: Warder and Geladi Woredas of Doolo zone of Somali region Ethiopia, 
Project Targets: Supplemental feeding coupled with voucher-based treatment systems will benefit 2,800 households, and 14,000 breeding stock, for three months in Warder and Geladin districts of Doolo Zone of Somali region Ethiopia ( five sheep /goats -shoats per household).

The project has an overall objective of protecting the lives and livelihoods in the Doolo Zone of Somali region Ethiopia. The main outcome of this project is livestock assets of drought-affected households and communities are protected from further deterioration. There are three major outputs of this project: supplementary animal feed will be provided for 14,000 drought affected core breeding sheep and goats for 3 months 2,800 poor households receiving supplementary feed will be supported with voucher based treatment interventions and technical and financial capacity of the community based animal health service providers will be strengthened.

Above and beyond, VSF- Suisse will take in to account the specific gender roles in relation to livestock care and production when implementing the emergency livestock feed intervention. Milking of dairy/dual-purpose animals and cleaning of animal kraals are often tasks that fall disproportionately upon female members of the household. Therefore, since taking the core breed livestock to the feeding centres everyday may confer particularly onerous duties on women and girls, the project will require that men or a family member will bring animals to the feeding centres and that female-headed households send a family member (when possible).