Tajikistan, a small, mountainous country in Central Asia, is the poorest country of the former USSR. It’s heavily reliant on external aid, and a high proportion of men travel to Russia in search of work. People face a daily struggle to make a living from the precarious mountain soil, but many families have seen their fortunes change with the arrival of livestock and their accompanying package of veterinary care.

Milking the cow
Kurbongul Abdulloeva lives with her husband and six children in Shibanai village. Their only income was from their small plot of land, but then the family received a cow from Oxfam, which has calved and now provides precious milk. She was also trained in all aspects of animal care and disease prevention. “I am very happy that our family now has a cow. This hugely contributes to the prosperity of our family,” she says.

Off the shelf medicines
To ensure the continued health of the livestock, essential drugs and vaccines were distributed to each community.

Training for health
Veterinary training for villagers covered how to identify and treat the most prevalent diseases, and how to maintain the animals’ health and productivity. A vet also vaccinates the animals against key diseases such as anthrax.

Look who’s got the cream
Families stress the benefits of having milk for the general health of their children. “Now I can make my children’s diet much better with milk products, and they are healthier than before,” says Nasridinova Ruzigul

Your gift making a difference
Nasridinova Ruzigul shows off her cow and calf: “I have seven children. I had to stop working when my health got bad, and my husband had to leave to work in Russia. We are a very poor family. Before Oxfam’s support we didn’t have a cow. I cannot imagine what would happen if there wasn’t support from Oxfam.”