Social services for pastoralists

The state of provision of social services to pastoralists is one of the most evident signs of marginalisation and exclusion by national policymakers. Mobility and difficult physical environment are often used as excuses for underdevelopment of these services in pastoral areas. Nevertheless, various innovative approaches to providing social services to pastoralists have come to light in many parts of the world. The World Initiative for Sustainable Pastoralism (WISP) commissioned a study on provision of services to mobile pastoralists. This may but need not always imply mobility of services: good practice can also include making static services appropriate to pastoralists. The study “Learning from the delivery of social services to pastoralists” uses several examples, particularly from Africa and Asia, to show how social services have been adapted to pastoralism in different contexts, such as through community health workers and traditional birth attendants. The study was conducted in collaboration with the Swiss Tropical Institute (STI), and focuses primarily on education and human health services. It includes an example of combined provision of mobile and static health services in Kenya, and joint human and animal vaccination services.

Posted on 25 December 2012 in Pastoralism & Services, Pastoralism, Gender & Youth, Pastoralism, Mobility & Land Tenure, Pastoralist Livelihoods & Nutrition