COHERS

Community One Health Empowerment in Rwanda and Senegal (COHERS)

Goal: Empowering communities to improve health outcomes through One Health approaches to prevent, detect, and respond to prevalent zoonoses, including anthrax and cysticercosis. 

Target Groups: Women, men, girls, and boys, with a focus on marginalized women and girls. 

Where: Rwanda (Nyamagabe District) and Senegal (Kedougou and Velingara Departments)

Duration: 2023-2027 (4 years)

Reach: COHERS aims to directly reach over 127,674 people.

The Situation

In Rwanda and Senegal, high interaction between humans, animals, and the environment poses significant risks for zoonotic diseases. These risks are exacerbated by gender inequalities, which limit women's and girls' access to health resources, decision-making power, and economic opportunities. Women and girls, who are primarily responsible for household livestock, water, sanitation, and food preparation, are particularly vulnerable to zoonotic diseases like anthrax.

What We Are Doing

In collaboration with local and international partners, key activities include:

Training and Support for One Health Teams (OHTs): Establishing and training OHTs comprising community health workers (CHWs), community animal health workers (CAHWs), and WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) actors.

Gender-Responsive Approaches: Ensuring all project activities are gender-responsive, empowering women and girls to take leading roles in zoonoses control.

Community Sensitization: Conducting outreach through One Health Days and educational materials to improve community knowledge and practices related to human-animal-environment interactions.

Resource Provision: Supplying vaccines, screening and testing supplies, and treatment medications to support zoonoses prevention and control.

Collaborative Research and Learning: Partnering with academic institutions to conduct research and share findings to inform policy and improve One Health strategies.

Year 1 (2024) Activities

In the first year, COHERS will focus on:

• Establishing and training OHTs, including CHWs, CAHWs, and WASH and environmental management actors.
• Developing and disseminating training materials for OHTs, with a focus on gender-responsive approaches.
• Procuring and distributing vaccines, screening and testing supplies, and treatment medications.
• Developing sustainable climate-resilient WASH infrastructure in Rwanda.
• Conducting OH community days and sensitization activities for preventing zoonotic diseases.
• Integrating digital communication platforms for information sharing and referrals among OHTs.

Sustainability

COHERS aims to establish sustainable community-level One Health systems that are integrated with national strategies in Rwanda and Senegal. By training local actors and strengthening existing structures, the project ensures long-term impact and resilience.

Human Rights

The project centers on a rights-based approach, empowering women, and girls as key actors in One Health activities. By addressing gender inequalities and improving access to health resources, COHERS promotes health equity and community well-being.

Partners

Local Partners: UGHE Center for One Health (Rwanda), WaterAid Rwanda, Agronomes et Vétérinaires Sans Frontières (Senegal), Solthis (Senegal), Cascades (Senegal)

International Partners: University of Guelph (Canada), Institute of Health Economics

COHERS is possible because of generous funding by Global Affairs Canada.