With limited budget for disease prevention and control among other competing local government livestock programmes, the strong commitment of local government and the availability of sufficient funds at the field level are paramount for implementation and sustainability of any disease prevention and control programme. After a series of advocacy meetings and consultative processes between MoA, MoH and the Ministry of Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration (MoVDRT), the Boyolali village government has agreed to utilize village funds to support animal health activities in 2019. Guidelines were successfully developed to properly utilize village funds on activities to detect, report and respond to disease outbreaks. The practical guidelines targeted Primary Animal Health Service and Primary Health Care staff by providing information on the village funds programme and on how to utilize the fund for prevention and control of zoonoses, providing practical examples and a strategy to advocate with the village government. These guidelines were introduced and disseminated to the Heads of Sub Districts, Heads of Villages, Village mentors, Primary Animal Health Service officers and Primary Health Care officers in Boyolali district.

As a result, the Boyolali local government has engaged and collaborated closely with the district village governments to plan to utilize village funds in their own villages. This initiative is linked to the local government commitment to sustain the implementation of the One Health approach for zoonoses prevention and control based on specific local needs and to increase disease surveillance sensitivity in the districts. As a result, 30 villages in Boyolali have agreed to use the village funds scheme and to revise their 2019 village work plans to include support for early disease detection and reporting by village health cadres.

“Utilizing the Village Fund Programme to support animal health is a smart initiative. It is not just for the prevention and control of zoonoses and animal diseases but also to improve livestock production.  This is a strategic programme for Boyolali as one of the main livestock production centres in Java,” said Djuwahir, Head of Boyolali Animal Health Services. Although we need to monitor implementation of the 2019 village work plan, this village fund provides additional funding for prevention and control of zoonoses at the village level and improves the health status and livelihoods of villagers, especially in view of the limited budget available to local Health and Animal Health Offices.