Chapter 7: A Service-Learning Case Study: Livestock Disease Management Through Government and Community Partnerships in Aililo, Rote Ndao

Farming is one of the main resources for Aililo’s community in Rote Ndao, East Nusa Tenggara. However, it doesn’t mean the community has enough knowledge about caring for livestock. The main problem is the death of livestock every new season and its damage to the community. The lack of knowledge about diseases killing livestock had made the community very concerned about its future. This servicelearning program focuses on mentoring and empowering the community to be able to resolve problems related to the livestock issue. Through discussions with the local community and village authorities, service-learning participants help to construct a working solution. For more than three weeks, service-learning participants, interacting with the community, developed a dialogue with the Farming Department of Rote Ndao to construct a plan for addressing the problem. They created a program that included counseling about raising the livestock, routine vaccinations, and built government and community partnerships for the future. It is hoped that this effort will empower the community and create a sustainable solution.