The Stethoscope

In this edition you would learn how my friendship my a Gambian student morphed into my first international project now called Fenbah Kunda One in the country of The Gambia.

Here is the story of how I met a wonderful young man from The Gambia a couple of years ago. The Gambia is a small West African country bordered by Senegal on all sides. Sellou Bah was his name, and he was the most gentle, kind-hearted person I had ever met. We became friends quickly, and I soon learned that he was a student from Soma enrolled in an animal health program offered by The Gambia College.

Like most of the Gambian population, Sellou struggled with poverty and a lack of support to complete his studies. One day, he came to me with an unexpected request. He needed a stethoscope during his courses and lacked the monetary resources to obtain one. I promised to help him get one with the following conditions; first, he needed to obtain good grades at school, and second, he needed to begin to call me dad. And since that moment, we have become inseparable, even from a distance. You must know that all this occurred while I lived in the United States, and he is in The Gambia.

Sellou did excellent in his classes at the Gambia College. Due to his character and honesty, he was named the Alcala of the Fulas in Soma. The title of "Alcala' put him as a community leader among his people. He also got married last year and is now the proud father of a beautiful baby girl.

Our relationship did not stop with the stethoscope. I always wanted to do some work at an international level. So now Sellou is my manager at a project that I called Fenbah Kunda One. Together, we are trying to raise rams and goats for meat production in the area of Soma. We are also trying to establish a vegetable farm in the region.

I should be traveling to The Gambia, hopefully by the end of the year, to meet Sellou and inspect the progress of Fenbah Kunda One. Hopefully, we will be able to grow this project into one that can bring economic advancement and job opportunities to the people of Soma.

Click here to see videos of our work in Soma —>Gambia Veterinary Services

Congratulations to my nephew, Norberto Jose Carrero Feneque for graduating from law school at the University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras Campus.

We are excited for our first year of graduating Veterinary Technology students under Puerto Rico’s first-ever School of Veterinary Medicine!
Left to right: Dr. Oppenheimer, Stephanie Vélez, LVTg, Dr. Figueroa, Rochellie Cortés, LVTg, Dr. Cabán, Yaritza Vélez, LVTg

Sponsored Students’ Victories

Sindh Agriculture University of Tandojam (SAUT) is a place Doctor Loveson Lakhani knows well, as it was the site of his undergraduate veterinary studies. So, when the time came to pursue his graduate degree, there was no question in his mind as to where he would go. That choice was made easier by the fact that SAUT offers one of the best programs in the world that specializes in veterinary surgery and obstetrics. Now, after completing his first semester of Master of Philosophy studies, Doctor Lakhani is happy to report that he is settling in well and enjoying the challenge of his coursework. He is particularly excited about the opportunity to conduct research that can make a difference in the lives of animals and their owners. We are proud to sponsor Doctor Lakhani in his pursuit of knowledge and wish him all the best in his future career.

Lumpy Skin Disease Awareness Campaign

Our veterinary contributor, Dr. Saqlain Mansha, recently gave a lecture to Pakistani farmers in Chiniot City. Bovine Lumpy Skin Disease is a serious threat to the cattle population in Pakistan. This government-sponsored campaign aims to raise awareness among Pakistani farmers about the disease and how they can protect their cattle from it.

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