That Sheep May Safely Graze

David M. Sherman is an American veterinarian with a global practice. He has worked and consulted in over 40 countries for a variety of international agencies, including the UNDP, FAO, the World Bank, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), Heifer International, Farm Africa, and others. He is the author of Tending Animals in the Global Village: A Guide to International Veterinary Medicine and coauthor of the textbook Goat Medicine. His international activities include animal health service delivery, veterinary infrastructure development, transboundary animal disease control, goat health and production, and veterinary and veterinary paraprofessional education. From 2004-2009, Sherman worked in Afghanistan, managing a nationwide USAID-funded program to restore basic veterinary service delivery to livestock owners in that war-torn country. In 2006, the American Veterinary Medical Association awarded him the XII International Veterinary Congress Prize for his outstanding contribution to international understanding of the importance of veterinary medicine in society. He currently works for the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) at their headquarters in Paris, France.

Foreword Introduction Abbreviations 1. Go See the Warlord 2. Unexpected Destination 3. Negotiating with the Taliban 4. USAID Comes Back to Afghanistan 5. Going to Kabul 6. Introductions 7. Dinner Conversations 8. Starting Up the RAMP 9. Reality Check 10. Veterinarians in Name Only 11. Street Life 12. Unexpected Adventures at the Ministry of Planning 13. Hiring Dr. Nasseri 14. Veterinary Scavenger Hunt 15. Off to the Zoo 16. Ramping Up 17. Aerial View 18. Samaruddin 19. Growing Pains 20. Cold Chain 21. Progress Report 22. At Home in Kabul 23. The Graduates 24. Life at the Office 25. A Raft of Problems 26. The French Connection 27. On Target 28. A Paravet in Parliament 29. Torah! Torah! Torah! 30. Sliding Down the RAMP 31. Goodbye RAMP, Hello ASAP 32. Hints of Trouble to Come 33. The Ambassador 34. Sorrow in September 35. First Annual Convention 36. Front Row Seat 37. Return to Kabul 38. Dr. Noor Jahan 39. Jinns 40. Bombproofing 41. No Dairy Farmers Here 42. Who Are You Again? 43. Too Close for Comfort 44. Afghanization 45. Ahmad Nasir's Cow 46. ASAP Claptrap 47. A Civil Military Affair 48. Hostile Takeover Attempt 49. Good Dollars, Bad Dollars 50. Letting Go 51. Encounter in Tiangi Pass 52. Yankees Cap 53. Teamwork 54. What Were They Thinking? 55. Return 56. Dreams Deferred 57. Coming Full Circle Epilogue: Lessons Learned and Applied Acknowledgments Bibliography Notes Index

"Dr. David Sherman's account of his experiences in post-Taliban Afghanistan, working to improve veterinary training and treatment for livestock by establishing a network of rural vet centers, is a hard-hitting cautionary tale leavened with hilarity and warmth. He and his colleagues must constantly navigate bureaucratic rivalries and improvise to overcome logistical obstacles. Yet the author finds glimpses of charm and beauty in an impoverished, militarized setting. His most meaningful passages are about animals--whether examining an ailing pig at the Kabul Zoo or a cow at the home of his office cleaner, where he relaxes under a mulberry tree and is later gratified to learn the cow has delivered a healthy calf. Despite all the frustrations, the reader can see what keeps drawing Sherman back to this hardscrabble war zone, where both animals and people struggle daily to survive."