Sunita Kamble is an Indian goat veterinarian recognised in the
Women Transforming India The Women Transforming India awards are an annual contest supported by the United Nations in India, Indian government website MyGov, and NITI Aayog (the National Institution for Transforming India). They honour "exceptional women entrepreneurs, who ...
awards in 2017.
Kamble is from
Mhasvad,
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
, an area which has been affected by droughts.
Goats are of major economic importance here, and a lack of trained veterinarians made it difficult to get appropriate and timely care if they became ill. She trained in the "Para-Vet Goat Programme" from the Mann Deshi Foundation
to become the first goat veterinarian in the area, and went on to lead a team of seven "barefoot veterinarians". She introduced an
artificial insemination service to improve the breeding of goats for both milk and meat, and has trained 350 women in the technique. Goats are seen as an "alternative and sustainable livelihood option for women-headed households in the area", and her work was recognised in 2017 by the "Women Transforming India" award.
Kamble is from the
dalit or untouchable group, but her achievements have brought together members of different castes in her village: "When I entered the village, I saw a big cutout of Sunita. Sunita was smiling on that picture. ... upper caste leaders -- men -- were sitting in the house, in her house...".
References
External links
* ''(video)''
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Women veterinarians
Indian veterinarians
Dalit women
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