Who won this year’s World Animal Day Grant?
With the help and support of Naturewatch Foundation and its supporters, we are delighted to announce the winner of the World Animal Day Grant this year is the Tanzania Animal Welfare Society led by Dr Thomas Kahema.
The application process was open to World Animal Day Ambassadors which resulted in a huge number of excellent projects to make a meaningful contribution to advancing animal welfare standards in their respective countries. Over the years, supporters of Naturewatch Foundation have helped address many terrible situations of animal suffering, helped save the lives of thousands of animals and helped thousands more live a better life.
In Mpwapwa, a poor, rural area in central Tanzania, donkeys are essential to the livelihood and wellbeing of the people, yet they are overworked, mistreated and forced to work under unacceptably difficult conditions. Used daily for farming and transportation, many donkeys live a life of abuse with no consideration for their health or welfare. Unfortunately, they also fall victim to rabies which is rampant within the district.
Mpwapwa is also home to approximately 6,000 roaming dogs and 2,000 roaming cats, and currently they are treated appallingly and killed due to fear of rabies. Both animals and people suffer, with the children who travel many kilometres to and from schools being the most affected.
This year’s World Animal Day Grant project will improve the health and welfare of working donkeys and bring about permanent change for the roaming animals of Mpwapwa, allowing people and animals to live in harmony.
You can find out more about the project by clicking this link.