Equine charity Brooke is constructing three veterinary clinics in Ethiopia over the next year, which are each set to benefit around 20,000 animals a year.
The clinics, to be based in rural areas of Shashememe, Akaki and Halaba where there is an urgent need for veterinary care, will include a pharmacy, laboratory, operating room and shelter for animals to rest in the shade.
The new clinics are part of Brooke’s ongoing mission to improve vaccination services and animal health infrastructure in Ethiopia to help the working horses, donkeys and mules depended on by many small-scale farmers.
Transforming health and welfare
Vets at a clinical skills training workshop hosted by Brooke and Jimma University Animal Welfare and Health Training Centre, Ethiopia. Credit: Brooke
Ethiopia has a huge agricultural sector and one of the largest working equine populations in the world, including 8.8 million donkeys used for transporting people and goods.
These animals play a critical role in transportation, reducing travel time for water collection, firewood gathering, and market trips. They can alleviate the burden on women and girls, giving them more time for education and reducing gendered workload.
Veterinary services are often lacking, particularly in poorer, rural parts of the country, leading to preventable suffering and loss of life, as sick and injured animals are left untreated.
The QATO Foundation, an organisation promoting animal welfare under human care, will be financing the construction and equipment for the Shashamane clinic.
Lead image: Dr Siraj, a Brooke trained government vet, conducts a welfare assessment on Adi the horse with his owner, Wako. Credit: Brooke
