Brooke celebrates 20 years of donkey welfare education in Kenya
Kenyan school children learn about the importance of water, rest and shelter for their donkeys, at one of Brooke's donkey care clubs.
This World Donkey Day, Brooke is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its donkey care clubs for children in Kenya.
In 2004, Brooke launched donkey care clubs to teach the next generation of Kenyan donkey owners to care for and protect their donkeys through poetry, song and dance.
Today, they are recognised by the Kenyan government as part of extra-curricular school activities.
In many developing countries, children are the main caregivers for working donkeys, horses and mules, 100 million of whom pull carts, fetch water and work the land for 600 million people to earn an income.
Brooke recognises children as key to a better future for working donkeys, by helping to improve their welfare at home and dispelling myths about how to treat donkeys in their communities.
The world's donkey population is at risk from the donkey skin trade, driven by the product ‘ejiao’ used in traditional Chinese medicine, with demand estimated at 5 million skins per year.
Brooke is calling for a global ban on the donkey skin trade, which began with an Africa-wide ban by the African Union this February.
In June 2023, Brooke launched a recycle initiative as part of a #BeatPlasticPollution campaign at a Kenyan donkey care club, showing children how to prioritise donkey welfare through sustainable plastic solutions.
Learn more about Brooke’s donkey care clubs.