Brooke reaches over four million equines through advocacy and training work, Annual Report finds
Brooke has published its Annual Report 2022/23, which marks the first year implementing its ‘A Life Worth Living’ global strategy.
Despite many global challenges over the last year, Brooke continues to champion critical milestones in improving the welfare of working horses, donkeys and mules around the world. Brooke has helped over 1.4 million working equids and in a first time discovery its work was found to indirectly reach 4.2 million through advocacy activity, as well as the strengthening of animal healthcare systems and professionals.
2022/23 highlights also found that Brooke:
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Reaches 1.3 million people globally
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Mentors over 2,000 Animal Health Service providers
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Works with over 10,000 communities
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Helped to implement or set in motion 16 policy changes worldwide.
Chris Wainwright, CEO of Brooke, said: “This was the first year implementing our new global strategy, ‘A Life Worth Living’, and was set against a backdrop of growing global instability. Despite countless obstacles facing our country programmes, I am proud to report that we again directly reached 1.4 million working horses, donkeys and mules. I want to thank all our supporters for their ongoing compassion and dedication. Each positive change is only possible because of you.”
Brooke has played a pivotal role in supporting communities and their equines during and after Pakistan’s devastating floods in 2022 - which led to a national emergency impacting 33 million people.
So far, Brooke has provided crucial relief to 36,000 animals and 26,000 people during the response, rehabilitation and recovery phases of the Pakistan flood crisis.
Brooke also:
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Distributed over 130,000 first aid kits
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Built 88 shelters for displaced equine-owning communities
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Performed emergency treatment on 30,000 animals (including 8,000 horses)
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Provided training to boost community resilience in the event of future disasters.
Thanks to its dedicated support, Brooke Pakistan has received official recognition of its efforts from both the government and the Sindh Rural Support Organization.
Advocating for ‘One Health’
2022/23 saw Brooke and partners continue to lobby World Health Organisation (WHO) Pandemic Treaty negotiations for greater investment in animal health systems to prevent future pandemics.
From leading debate on raising the visibility of One Health in pandemic talks, to contributing evidence to public hearings and proposals to the 2023 Pandemic Accord, Brooke is advocating for the urgent need to strengthen animal health systems - so that the May 2024 draft of the global Pandemic Treaty includes commitments to deliver.
Supporting animals in brick kilns
Brooke now works in over 4,000 brick kilns across three countries, to support the welfare of over 275,000 working horses, donkeys and mules who are the backbone of their communities.
Protecting donkeys in Africa
In 2022, Brooke and partners organised the Pan African Donkey Skin Conference, which led government ministers from African countries including Chad, Senegal and Tanzania, to sign a historic declaration calling for a continent-wide ban of the donkey skin trade for fifteen years. The resolution highlights the alarming decline of the African donkey population and asks for greater investment to protect donkeys from harm.
A significant number of Brooke’s indirect reach is through its Donkey Skin Trade campaign. Brooke continues to provide a voice for donkeys and push for their inclusion in government policy, as well as a wide scale ban of the skin trade.
Read Brooke’s Annual Report 2022/23 here.