One year of serving hard working animals in Abossa Ademogne, Ethiopia

In September 2019, Brooke Ethiopia completed construction of a £27,330 (1.3m ETB) vet clinic in the small village of Abossa Ademogne, located in the West Arsi Zone of the Oromia Regional State. The clinic is designed to serve up to 12,842 equines and many other animals living in nearby villages.

Prior to the clinic’s construction, animals and their owners were forced to travel over 15km away to the nearest equine health centre, meaning that some were too unwell to make the trip.

Ahmed, 40, is a father of ten whose livelihood relies on the health of his gharry horse, Bora. Bora transports people and agricultural products from rural villages to towns in the district and often acts as an ambulance for patients who need access to the nearest hospital. Prior to the opening of the new vet clinic, animals like Bora had little to no access to health services.

Ahmed said: “We used to have to travel four hours to get the necessary health treatment. Equines used to die on the way to this clinic. Equine health service is now available in our village. Now, there is no fear of losing our equines on the way to the clinic. Now, as you can see, my horse is grazing, it is obvious that the treatment is working.”

Thanks to Brooke, the vets working within the clinic have been equipped with the relevant skills and clinical tools to serve the area’s hard-working horses, donkeys and mules.

Adane, 30, lives nearby the clinic and has witnessed the equines receiving successful treatment. He said: “I am not working with the clinic, but since day one I am guarding it as my own property.”

With around 11 million horses, donkeys and mules, Ethiopia has the third-largest equine population in the world. They play a crucial role in the national economy and in rural areas are heavily relied upon for the transport of water, grains, fuel wood and agricultural products.