Donations to make double the impact thanks to the Big Give
UPDATE: Brooke has now reached the £30,000 target! Donations through the Big Give will no longer be doubled
Following last year’s success, Brooke is once again taking part in The Big Give Christmas Challenge from Tuesday 1 December to Tuesday 8 December. The UK’s biggest match-funding campaign will give supporters the opportunity to have their donations doubled during this time, with all proceeds going towards Brooke’s vital work in East Africa fighting the cruel trade in donkey skins.
Kicking off on #GivingTuesday, Brooke aims to raise a total of £30,000 over the course of the seven days, which will go towards lobbying for a ban on the trade of donkey skins in Africa, supporting local people, and protecting their donkeys. Hundreds of thousands of donkeys are slaughtered for their skins and exported annually, mostly from Africa, causing donkey numbers to decimate. It is driven by demand from China for ‘ejiao’, a gelatin used in traditional medicine and beauty products.
Last year, Brooke beat its £20,000 target within a matter days, leading to success in bringing about a ban on the trade in Kenya early this year. Now, Brooke is focussed on protecting that ban, stopping illegal cross-border smuggling, and trying to bring about bans in neighbouring countries, particularly Tanzania.
Emily, who lives in Kenya, has welcomed the ban and Brooke’s mission. Since 2015, she has had 12 donkeys stolen from her and her family as a result of the trade. She said: “If you lose a donkey, you cannot get a replacement. Right now, the price of one donkey is very high. I wonder if one gets stolen, where will I get money to buy another one. I have little income right now… it pains me in my heart. I feel very bad when I see our donkeys being killed. We would like to thank Brooke East Africa because they have been with us, held our hand. They have heard our call for help.”
She continues: “We are also grateful to the government because the new Cabinet Secretary Hon. Munya issued an order for the closure of all slaughterhouses. Even though the implementation is a work-in-progress, we know that very soon this vice will end completely, and those slaughterhouses will be closed down once and for all.”
Thousands of donkeys in Africa will be saved if further bans on the trade of donkey skins are implemented and slaughterhouses remain closed. By instigating and helping to enforce bans, people can keep their donkeys safe from theft, thereby giving their families easier transportation of goods and water, and the chance to earn money and put food on the table – saving them from further poverty.
To donate to Brooke from 1-8 December and have your donation doubled, head to www.thebrooke.org/biggive.
To find out more about how Brooke is tackling the donkey skin crisis in Africa, click here.