Worldwide Veterinary Service is a UK registered charity helping animals in places where no one else can.

WVS offers free vet care to animals in need all over the world. We firmly believe in the ethos of a united profession championing animal welfare worldwide.

Why? Because every animal matters.

VOLUNTEER TO HELP RUN WORKING DONKEY HEALTH AND WELFARE CAMPS IN BUKOMBE TANZANIA 2019

Bukombe is a district in the north-west region of Tanzania with approximately 3,000 working donkeys. These animals face tough working conditions and are expected to work long hours, often day and night, pulling heavy loads each day to provide a source of income for their owners. The donkeys face a range of serious welfare issues, ranging from severe, non-healing neck wounds due to the type of cart they pull (designed for oxen not donkeys), to general poor health from a lack of veterinary knowledge and skills, and lacking awareness of basic donkey husbandry.

WVS have set up a working donkey health and welfare camps to tackle these important issues and improve donkey welfare across the district. The campis aimed at providing international vet students, as well as local Tanzanian vets and para-vets with a unique opportunity to learn and practise key equine medical and surgical skills whilst helping to treat these donkeys and improve their lives, and those of their owners. You will be based at a local charity (Tanzania Humane Charity, TAHUCHA) in Ushirombo. Whilst volunteering on this course you will experience the raw beauty of rural Tanzania whilst you have the opportunity to help supervise veterinary students, as well as make a much needed, positive contribution towards equine welfare.

The aims of the experience are:

1. To provide the working donkeys of Bukombe with essential veterinary attention to help improve their health and welfare.

2. To provide international veterinary students with a supported environment for them become confident in key veterinary knowledge and skills for veterinary practice (day one competencies), whilst experiencing a unique insight into the issues facing working donkeys in countries such as Tanzania.

3. To provide a focused learning experience to local Tanzanian vets and paravets who lack essential knowledge and skills in equine medicine and surgery.

4. To provide the local charity with support to continue treating local working donkeys, and provide expertise through veterinary specialist staff to improve local veterinary services.

2. To help educate donkey owners on how to care their working donkeys to improve the lives of both them and their donkeys (one health concept).

For more information please click here.