VIVA hosts visit by Egyptian vet

Dr. Hana Salama at the Donkey Sanctuary

VIVA has been hosting in recent weeks a visit by Dr. Hana Salama from Animal Care Egypt (ACE) in Luxor in Egypt. Animal Care in Egypt is a charity dedicated to helping stop the suffering of thousands of working equine animals in the poorest communities of Luxor by providing free veterinary care and education.Founded almost 18 years ago, they also provide preventative treatments and education, delivering a long term impact on the welfare of working animals and the people that depend on them so greatly for their livelihoods. These hard working animals often lack the most basic veterinary care. Many are neglected or mistreated, not through malice, but due to a lack of understanding or resources. Their 6 vets and support staff treat over 30,000 animals a year in their clinic which has a hospital to perform crucial surgeries and 25 stables that allow the animals to rest from their working lives where they can recover.

We were linked with ACE by Dr. Joe Collins of the Donkey Sanctuary in Liscarroll in Co. Cork. With financial assistance from VIVA,  Joe arranged for Hana to come to Ireland for further training in diagnostic imaging techniques. She has spent a week in the Veterinary Hospital in UCD followed by two weeks in the Donkey Sanctuary's state-of-the-art veterinary hospital in Co. Cork. She also got to spend a few days with James Dunne and his staff at the Blackwater Vet Clinic in Mallow to experience the typical caseload of an Irish mixed practice.

For further information on ACE's work click here

VSF International Annual Report (2017) released

In 2017, the members of the VSF International network (which includes VIVA) implemented 209 projects in 36 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, improving the livelihoods of 6.16 million people, with an overall budget of €48.5 million

Over 25 million animals were treated, 5 500 Community-based animal health workers were trained and over 52 000 animals were distributed to poor households.

A big thank you to everyone who has contributed to this work in some way.

The report can be read here

VSF Policy Paper on Livestock-based Interventions

The VSF International (Vétérinaires Sans Frontières International)  network of which VIVA is a member has just published a new paper highlighting the importance of livestock-based interventions in emergency relief and development contexts. This policy paper describes how disasters affect livestock-based livelihoods, and summarises the types of interventions available for mitigating their impacts and building resilience. It also shows examples of how VSF is putting Livestock Emergency Guidelines and Standards (LEGS) into practice and how its principles can be adapted in emergency situations.

The document can be read here

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