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Heshimu Punda

KENDAT-BROOKE PARTNERSHIP PROJECT

There are over 1.8 million donkeys in Kenya. Over half of the donkeys in Kenya are used for work in transport and tillage operations. It is approximated that about 1.2 million  donkeys are in poor welfare status arising from human abuse and misuse, based on myths and in-humane traditional practices, and malnutrition. It is also estimated that close to 30 percent of donkeys in drought-prone districts of Northern, Eastern and Coastal regions starve to death due to scarcity of water and pasture about every 3 years. The catastrophic effects experienced from massive flooding due to long rains extending to the Western region lead to donkeys undergoing a lot of suffering including disease outbreaks such as the recent Rift Valley Fever. To a large extent, improving the welfare of working donkeys calls for a behavior and attitude change among animal owners and users as well putting in place structures to enhance the level of preparedness to handle such catastrophes.

Against this background, KENDAT in partnership with The Brooke (a UK charity organization) is implementing a partnership project on improving donkey welfare in Kenya, with a project vision of respecting the country's hardest workers - the donkeys. The project is dubbed Heshimu Punda (Kiswahili for Respect the Donkey). The project aims at a long-term sustainable health care for donkeys in Kenya.

The overall objective of the Heshimu Punda (Respect the Donkey) project is:

Sustained Efficiency of Utilization and Community-led Welfare of Work Donkeys for Kenya

1.1 Mission Theme and Policy

Mission Theme: Healthy and happy working donkeys for Kenya

Heshimu Punda seeks to inculcate a behaviour and attitude-change culture that fosters basic principles of compassion and humane practices. The project strives to empower communities, partners and supporters through access to information and training, advocacy and technologies. The innovation system is one of letting end-users lead the way in a growing and self-sustaining operational support and business system. A partnership and networking philosophy is applied in a gainful and measurable journey where animals and their users advance with due respect and care.

1.2 Overall project strategy

The project aims at a long-term sustainable health care for donkeys in Kenya. The project strategy for working donkey welfare improvement is based on three pillars:

  • Providing pain relief services as well as preventive donkey health management and husbandry support
  • Changing the attitude and behaviour of communities towards best donkey welfare practices
  • Developing the capacities of the local community including local animal health service providers to address donkey health and welfare needs.

Download Project Document (pdf, 40kb)

Major components and activities of the Heshimu Punda project include:

  1. Donkeys and welfare in Kenya
  2. Community programmes and clinical operations
  3. Millennium information centres and community empowerment
    • Community groups
    • Community linkages & partnerships
  4. School clubs and learning centres
  5. Radio program - Mtunze Punda Akutunze
    • What radio station to use
    • What programming format
    • Programming content
    • Issues & community engagement
  6. Brooke-Bristol backed intervention strategy
    • Intervention process
    • WA & RA in Lari
    • WA & RA in Mwea
  7. Disaster management and conflict resolution
  8. Donkey camps
    • Introduction to camps, Meru, & Limuru

Below are downloads related to this project: