Kahama Donkeys Welfare Project KDWP

1. Kahama Donkeys Welfare Project {KDWP}

Project Coordinator: Yohana J.S. Kashililah
Targeted Populations: Kahama Residents
Date of Starting: September 2006
End Date: February 2007


1.1 Project Description

Tanzania Animals Protection Organization {TAPO} will carry out the Kahama Donkeys Welfare Project in the Kahama District, situated 221 Km from Shinyanga town in the mainland of the United Republic of Tanzania.

The target population is Kahama Residences with their Donkeys in all 33 rural areas, with total population of about 399.000 residences. Of these about 60% owning donkeys will be participating in promoting the welfares of their Donkeys in their rural areas.

There are more than 1000 donkeys populations at Kahama {Report of 2001 Livestock’s Sensor}, with no veterinary clinic services available, 80% of residences are dealing with farming practise, 60% of farmers are owning the Donkeys, range 1 to 4 per single family.

Topographical features of Kahama District are, Mountains highlands with sand and-stone, with rocks scattered more spaces, and there is more than 13 villages


Donkey are recognized as en route to deliver practical, effective and suitable socio-economic assistance for the poverty reduction among the peoples of kahama, in general are very important in Transport and Agriculture works.


The load- carrying abilities of kahama donkeys are legendary sometimes exploited.
They are loaded with excessively heavy burden, carrying 100% of their body weight for long distances, the weight all in one narrow without means of saddle, whereby most of the people hang loads over the back of donkey without any saddle {e.g. two water drums linked only by cords, this put pressure directly over the backbone, frequently collapse en route, weak from hunger and thirst.

Donkey carts of Kahama is composed of a single shaft and pair of donkeys carry the weight on the draw pole through narrow neck straps or rope, also the draw carts Donkeys are usually in oxen yokes which put the weight on their long thin necks, inflicting severe strain and injury, and the ropes frequently interfere with their breathing. These are the major causes of the donkey discomfort and sores.
Most Donkeys are kept for Transport, whether pack transport or pulling carts through purpose of load Farm produce, firewood, water, manure, hire and building Materials
The farm produce means of Transport is the leading one used mainly by farmers during the Planting and harvesting seasons in many rural areas of Kahama whereby the farms are situated in difference kilometers from farmer residences, it will take about 8 hours per day, and even during the night donkeys are working, passing on road covered with rocks and on some mountain terrace. Including bad designing for carts and harnessing is a major problem cause of injuries of the kahama Donkeys, which are caused by donkey to pull from the neck rather than the chest

Most Donkeys conditions is weak from the body physically appearances to health status; most have presence of body lesions especially around the neck, chest, under the tail, on the front and back limbs, on the lower fore and upper fore, hooves have lesions and overgrowth


The Donkeys owners value their donkeys for load carrying and also the planting of farms, and other works, so there shall be given Donkey welfare education through the followings strategies.

Training and working practices
There is full information on good working practices with donkeys and farmers may work their animals to the point of stubborn refusal to work further, good training is also beneficial for general case of working if it includes complete control and commands, improved practices, and there shall be 3 days training class per single rural area, as follows

1. Training concerning Donkey shelters
This training will cover providing good shelter which is suitable for their donkey for all seasons of the year, due to the no waterproof coat of donkey, the shelter will protect donkey during the winter, and give them shade in the hot days, and escape from the heat and flies.
2. Training concerning feeding of donkeys
This training will cover farmers to identify poisonous grass, providing balanced diet for their donkey, and to protect form over feeding diseases


3. Training concerning basic donkey health care
This training will cover farmers to observe their donkeys if there is sick or fit to work, or anything wrong before calling vet-doctor. Working in the cool of the early morning and evening Regular rests in shade and with water available, hooves trimmed.


4. Training concerning handling the donkey
This training will cover donkeys on pulling carts and pack load, how to minimize the lesion produced by carts and saddle modification
2. Project Goals
Kahama Donkeys welfare project {KDWP}, is responsible for promoting and protecting the health, safety, and welfare of all donkeys found at Kahama, the six months project will enhance the Kahama residents to understand donkeys and respect them as living being, with the following goals;

Creating, maintaining and promoting any donkeys issues relating to their well-being upon human beings

Understanding, appreciation, improvements, developments of the donkey welfare among the people of kahama

3. Urgency and Sustainability

It is necessary to do this project this time because Donkey welfare stigma is at present rampant within kahama communities. It is urgent because stigma elimination is a prelude to wide scale donkey’s welfare. Wide scale donkey’s welfare is essential for providing support and care in the implementation of all initiative.

At the end of the Project Kahama residences in their rural areas will have been built capacity to reduce stigma and implement donkey welfare and support activities.

4. Project Management
Kahama Donkeys welfare project {KDWP} will work closely with advices from Sokoine University of Agriculture, Ministry of livestock’s developments, kahama district council, and kahama veterinary officers, any other interested NGO. Others are local government’s authorities, news media and the public to produce a welfare- sound, widely- supported plan for implementation. The key elements of the project management structure are:

A Project Management Team: made up of Tapo members and staff, qualified registered veterinary doctors, will conduct the day-to-day project management, following work plan, schedule and budget, ensure that there is adequate coordination with other project participants and other interest groups.

A Technical Advice Team” is made up professors from faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Sokoine University of Agricultures, Vet- Doctors from ministry of livestock’s Development.

5. Project Activities and Timeline

The project is expected to take six months and cost approximately
$ 17.340/ {the kahama donkey welfare project will include the following elements.

1. Analyze existing conditions

A detailed analysis of existing, donkey health, and treatment conditions will be conducted through qualified veterinary Doctors and question about:
Donkey uses;

Types of load,
Any saddle/harness,
Fit for harness,
Tethering,
Purpose of load,
Frequency use,
Terrain covered.

Husbandry and Management:

Feed,
Water,
Other

Physical Health Check up of
· Skin
· Ear
· Eyes
· Musculoskeletal
2. Develop Project Goals and Objectives
The participants will develop a strategy for developing project goals and objectives for the Kahama Donkey welfare project; a successful strategy will incorporate extensive work with any Government’s institutions, foreign NGO, news media, public involvement and any other individual. By moving around Kahama with advertising equipments, brochures, leaflets and posters shall be used

6. Opportunities for public Education and Outreach

Activity No.1 & 2

Kahama Donkey welfare project will produce 90% in Swahili language and 10% English language, and provides the following educational materials for free, brochure, leaflets, posters. {Dvds, Cds and videocassettes T-shirt, and caps will be sold to fundraising the project}. Whereby there will be five participants, using one hired vehicle to promote donkey welfare all around Kahama by using loud speakers and other advertising equipments.

Activity No. 3

Qualified veterinary Doctors will conduct this activity
Communication with input from community and interested organization will be achieved using.
· Training workshop
· Public meetings
· A website
· Paper newsletter
· Presentation

7. Risk

We believe the project can be delivered in the time scale envisaged and within the proposed budget. The duration of six months for the activities within kahama communities is adequate to bring about initial changes in knowledge, attitudes and practices of all Donkeys.

The main risks that may delay or reduce the effectiveness of this project are.
The poor attending of Donkeys owner in the training class in their rural areas, the project will take special effort to encourage donkey’s owners to participate in this project through local governing authorities.
Voluntarism is the cornerstone of this project. Dependence of voluntarism at local level to participate in this project will planned, executed and evaluated by the assistance form local governing authorities
Understanding of targeted population on training class through their types of background education status.
Culturally women have limited power In decision making in the communities, while they are main generator of family income, we will use rights based approach to sensitise both women and men