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Brooke West Africa
We have worked in Senegal since 2010 to improve conditions for the country's working horses and donkeys.  In 2016 we started working in Burkina Faso and we continue to explore the potential for expanding our work further in West Africa.
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About
At a glance
Senegal has an equine population of 972,598, of which 54% are horses and 46% are donkeys (source:
Ministry of Livestock Assessment
, 2010).
There are very few mules, as there is no tradition of breeding and rearing them.
Burkina Faso also has an equine population of around 1 million although horses make up only 3% of the working equine population and donkeys and mules make up 97%.
As part of Brooke's global farriery project, we established the first farriery school in Senegal which has now started teaching students. This is critical to eradicate devastating hoof problems which plague so many equids.
In Burkina Faso, as a result of our livelihoods and resilience activities, 240 tons of cowpea seeds and 424 tons of fodder are now produced annually, providing income to populations and feed to animals.
Take a closer look
Our work in West Africa covers Senegal, Burkina Faso. Some scoping work is underway in Niger and Ghana. All countries lie in the drought prone Sahel area with poor soil and erratic rainfall. A large proportion of the population depends on agriculture for its livelihood, and working equines are used heavily in this sector. Equines are also used in rural areas to transport water and people, and in cities to transport people, construction materials and general merchandise.
Many of these animals are affected by poor welfare, including poor body condition, fear and aggression, feet-related problems, ectoparasites and body lesions (linked with inadequate harnesses and beating).
Partners / partnership development
Brooke West Africa is currently working with these partners:
In Senegal
UGAN
(Union des Groupements Associés du Niombato), the Brooke WAO is in partnership with UGAN for a 3 year project covering 2014-2017. Under this project called NEQUIN U MALA, UGAN is working with 60 village associations in the Department of Foundiougne to improve the welfare of 4009 working equine animals by 2017. Working in Fatick region.
UGPM
(Union des Groupements Paysans de Meckhé) UGPM is a union of farmers comprised of 82 associations from 89 villages with more than five thousand (5000) members of which 61% are women. Working in Thiès region.
FAPAL
(Fédération des Associations Paysannes de la Région de Louga) Fapal is a Federation of 34 farmers associations covering the region of Louga. It reports 3200 members of which 65% are women. Formed in 1987, this organisation has some structure in place: a board of directors, an executive bureau, auditors, technical commissions and a pool of animators working on the ground. Working in Louga region.
URAPD
(Union Régionale des Associations Paysannes de Diourbel) Scoping carried out in August 2016 – Working in the Diourbel region.
ASPAE (Association Sénégalaise pour la Protection des Animaux et de l’Environnement) in 2015 – Working in Thies city and neighbouring communities
Eclosio
(Belgian INGO) in Thies, Fatick and Diourbel.
Heifer
(An American INGO), to put in place a coalition on animal welfare
In Burkina Faso
APIL
(Action pour la Promotion des Initiatives Locales).
INADES FORMATIONS
(Institut Africain pour le Développement Economique et Social - Centre Africain de Formation).
Find out more about our work in West Africa
Tel: +221 33 864 00 07
[email protected]
Lot n°14 Imm. Sophie Ndiaye Justin
A 100m du SAMU Nationa – VDN, Dakar
B.P. 22482 – Dakar Ponty
Senegal
Our work
Working with Service Providers
We provide training to service providers such as vets, paravets, farriers and harness-makers resulting in both better services for the animals and improved income for the provider. We also work with equine owners to encourage them to use services available to them.
Working With Communities in Arid Areas
In semi-arid and arid areas, food security and livelihood problems frequently undermine communities’ abilities to provide consistent care for working equines. When rainfall is limited, crops suffer and water supplies diminish. When these resources are in short supply, working equines are often the first to experience reduced feed and water. We work with communities to help them develop resilience-oriented strategies to cope better with the impact of drought. We also encourage and provide training to equine owners to produce forage crops for their equines and help them turn agricultural by-products into animal feed.
Advocacy
We carry out a range of advocacy work, aiming to create links with and influence local, regional, national and continental government departments as well as veterinary clinics, medical organisations universities and non-governmental organisations.
Some of our work to date includes:
the adoption of OIE equine welfare standards
national advocacy to achieve the adoption of a bylaw on equine-drawn vehicles (with provisions on issues such as overworking and overloading)
Liaison with the General Directorate of the National Police of Senegal to raise awareness on the bylaw
successful lobbying of Senevet, the largest veterinary drug wholesaler in Senegal, to import oral forms of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) which provide pain management and relief to equines affected by ailments such as lameness, wounds and illness.
Regional advocacy on the preservation of the donkey species with the involvement of AU-IBAR, ECOWAS, WAEMU, Ministry of Livestock of Burkina Faso and partners
Closing ceremony at Brooke's farriery school in Senegal
Success stories
How Brooke's farrier training changed my life
Farrier training with Brooke gave Fatou Toure an opportunity to forge a new path in life as the first certified female farrier in Senegal.
Brooke West Africa welcomes first students to farriery school
How Brooke is changing the lives of people and animals with new farriery training certification in Senegal.
Meet Saliou, a 22 year old farrier in the making
Watch this uplifting interview with Saliou - a 22 year old from Senegal who is well on the way to following in his grandfathers footsteps by becoming a farrier.
Challenges
The threat to donkeys
The donkey species is threatened with extinction due to China's growing interest in donkeys, whose skins are highly in demand due to the demands of the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. Unfortunately, lack of synergy among the various countries concerned, divergent interests of certain actors and the unclear position of certain governments on this issue have worsened the situation.
This situation has disastrous consequences on the resilience of communities, now deprived of their working tools and means of transportation. The impacts on the environment and the economy also constitute a real threat for the Governments concerned (non-existent livestock reconstitution policy, lack of a waste treatment system, etc.)
Possible solutions
In a quest for solutions and sub-regional synergies, Brooke West Africa organised a conference on donkey species preservation in West Africa with the goal of facilitating a sub-regional response to donkey export in West Africa and identify solutions for the preservation of donkey species.
Brooke is currently building a coalition that will support its advocacy on Donkey Hide Trade, targeting governments, policy-makers, regional bodies and the African Union.
Legislation
Brooke is working on the Donkey Hide Trade with the following goals in mind:
Strengthen the monitoring of regulatory and legal provisions banning donkey export including its products.
Encourage the ban or control of the import of donkeys and their products in importing countries.
Highlight the health implications (spread of diseases, epizootics) of cross-border trade.
Draw the attention of key stakeholders, governments to the scale of the phenomenon and its impacts on communities and the environment.
Identify sub-regional solutions to stop the cross-border flow, theft, hide exports and illegal killing of donkeys in the countries concerned.
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