Tanzania Animal Welfare Society P.O. Box 10268, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Tel: +255 713 322796 /+255 752 660 101/ +255 715 447005

E-mail: tzanimal@yahoo.com, info@taweso.org

Website: www.taweso.org

TANZANIA DONKEY HARNESS WORKSHOP REPORT JUNE-JULY, 2015

Tanzania Animal Welfare Society (TAWESO) was honoured to host an International Donkey Harness Workshop which was organized by The Donkey Sanctuary.

The workshop was facilitated by donkey welfare International harness makers and International community partnership and education officers from The Donkey Sanctuary UK, The Donkey Sanctuary Kenya and TAWESO. It was attended by most of the African continent partners.

The workshop focused on essentials of donkey harness making to organizations working to help donkeys in Africa but also emphasizing on using very affordable, cheap, cost effective, readily available donkey harness making materials which can be used by the donkey owners and operators to acquire the donkey power for increasing their working efficient and improving their welfare resulting to improved livelihood to the donkey owning communities in Africa.

It was a very knowledgeable and effective workshop aimed at imparting basic essentials in harness making and precisely the technics to transfer the knowledge to donkey users in very qualitative manner such that when the donkey users adopt the technology it becomes a big relief to the welfare of donkeys in the African region.

The workshop took place at a Mikadi Beach Resort in Kigamboni, Dar es Salaam and attended by the following organizations:

The Donkey Sanctuary-Organizers and Facilitators-United Kingdom The Donkey Sanctuary-Facilitators-Kenya Tanzania Animal Welfare Society (TAWESO)-Host and Facilitators-Tanzania National SPCA-Delegates-South Africa Arusha Society for Protection of Animals (ASPA)-Delegates-Tanzania Mwamfumba Agricultural and Cooperative Society -Delegates-Zambia Meru Animal Welfare Organization-Delegates (MAWO)-Tanzania Zanzibar Animal Affection Society (ZAASO)-Delegates-Tanzania Tanzania Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TSPCA)-Tanzania

Many thanks go to the International Department at The Donkey Sanctuary UK who made this possible but also to TAWESO Board of Directors, Executive Director, Volunteers and all the delegates.

We thank the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development (Representative of Director of Veterinary Services Dr.Niwael Mtui and also the Head of Animal Welfare Desk Dr.Christine Bakuname) for officially presenting the delegates their Certificate of attendance and also closing the workshop with very good remarks for the welfare of donkeys in Tanzania and Africa. The Ministry through its blog they have published the workshop at this link:

http://habarimifugouvuvi.blogspot.com/2015/07/mafunzo-ya-wanyama-fugwa-iliyofanyika.html

Our sincere thanks go to owner and Managing Director of Dar es Salaam Zoo who offered the workshop an opportunity to work with the donkeys in the zoo, the donkeys that are used to transport visitors around the zoo. Also we offer thanks to management at Mikadi Beach Resort for their kindness and at all times were ready to help our delegates during our stay.

On the other hand we thank the media people from ITV, Nipashe and The Guardian for covering the event.

The international facilitators were able to visit some of the works done by some of the organizations in Tanzania, some went to Arusha and Manyara regions and some went with us in Dodoma in Mpwapwa district to see our continuing works of improving the welfare of donkeys for the livelihood of the people who depend on them for their livelihood.

We also give thanks to our stakeholders and partners in Mpwapwa e.g the The District Department of Livestock and Fisheries Development, Viselle Livecrop Training Institute, Donkey owners groups of Mazae, Lupeta, Idilo and Kisokwe.

It is great that all the delegates arrived, stayed with us and returned back home safely.

Some of the Photographs of Donkey Harness Workshop in Tanzania and Field Visits

We Share with you the TAWESO Donkey Welfare Slogan- “Mtunze Punda Akutunze” Means- “Take Care of the Donkey and will take Care of You”

Tanzania Animal Welfare Society