Brooke is a UK -based charity dedicated to improving the lives of working horses, donkeys and mules across Africa, Asia and Central America. Brooke works with owners, communities, local health providers and policy makers to create both immediate and long-lasting improvements to the lives of working animals and their owners. It is creating a world where working animals are free from suffering and have a life worth living. You can find out more about what Brooke do here.

The GBADs programme is currently working with Brooke and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) on a PhD titled ‘The Burden of Animal Disease in Working Equids in Ethiopia’, which is co-led by Brooke and The University of Liverpool.  This multi-year research project is exploring the social and economic benefits that donkeys bring to their owners and communities, and how these are impacted when donkeys suffer injury and disease. For example, donkeys play a critical role in food security, in facilitating sustainable livelihoods that are resilient to shocks, and in empowering women. This research is addressing the lack of comprehensive and robust data on these roles and how they are inhibited by donkeys’ poor health and welfare.

The research began by understanding the population of working donkeys in Ethiopia and is the first to accurately define the production systems that they belong to. It is also unique in its economic evaluation of the unpaid services of donkeys and of the losses that are caused by poor health and welfare. It provides the fullest picture to date of working donkeys’ contribution to households, agriculture and Ethiopia’s economy. The findings will be used to help strengthen the recognition of working donkeys as an integral part of the livestock sector, to increase their inclusion in policies that improve their welfare, and to catalyse much needed investment in animal health.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us!