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    • 19 Sep, 2016

    Mayhew International Becomes an Official NGO in Afghanistan

    We’re delighted to announce the very exciting news that The Mayhew is now an established Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) in Afghanistan. This is a ground breaking achievement and enables Mayhew International to spearhead and lead on animal welfare initiatives and education in Kabul and Afghanistan.

    The Mayhew has been working in Afghanistan since 2001. Over the years, Dr. Abdul Jalil Mohammadzai DVM has provided extensive veterinary training for vets and vet students at Kabul University Veterinary Faculty and also for Nowzad since we gave the very first assistance to Pen Farthing back in 2006. Find out more about Dr. Mo’s work with Nowzad here and how he saved a cat’s leg here.  Dr. Mo helped and guided Nowzad’s first vet, Dr Hadi, providing training in shelter medicine and the neutering and spaying of dogs and cats as well as demonstrating and performing more complicated surgical procedures to save the lives of many dogs and cats.

    Since last year, Dr. Mo has been busy meeting with key Government officials and agencies to discuss The Mayhew ’s animal welfare strategy for Afghanistan.  In 2015, Mayhew International carried out the first dog population survey in Kabul producing scientifically analysed results to develop proposals for the implementation of a mass rabies vaccination programme and dog population control and management initiatives for Kabul’s street dogs. The resulting plans have a clear primary objective to eliminate rabies in the city and make Kabul safer and more secure for both people and animals alike.

    The current programme of dog culling through poisoning in Kabul is carried out in the belief that it will help prevent the spread of rabies in dogs and control free-roaming  dog population numbers. Mayhew International does not support these inhumane methods of controlling dog populations and the rabies virus and believes that the mass culling of animals, simply to remove them from the streets, is cruel, ineffective and not sustainable.  A mass rabies vaccination programme for dogs, however, is a proven, sustainable and cost-effective way to control rabies.

    With the support of the Afghan Government,  the city authorities and of course our fantastic supporters, Mayhew Afghanistan will work to implement a sustainable method of rabies prevention and control and more effectively reduce the free-roaming street dog population.

    Dr. Mo, originally from Afghanistan, will be primarily based at the NGO in Kabul. Most recently he has met with Dr. Ayubi, the Dean of the Veterinary Faculty at Kabul University, to discuss the results of the dog population survey. He also presented the project and findings to the Ministry of Agriculture and representatives of the World Health Organisation, the Food & Agricultural  Organisation of United Nations and Rabies in Asia Foundation. These organisations  have now formed  a Rabies Action Committee which includes Mayhew International. The committee is in favour of the programme progressing to the next stage and are in agreement that the present culling of street dogs should cease before the programme is initiated.

    Caroline Yates, CEO, says: “This is a huge achievement for us. Establishing a Mayhew NGO in Afghanistan gives us a solid foundation from which to launch, manage and expand our proposed dog population management and rabies prevention programmes. Our vision for the humane treatment and improvement in welfare for Afghanistan’s free-roaming dogs combined with an effective rabies prevention programme that will save lives can be achieved by working closely with Afghanistan’s Government, local authorities and organisations. This is a major step towards making our vision a reality.”

    Watch this space for further developments and updates on our new NGO in Afghanistan.

    Mayhew NGO certificate Afghanistan

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