The Foundation for Animal Welfare-Cameroon
FAWCAM has announced the closeout of her activities in Bui Division of the NW
Region at the end of June 2018.
The information was disclosed exclusively to the
Guardian Post by the CEO of the not-for-profit non-governmental organization
Prof Ben Fru Wara Tuesday.
Since 2008, FAWCAM has worked with the donkey
owning communities of Vekovi, Mbuluf, Sang/Rech Mumnyu and Lip in Bui Division.
Elaborating on how the NGO worked during the
last eight years, the Director explained that “we worked with donkey owners in
their communities, local leaders, community elders, traditional leaders and
politicians to raise awareness about the welfare of donkeys in a culturally acceptable
way. We offered the owners training and device on how to handle and care for
their donkeys”
Showing an acceptable level of satisfaction
with the work done, Prof Ben regretted that from the beginning, many donkey
owners didn’t want to implement the methods of harnessing and treatment given
them by FAWCAM thinking that it was expensive. With regular visits aimed at
encouraging the owners to see the advantages of improving welfare, the cynics
changed their thoughts as they could clearly see the difference between well
treated donkeys and those not well treated.
“Our dedicated team of Animal Welfare Offices
(AWOs) and local support staff went around the communities, distributing
posters, fliers, facts sheets and other educational materials. The donkey
owners have been taught how to understand the basic needs of a donkey and how
to provide them, understand the correct harnessing and correct care off a
working donkey and how to recognize and prevent the common disease affecting
donkeys… they now know when a donkey is ill and health problems of donkeys.”
FAWCAM CEO said
FAWCAM prides self to have trained 12
community-based animal Health workers (CAHWS) as veterinary paraprofessionals
to work with the donkey communities of Bui who have a role in the delivery of
animal health services particularly with very little attention from government
and veterinarians who do not bother about the welfare of donkeys. The CAHWS
will thus provide basic clinical services to livestock owners especially donkey
owners in Bui.
Justifying why he considers his
organization’s stay in Bui Division as successful, Prof Ben Said “we have
succeeded in Bui because every day we think about ways to really make a
difference for donkeys and to create a better world for donkeys and the people
who love and need them. This in keeping with the vision of FAWCAM which is a
Cameroon which donkey contribution to community livelihood is recognized and
respected since one of the objectives of the FAWCAM is to provide education and
community programmes to change the knowledge , attitudes and behaviors of
donkey owners, communities and children.”
In a bid to keep close contact and to ease
monitoring and collaboration between donkeys, the Animal Welfare Officers who
worked with the communities created a donkey cooperative society which is
expected to completely turnaround donkey welfare.
As a key message FAWCAM CEO says donkey
owners now know that donkeys should never “be worked all day without rest, be
worked or tethered in a badly fitting harness, work before it is four years
old, be made to run when it is working, be beaten or overloaded and be made to
work when heavily pregnant.”
“We are not happy that FAWCAM will be leaving
Bui by the end of the month. However we are comforted by the fact that
Community based Animal Health Workers CAHWS are still here to deliver animal
health services and that the donkey communities will still receive regular
visits from the Animal Welfare Officers to ensure the wellbeing of our
donkeys.” A donkey owner tells this reporter on phone in Vekovi Bui.
With support from the Donkey Sanctuary of
Great Britain, FAWCAM according to the CEO is proud “that on leaving Bui, we
have succeeded in general improvement in husbandry and working practices,
better communication between owners and donkeys, harness and simple owner
affordable health care.”