Afghanistan
Mayhew International is helping thousands of dogs and people living in Afghanistan live healthier, happier lives.
Afghanistan
Kabul is the capital of Afghanistan and home to around 16,000 stray dogs. Sadly,
rabies is a common infection - a preventable disease that’s almost always fatal in
dogs. Infected dogs can pass rabies to humans which, without the right treatment,
can also be fatal. In 2015, the World Health Organisation reported 1,768 human
deaths from rabies in Afghanistan.
Vaccines are highly effective against rabies. However, without the right support,
the Afghan government lacked the resources to vaccinate enough of the dog population
to achieve herd immunity. As a result, they had resorted to culling dogs to protect
citizens.
Mayhew International has been working in Kabul since 2017 to eradicate rabies and
create a better relationship between humans and dogs. This is an important,
life-saving project that we feel incredibly proud to support.
The Edgard and Cooper Foundation has been working with Mayhew International since 2020.
2020
Our donation will provide 30,000 vaccines and fund an innovative outreach programme throughout 2021.
€64,300 pledged.
In 2018, Mayhew International started vaccinating around 80% of the city’s dog
population. This immediately led to a reduction in avoidable suffering, as the
number of infections in dogs dropped significantly. There have also been zero
recorded human rabies deaths in Kabul since the project started. Once herd immunity
is reached, the disease will have been eradicated – forever. The organisation also
manages a Helpline so citizens can ask for help if they’re concerned a dog has
rabies.
On top of this, Mayhew International runs school and community outreach projects to raise awareness of animal welfare issues and improve people’s understanding of what dogs need to be healthy, happy companions – now and into the future. For example, we want to support Mayhew to help people trust stray dogs - and even start adopting them as pets.
The project is spearheaded by Dr Abdul Jalil Mohammadzai DVM - Mayhew’s Afghanistan
Country Director. Dr. Mo, as he is known, was born in Afghanistan, trained as a vet
in Kabul before fleeing to the UK when the Taliban took power. Today, he leads a
local team of mostly Afghan citizens. Their work is fast becoming recognised by
other parts of Afghanistan and is already spreading beyond Kabul.
Our donation will pay for 30,000 vaccinations in 2020 and 2021 – which means we’re
funding years three and four of the five years that Mayhew needs to eradicate rabies
in Kabul. We’re also supporting the charity’s Helpline and their community outreach
work, which is critical to achieving long-term wellbeing for dogs.