Welcome to the Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust Website

GAMBIA HORSE AND DONKEY TRUST

Registered Charity No. 1096814

Please Donate Here! Thank You

 

Home

What We Do

Contact

Our Animals

How To Help

GHDT Shop

Notices & Events

Latest News

Information

 
 

The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust

Fighting Poverty- Feeding Families
Registered Charity No. 1096814

Summer Newsletter 2006

2006 a Year of Progress

 

Awards for our work in The Gambia

We had great celebrations at the start of the year as Stella, Heather Armstrong's sister and the co founder of the Trust was awarded an honorary degree of veterinary medicine and surgery by the University of Glasgow as well as an OBE in the New Years Honours list.

The doctorate was for her work in conservation and animal welfare and the OBE was for her conservation work and services to the community in The Gambia. Both honours recognize her enormous contribution to the work of The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust, amongst all the other things she has achieved.

Stella has worked in chimpanzee conservation for over 35 years and her care and compassion for both the people and animals that require her help seems boundless. She works very long hours and is absolutely passionate about what she does. We can think of no one who deserves recognition in this way more and we are all very proud of her. This has brought far reaching attention to the work that is going on Sambel Kunda which has to be positive for the work of The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust, the school, the clinic and of course the villagers.

The New Team - new staff for Horse and Donkey

We are very lucky to have a new volunteer down at the coast. Martha Owen has come to live in The Gambia for 3 years and is a great help with assisting with horses and donkeys in the coastal area. She is setting up a Beach Riders' Association to help the operators of The Gambia's beach horses with training and care of their animals. We can see a marked improvement in these animals. She also meets our visitors at the airport which is a great moral support after a long flight.

We have promoted Jibril Jallow as our manager. Jibby, as he is known to everyone, has carried out his managerial duties with thought and skill. He has been with us since the very beginning and is a Trustee. Jibbie is very hard working and diligent. He is a very good leader for the 'Horse and Donkey' Team.

In January, we were joined by Janet Thurnheer who is our administrator and trainer and Jibby's assistant. Janet is meticulous in her yard management and has great organizational skills. We would like to extend a warm welcome to her and we hope she will enjoy her stay with us. In the short time she has been with us she has had a big impact and we consider ourselves extremely lucky to have her.

Horse and Donkey Scientists at Work

We have learnt to appreciate that to make a big difference in the long term care of the animals in The Gambia things cannot be done 'as we do them in the UK'. We do not have the professional veterinary support and the drugs are not available. In addition, many of the problems we see are often 'tropical based'. The Trust is very fortunate to have highly skilled professionals who are prepared to come out and act as trainers. This is enabling Gambians to become skilled technicians. It is wonderful for us to see so many of our staff, and the students who come to Horse and Donkey on courses, working so effectively 'in the field' and making a real difference to the farming community.

A team of Worldwide Veterinary Service vets and nurses visited in December. They did a magnificent job training a group of 11 students who came on a residential course from The Gambia College, where they were studying. The students thought that Dr Paul and his team were superb teachers and they enjoyed their course immensely. When we returned to Banjul, the Principal of the Gambia College confirmed the enthusiasm of his students and has asked us if we can provide ongoing training support.

Three of our staff are assisting with some research that is being undertaken by Liverpool Vet School. Jibby, Amadou and Saloum have been helping collect data to find out how Sleeping Sickness actually affects horses and donkeys. The farmers have been delighted as it enables them to catch the disease very early and almost before the animals is showing too many symptoms. We were delighted and very proud to see their names in print on a scientific document.

January also saw the arrival of our precious 'Landi', a long wheel base Land Rover, who, though she has a few years behind her, was in pristine condition and had very low mileage on the clock. Landi was very generously donated to The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust by Mike and Maureen Hirst who drove her across the Sahara desert from Keswick. Mike and Maureen were able to go to Sambel Kunda and see what sort of work Landi would be doing. I think that during their journey, they became very fond of the vehicle and I think poor Mike found it very hard to part with her. We are tremendously grateful to them for such a generous and wonderful gift. Landi is performing a very important role and is much admired by all as she is the 'clinic on wheels'. The staff were so impressed by Mike and Maureen and what they had done, they named a little orphaned filly foal after Maureen. She is affectionately known to all as Little Mo.

Robbie Burns

Amongst our visitors last winter was Lorna Brown, who very kindly volunteered to help us for 2 months. Lorna was a great help to the project and one horse in particular, who we called Robbie Burns, certainly owes his life to her. Lorna took great care of this very badly burnt little horse and thanks to her care and that of the WVS team of vets and nurses who visited shortly after he was admitted, he made a full recovery and is now back at home again. We see quite a few horses with severe burns. The farmers tether the horses near to the fires to keep the mosquitoes off them, but sometimes accidents occur.

New Donkey Sanctuary Stables Officially Opened

We welcomed Andrew Trawford from The Donkey Sanctuary who came to look at the stables we had built with a grant they had given. We had an official opening ceremony and the elders of the community expressed their thanks to The Donkey Sanctuary. There was much festivity and dancing. Following Andrew's visit we were awarded another grant from The Donkey Sanctuary to help with the Education Project and we are immensely grateful to them for their generous support.

Harness and Carts

Two of the identified problems with both horses and donkeys have been the material and design of harness and the construction of the 'chariots' - flat carts - that are used throughout The Gambia. The harness is made with 'one size fitting all' which hardly suits the donkeys. The materials are rough and cause wounds by rubbing. With the harness donated to us and shipped out, we have shown what can be done and the horse owners recognise the problems with their existing harness. We now have several ILPH trained harness makers working with us and it is important that they are encouraged to make harness and improve existing harness making use of their new skills. Materials remain a problem. Girths and stirrup leather are items of harness that have little use in Gambia in 'our terms' (for riding), so we have plenty of these. The harness makers are now making sets of harness using the donated stirrup leathers, webbing and girths and these are proving very popular as well as providing some income. Stirrup leathers and girths now need to join the wants list along with pony and cob bridles and headcollars, small bits, etc. for which we still have a huge demand.

We also recognised that the design of the carts used by the farmers was not particularly satisfactory. Professor Ramsay Hovell, from TAWS (The World Association for Transport Animal Welfare and Studies) who has immense experience with horse and donkey carts made his first voluntary visit in January/February. He spent some time observing the carts presently used in The Gambia and the types of injuries that are sustained from their use. He then set to and with the help of a local cart builder, he produced a much better balanced and lighter cart, which we called Rameses Mark 1. Trials are being conducted on this cart at present to try and measure how much the improvement in balance and weight benefits the animals in comparison to the normal carts used. Ramsay impressed us all with his incredible capacity for hard work, his knowledge and his compassion and we were thrilled when he agreed to return again in April for another stint working on the carts and the harness. In addition to the work on carts Ramsay has helped us by writing a curriculum for use by The Gambia College in response to a request from the Principal. We would like to express our sincere thanks to Ramsay and TAWS for their help and support and we look forward to welcoming Ramsay back in the not too distant future.

Donkeys are 'COOL'

In our efforts to combine our aims of reducing rural poverty with the need to increase animal welfare, we have set up a scheme to reach the people in most need, whilst increasing animal welfare knowledge. For £75, it is possible to purchase a donkey for a family (chosen by the elders of the community) who are so poor that they are unable to afford a donkey. The donkey is the property of The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust.

In return for having it on loan, the farmer must first agree to undergo training at our centre and also build it a mud block shelter. They must also sign an agreement to say that if the donkey is ever abused, it will be immediately withdrawn from that family. We have one member of staff allocated to this project, who checks on the donkeys on a regular basis and on his visits, he takes the opportunity to use them as demonstration donkeys to educate their community. Some donors have also given carts and ploughs as well and it is the ideal Christmas or Birthday gift for the person who has everything! The donor is asked to name their donkeys and will receive regular reports of its progress.

In December, we shall have a parade/show of all the donkeys on the scheme and the best kept animals will be awarded substantial prizes and rosettes to further encourage the owners to take care of them. One or two companies have found this a useful way of giving, whilst at the same time promoting themselves by naming the donkeys after their company.

Are you coming to the Ball?

In partnership with Riding for the Disabled (Epsom) we are holding our first Fundraising Ball on September 30th this year. It is being held at The All England Show jumping Arena at Hickstead and we are extremely grateful to the Bunn family for their support, encouragement and sponsorship.

It will be a fun filled evening, with a 3 course meal, live entertainment throughout the meal, a very lively band, raffle and auction, with some wonderful prizes, including a holiday in The Gambia visiting our Centre and The Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Trust. Other prizes include lessons with well known equestrian personalities, polo lessons and some lovely works of art.

There are lots of B&Bs and accommodation around Hickstead, so why not make it a night to remember and support 2 charities that help people as well as animals and which are both run entirely by volunteers. Tickets are selling fast so book soon to avoid disappointment.

If anyone can provide further prizes or particularly sponsorship for this event, we would love to hear from you. In return, you will be mentioned in the programme on the evening, on the websites of both the charities and in our news letters. Any help to make this a really successful fundraising event as well as a fun filled evening, will be most gratefully received.

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

BEVA We are extremely grateful to the British Equine Veterinary Association Trust for providing a grant for 2 Gambians to go to The International Colloquium on Working Equines in Ethiopia. This trip will provide an exciting and interesting opportunity to learn how the rest of the world are dealing with the problems and it will provide encouragement and knowledge. Jibril Jallow, our manager and Dr Sowe, the Director of Livestock Services are both in ideal positions to pass on what they have learnt for the benefit of The Gambia's equines and their owners.

Another BEVA member, Mr Graves MRCVS has donated a lifetimes collection of British Equine Journals to the Department of Livestock Services, which we shipped out recently. Needless to say the Department is delighted with the gift.

We would like to express our sincere thanks and appreciation to all the following people and organizations who have gone to great lengths to help the charity and whose support we deeply appreciate. Inevitably, in a list of this sort we are bound to forget someone and for this we apologize.

 
Ann Varley
Anna Pugh
Anthony Head and Sarah Fisher
Bellcrown Carriages
Bridge House Equestrian Centre.
Carr Day and Martin
Chloe Stone
Gina Pinchbeck and Rob Christley
ILPH
John and Angie Horne
John Watson Plunkett, Katie Colville and Mike Cathcart
Lance Voute MRCVS
Linda Swain
Liz McIlwraith & the staff, customers & pupils of Bridge House Equestrian Centre
Liz Serinken
Professor Max Murray and his wife Christine.
Professor Sandy Love.
Rosie Brown & staff, pupils & customers of Easterton Riding Stables
RSPCA Clwyd and Conway Branch
RSPCA International
Shirley Pugh Foundation
Skylark, Fiona Cooper and Ian Ross
SPANA The Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad.
Sue Adams
TAWS The World Association for Transport Animal Welfare and Studies)
The British Equine Veterinary Association
The Donkey Sanctuary
The Shirley Pugh Foundation
William and Pippa Funnell
Worldwide Veterinary Services

And for help and sponsorship for the Ball:
Athena and Maria Tasou
Dodson and Horrell
Gambia Experience
Greg for his graphic designs
Musicians from Christs Hospital
Production Plus
Shires Equestrian Products
Stella Milne and Monica Daniels
Sussex Polo
Sussex Polo
The Bunn Family and the staff at Hickstead
Vicki Austin and Andy

 
Heather writes...late July 2006

The rains have started and ALL our animals (with the exception of the youngsters) are working out on the farms for the local community. Inevitably we do have a handful of 'permanent residents' who for one reason or other we feel need extra care but they are all able to do something useful and they do what they can to support the community.

Even little Rhona, the donkey who has such a badly damaged back that she will no longer be able to work, has proved to be invaluable as a demonstration donkey for paravets and harness makers alike as she has a superb temperament for nervous beginners and she also has endless patience.

How Can You Help Us?

Our Christmas card for this year was designed especially for us to demonstrate just how important the humble donkey is to the community. The proceeds of the card will go to The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust and towards The Sambel Kunda School Sponsorship Scheme, which has enabled over 300 local children to attend school. Our centre in Sambel Kunda is very close to the village school, which is fast becoming one of the best in the country as a result of the co operation between the charities working in the village (The Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Trust, The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust, The Alexander Edwards Clinic and GIFTS, The Gambia Institute for Teacher Training and of course the School Sponsorship Scheme). See below for order form.

Tack Collection

We continue to need your tack collections desperately but with the rising costs of transport and import taxes we now need to be more specific in what we need. Another Christmas present for those who have everything could be some of the items we need. Remember only pony and cob sizes please.

Pony/Cob size bridles (including reins) and headcollars. (We get through these within days of the shipping arriving.)
4½"/5" bits preferably snaffles or any straight bar bit of any material
Numnahs We put these under the driving saddles. The brighter they are the more they like them
Stirrup leathers (needn't be pairs) and girths (any size) are used for harness making
Driving Breast harness/traces and breaching but if it isn't fit for your use it also won't be fit for use in Gambia.
If you have any redundant (or industrial waste) products that could be useful for our harness makers we welcome these. Webbing and harness fittings are always required.

We no longer send out saddles, driving collars or driving saddles. We welcome these but will sell them over here to assist with transport costs for the above.

ADMINISTRATOR REQUIRED

A part-time volunteer to help develop and operate an administrative structure for a young but rapidly growing international charity with its headquarters in Ockley, Surrey. Must be highly organized, flexible, proactive and tactful. This is an exciting challenge for someone working in a variety of area including PR, fund raising and dealing with professional volunteers. IT skills essential. Must like horses, donkeys and dogs.

Please contact Heather Armstrong Telephone 01306 627568 or email Heather Armstrong.

Support the Donkey Scheme

There are lots of creative ways to have fun whilst supporting this project. It could be a gift, a family effort, a group project or a cascading challenge. Your donkey will lift a family out of total poverty and their children to school. What a long term difference this will make.

The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust Christmas Cards

Cost £4 For pack of 10
Postage and Packing 50p per pack.

Online Donations

We have worked out that if we had 200 standing orders of just £5 per month this would enable us to cover our running costs. Any money made over and above that would be used for special projects and to help our work 'grow'.

A one off donation is always welcome and this could be a useful gift. A monthly Direct Debit helps us to be able to plan ahead.

To donate online please see our website. All other donation details, please contact Heather Armstrong

Back to News Reports

 

Follow the GHDT on Facebook

The GHDT on YouTube

Email the GHDT

Follow the GHDT on Twitter

Join the free online mailing list here

Donate Online Here
 

Top of page

Back to Home PageHome

Copyright © GHDT. All rights reserved

 
X