The Presidents Report
The 2008-09 year has been one of consolidation and growth for VBB. We started two new pilot projects, Project Vet-Train and the Sera Monastery Dog Health Project, along with significantly expanding our existing programs. A major milestone has been the SARAH program becoming a Division of the State Government of Sikkim. This will provide permanent staffing, funding and sustainability in the first-ever state government animal welfare and animal birth control and anti-rabies (ABC-AR) program in India. A special thank you goes to the Foundation Brigitte Bardot for funding this project through its early years, before it became part of the Sikkim Government.
Our aim, to demonstrate an effective government-run and funded rabies, animal birth control and animal health program, has succeeded. We believe this is the way forward in Asia: collaborations with local or state governments to deliver effective and scientifically-based disease and animal birth control programs. The hidden animal welfare benefits of these programs are immense. The benefits start with the agreements we forge with the authorities to stop killing dogs as a method of population control and range to the improved health of street dogs once they are desexed, vaccinated and treated for illness. We have facilities and personnel available for treating sick and injured animals should they require it. We have also overseen the cessation of indiscriminate, reactionary killing of street dogs when there is a rabies outbreak - instead, we educate and intervene. We are committed to expanding this state-wide model for ABC-AR programs and, to that end, are currently in negotiations with the Administration of Leh to establish a similar government collaboration across Ladakh. We have also had enquiries about copying the Sikkim model elsewhere.
Project Vet-Train has been very successful to date. We have forged new relationships with the Animal Welfare Division, Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests, and strengthened our working relationship with the Animal Welfare Board of India. VBB has been engaging in capacity-building activities consistently and this project has allowed us to pursue skills transfer on a much greater scale. The module of surgery as it applies to ABC programs has been well received and we estimate that at the end of the pilot period in July 2009, nearly 180 Indian vets, paravets and animal handlers had received training. During the next five years, we anticipate pursuing training on a scale such as this, but with gradual hand-over to Indian Government management and staffing. Another special thank you goes to the major sponsors, Marchig Animal Welfare Trust, RSPCA International and the Maria Norbury Fund, for taking a risk in funding an innovative project such as this. We believe the benefits of skills transfer will make marked improvements on a large scale to animal welfare.
More widely, our key performance indicators have all increased in this financial year compared with previous years. Donations, memberships, volunteer registrations and service delivery in the field have all increased.
VBB, as a voluntary organisation, extends a vote of thanks to all the dedicated volunteers who have helped this last year, both in the field at the project sites and at home maintaining VBB. The global financial crisis has left few people unscathed. We thank our sponsors, members and supporters for continuing to support VBB despite economic hardships. VBB will continue to use your contributions judiciously, strengthening our activities and delivering animal welfare and veterinary public health where it is needed. We will make every dollar count.
Catherine Schuetze, PresidentDownload the Annual Report 2009 PDF
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Download the Annual Report 2007 PDF
Download the Annual Report 2006 PDF