By Amos Tauna
Donkey, a domesticated member of the horse family is the African wild ass, used as a working animal at least for about 5,000 years particularly in northern Africa.
The animal is mostly seen in underdeveloped countries, and are used principally as draught or pack animals.
Donkeys are always associated with people living below subsistence level who see this as investment and source of livelihood.
In spite of the importance of this wild ass, its welfare is a thing of great concern.
It is against this background that a Non Governmental Organisation, Diamond Equine Network, under the leadership of Professor Kwem Bakau Kadima, a Veterinarian with Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, northern Nigeria saw the gap created in terms of welfare for the donkey, decided to form the NGO along other professional colleagues to create awareness on the need to care for the animal by those making use of them,
Out of deep concern for the animals, according to Bakau Kadima, was the dream of coming up with an NGO, which took over 10 years but was concretised in 2016 and got incorporated in 2017.
Though with the meagre resources from members of the organisation, “We are hoping that others will see this laudable initiative through what we are doing and queue in so that together we will ensure better service delivery to the animals and the owners,” she stressed.
In spite of the limited resources, according to her, “The reception in all the communities visited has been wonderful and please, because the people are friendly and ever ready to receive us because they have come to realise that we are giving them what they have been yearning for years.”
Professor Kadima while explaining the dream for the NGO said, “I have a huge dream for the project we have willingly embarked on because it is a project that will be of great help to the donkeys and the owners for enhanced productivity and better standard of living.
“I also dream to have a standard medical centre set up within the communities for proper healthcare of the animals so that the donkey, one of humanity’s greatest allies in the struggle for daily survival will have healthy donkeys mean healthier children to the families who incorporate them in the cultivation of their land whose survival depends upon these animals.”
The need to carefully bred to produce strong, long lived work animals that are valued as contributing members of the family within which they live according to Professor Kadima is what the NGO is looking forward to.
Kabiru Umar, a resident of Zaria city of Kaduna State in northern Nigeria noted that donkeys have become his main source of his livelihood. “With the donkeys l have, they do so many things for my survival and in the upkeep of my family. The donkeys take loads on commercial, carry sand, farm produces and other things that l and my family members would ordinarily not be able to carry out,” he emphasised.
He expressed delight with the good gesture done by Diamond Equine Network and called on other organisations of like minds to join hands towards realising the dream of the NGO.
Yakubu Suleiman, explained that since the coming of Diamond Equine Network to their communities, their animals have become more healthier and have also enhanced productivity through the treatment rendered to the donkeys by the NGO.
https://www.africaprimenews.com/2018/04/30/entrepreneurship/ngo-to-train-100000-african-youths-on-entrepreneurship-leadership/
