Brooke Pakistan

Brooke Pakistan, Operating since 1991, is the largest animal welfare organization in Pakistan. We aim to improve the welfare of horses, donkeys and mules working in many poor communities throughout Pakistan. Working horses, donkeys and mules are critical to their owners’ livelihoods. They support income generation in agriculture, tourism and transport. Brooke Pakistan through its community-based equine welfare program provides a range of services to the marginalized equine-owning communities including emergency veterinary treatment for the animals and training in animal care and husbandry for their owners who depend on the working equine animals for their livelihoods. We work extensively with communities and partner organizations in Pakistan to develop and deliver solutions that can be sustained by the animal owners themselves. Our local expertise and knowledge are further enhanced through partnerships with animal welfare and development organizations working in different parts of the country. We have reached more than 600,000 horses, donkeys, and mules which means we help to protect the livelihoods of more than 1.5 million people living in some of Pakistan’s poorest communities—approximately 10% of the population that falls below the poverty line. Millions of Pakistanis are dependent upon their working equines in a variety of ways and put them to work in some of the country’s harshest and most deprived environments. When people rely on their animals for their livelihoods and, in turn, the survival of their families and communities, they are left extremely vulnerable if their animals are unable to work. It is therefore essential that these animals receive the appropriate care and attention to ensure their lives are free from pain, disease and distress so that they can remain healthy and productive. Brooke Pakistan’s community based equine welfare program through holistic programme approach which includes service delivery, community development, advocacy, partnership, and applied research to ensure healthy working animals for the world’s poorest communities Brooke Pakistan firmly embeds partnership principles towards equine welfare in its operation, with international, national and provincial stakeholders, striving for inclusion of working equines in animal values of animal welfare, in addition to support of human livelihood. Partnerships help us to reach greater numbers of needy animals and marginalised communities. They also help us to build a case for alignment of equine health with global initiatives such as the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, One Health and One Welfare. They lay the foundations for initiating dialogue with potential advocacy allies to demonstrate how equine health and welfare plays a pivotal role in these endeavors. To ensure a world where working equines are free from suffering, it is critical to understand this world, the paradigm it operates in, and the battles it is fighting.