Guatemala

Overview

Guatemala is one of Latin America’s most populated countries but also one of its poorest.

Over half of its 14 million people live below the poverty line and it’s in these largely rural, poor communities that most of the country’s 250,000 working equines live.

Reaching working horses, donkeys and mules and their owners and users in much of Guatemala is hard because the mountainous terrain can create access problems and the distances between communities can be large.

Making a difference

The goal of the Brooke’s programme in Guatemala is to ensure measurable improvements are made in the welfare of working horses, mules and donkeys.   

To make these improvements, the Brooke works with local partner ESAP (Equinos Sanos Para El Pueblo, or “Healthy Horses for the People”) to:

• Improve the sustainability of our Equine Welfare Assessor (EWA) programmes by working with local service providers and partners. By training community-based Equine Welfare Advisors and vets and hosting equine welfare clinics, we hope to strengthen local veterinary services. This will result in more owner awareness leading to more clinical and emergency cases being treated and more animals receiving preventative care such as vaccinations and de-worming.
• We’re helping local communities to take responsibility for their animals’ welfare, as well as to develop and protect their environment. Through school programmes, horse days, public demonstrations and radio shows, we aim to instill in owners the correct knowledge, practices and attitudes that will ensure their animal’s wellbeing.
• By promoting equine welfare laws, agreements and programmes, our influencing plan aims to promote equine welfare information and activities, engaging government organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), volunteers, partner organisations and individuals, and hosting national awareness events.

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