About the Brooke

THE NEED

Horses, donkeys and mules are the engines that power the developing world. Around 100 million of them labour on country roads, tracks, fields, farms, factories and city centres.

They transport a huge range of loads from people, produce, food and water to building materials such as bricks and even iron girders.

Many of these animals endure poor health, agonising pain, exhaustion, dehydration and malnutrition as a direct result of terrible workloads, poor nutrition, handling and housing. The situation is often compounded by a lack of accessible and affordable animal health services. The result is extreme suffering for millions of working horses, donkeys and mules across the developing world – and insecure livelihoods for millions of poor people who rely on these animals to earn a basic living.

WHO WE ARE

The Brooke is an international non-governmental organisation dedicated to improving the lives of working horses, donkeys and mules through direct veterinary treatment and community programmes around animal health and well-being.

We work with individuals, groups and organisations to ensure working equine animals get the living and working conditions they deserve. With over 800 staff in the field we currently work in eleven countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America.

The Brooke’s work also benefits poor people who rely on these animals for their livelihoods. The majority of working horses and donkeys are owned by individuals who use them to support their primary means of income to sustain often large and extended families. These animals are becoming ever more important in developing countries to alleviate poverty, assure food security and promote self-reliance.

BROOKE'S INTERNATIONAL STRATEGY

The Brooke's International Strategy reviews the Brooke's progress to date, sets out our five strategic objectives and our goals and ambitions for the future. The document is available to download in five languages:

• English
• French
• Spanish
• Arabic
• Hindi

OUR GOAL

This year, we will help more than 800,000 working horses, donkeys and mules, which will also benefit more than four million people who depend on these animals for their livelihood.

The next two years will see the Brooke make further steps towards achieving its goal of improving the welfare of two million animals every year.