Tis the Season of Giving

Empowering Equines & People This Holiday Season

Dear Friend, 

It is hard to believe that 2021 is nearly over! On behalf of the working horses, donkeys and mules and the people who depend on them all over the world, we thank you for your continued generosity and support. Your contributions have made a huge difference in the lives of people and their equines, both in the United States and abroad, especially as we are faced with the global COVID-19 pandemic. Without a doubt, you have allowed us to continue our mission despite the financial hardships the pandemic has brought upon us, and we are ever so grateful.

Your donations to Brooke USA Foundation have funded programs that significantly impact some of the poorest and most vulnerable communities in the world. We hope that, before the end of the year, you will, once again, make a gift to our organization and help those in need – animal and human.

So far in 2021, we have reached out to friends all over the world to join us in advocating for Amazon to halt the sale of ejiao in the United States; we received more than 35,000 letters and emails of support and about 200 endorsements from NGOs across the globe. Although we have not officially heard back from Amazon’s president Andy Jassy, we know that he is aware of the issue and hopefully, we will hear back from him early in 2022 (we will keep working until we get an answer!). We were very successful in making our voice heard and Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) has sponsored the Ejiao Act (H.R. 5203), restricting the trade of all ejiao products which are decimating the global donkey population.

This year, we provided emergency assistance to over 20 equine nonprofits right here, at home, who saw an increase equine in abandonment due to the pandemic, and supported communities in India who, with COVID-19, could not secure care and supplies for their animals. We also assisted organizations working in the front lines in Texas immediately after the Artic cold front last December and provided aid during the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti in August.

We funded emergency preparedness training in Senegal and Burkina Faso, helping communities develop preventive plans for the care of their horses and donkeys. We built an equine clinic in Ethiopia, providing for veterinary care in remote villages and we continued to educate women in Kenya on first aid, hoof care and nutrition as their donkeys are essential to everyday living. We purchased small, sample plots in Nicaragua to teach owners how to plant, cultivate and store fodder for the animals. We granted funds to Brooke UK, supporting their global fight against the donkey trade, a horrific industry that is taking a toll on the donkey population across the globe. We are doing all this because at Brooke USA we know that healthy, cared for working equines, lead to prosperous and happy people.

In 2021, we also launched our new name, logo, and mission to better reflect who we are and what we do, including our commitment to supporting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and thus contribute toward ending poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.

In closing, we thank you, again, so very much for your generosity. We are very grateful to have you be a part of our Brooke USA family. We deeply appreciate your support. Remember, no amount is too small, it all adds up to a big difference in the life of working equines and their owners.

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Warmly,

Emily Dulin

Chief Executive Officer

Brooke USA Foundation's new mission is to significantly improve the health, welfare and productivity of working horses, donkeys and mules and the people who depend on them for survival worldwide. We are committed to sustainable economic development by reducing poverty, increasing food security, ensuring access to water, providing a means to education, and raising basic standards of living through improved equine health and welfare.

STORY FROM THE FIELD:

Emergency Intervention Through Provision of Feed and First Aid Kits for Donkeys in Gujarat, India

During India’s COVID-19 lockdown, the equine-owning community members living at brick kilns were deprived of the essential living supplies for themselves and their equines. All economic activities were stopped, including work at brick kilns, following government guidelines to prevent coronavirus spread. Though these preventive actions were instituted for the general good, they took away the equine owning community’s only source of livelihood.

While monitoring the community and the condition of their working equines via calls and physical visits, the Brooke India (BI) team met Ganpat Bhai Mohanji Vanjara, his 19 family members, and 25 donkeys trapped in a dire situation in one of the brick kilns. The ‘Vanjaras’, belong to one of the lowest income generating sections of society, with no permanent land or house. They persevere by living in temporary shelters created at the brick kilns along with their donkeys.

The pandemic’s lockdown saw them faced with a shortage of food for themselves and feed and fodder for their animals. They managed veterinary emergencies, by relying on the First Aid Kits and telephonic advice provided by the BI team. The stoic survivors they were, Ganpat Vanjara’s family somehow managed to sustain themselves during the first lockdown, however, the second COVID-19 wave hit the family brutally. They had zero savings in hand, subsisting on the government doles of food and no feed or fodder to take care of their donkeys. They were terrified of losing their animals, and thereby their livelihood.

Brooke India responded to the crisis triggered by the resurgent second wave of the pandemic by initiating an Emergency Intervention (EI) project. The team ensured that the neediest in the community of equine owners received help thanks to funding from Brooke USA. Ganpat Vanjara is one of them who was helped by the provision of fodder and balanced feed, as well as medicines through the intervention. The fodder included Azolla, an aquatic fern that is used as a very nutritious feed supplement as it is rich in protein, essential amino acids, carotenoids, vitamins, growth promoters, and minerals. It can be easily grown on still water in a pit. Provisions for hydroponics, another form of green feed that requires minimum resources (a tray, seeds, and water), were also made. These measures alleviated the suffering of the donkeys they owned and assisted this impoverished family.

“Earlier, we used to think, 'Why does the Brooke India team visit us so frequently?' We now realize the immense benefits of regular training in donkey care and fodder and feed solutions. The support and emergency assistance received during the pandemic were a lifesaver for us. We want Brooke India to keep visiting us, and the team is like family to us.” – Sukiben, Mohanbhai’s Family Member.

You can help us to empower more equines and families this holiday season with your 100% tax-deductible donation to Brooke USA Foundation today.

The Brooke USA Holiday Shop is Open!

From training a vet or inspiring the next generation to helping with nutrition or providing water all year round, Brooke USA shop offers the gift that keeps on giving.

Your donation through our Brooke USA shop helps us fund care for animals all over the world. 

If you want to honor a friend or loved one with your 100% tax-deductible donation, you can donate at brookeusa.org/holidays, e-mail Kendall.Bierer@BrookeUSA.org or call (859) 296-0037.

YOUR HOLIDAY DONATION INCLUDES:

$50 donation will receive a personalized certificate

$100 donation or more will receive a certificate and the all-new Brooke USA Equine Partner Notecards.

Please include the name of the person and their mailing information in the comments of the donation form, or email Kendall.Bierer@BrookeUSA.org.

End of Year gifts in honor of a loved one close Monday, December 20, 2021.

If you would like a certificate sent via email to a loved one, we will be more than happy to send them their digital gift for the holidays, all we need is their email address!

Please Note: Brooke USA Foundation is not responsible for any delays in shipment due to late orders or holiday shipping delays.

There are an estimated 1.8 million donkeys working alongside their owners in Kenya. They are more than a helper; they are part of the family. Without them, the women and children will suffer.

A dramatic increase in recent years of trade in donkey hides is driving demand for the widespread slaughter of these animals across Africa (with Kenya as the epicenter), Asia, and Latin America. As prices are driven upwards, black-market activities are also increasing, supplied by theft and illegal slaughter.

The treatment of donkeys in this process is often gruesome and has a huge impact on the livelihoods of people. Donkeys are being stolen, horrifically mistreated and cruelly slaughtered—sometimes in the bush or street just outside their owners’ property.

Not only are donkeys suffering and being killed at an unprecedented rate, but the loss of a donkey is crushing for the people who depend on these animals to survive. Families that lose a donkey can suffer colossal harm. The loss of a donkey for a family in an impoverished community can have devastating consequences on their ability to earn money, grow food, access water, and send children to school. Indeed, these setbacks can plunge an already poor family even deeper into poverty. 

You can help women and donkeys in Kenya when you support Brooke USA during donation matching week on EnviroEquine.com!

Shop Beauty For Real to Get Your Discount & Give Back!

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Giving Tuesday was an AMAZING day!

Together we raised more than $56,000 to help women and donkeys in Kenya.

Due to the generosity of Margaret H. Duprey, Jennifer and Richard Schechter, and Taylor, Harris Insurance Services, we kicked off Giving Tuesday with a $25,000 match and a $2,500 Power Hour!

WE DID IT!

THANK YOU FOR MAKING GIVING TUESDAY OUR BEST YET!

GIVE THE GIFT OF A LEGACY

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