School Education Programmen


A combination of fear and a lack of basic education has contributed to the disintegration of human/animal bonding that we are hard-at-work to reconstruct. Our Education initiative, in just three disadvantaged learning centres, began tentatively in 2003. The territory was uncharted, the response startling.

From humble beginnings in Winnie Mandela Park Informal Settlement, we now educate Grade II children in 53 schools within our areas of operation. Our dedicated Education Officer uses a variety of visual aids for the absorption of knowledge, which is imparted to parents and care-givers. An unprecedented increase in owner-requested pet sterilisations is a direct result of this newfound knowledge, as is early detection of illness in domestic animals by their owners.

The third module of the curriculum includes trained-dog displays that provide an educational as well as recreational reprieve for children with little opportunity for creative and stimulating activity.

Receiving no governmental assistance, its fundraising activities are innovative and exhaustive. No opportunity to raise money or create awareness is disregarded to ensure the sustainability of its proactive efforts.

This year The Society has achieved an unparalleled 46% growth in its hospital treatments. This can be attributed to an increased demand for our specialised services as a result of education and optimum visibility in nine densely-populated areas. This growth represents a massive 52% increase in our formal Education Programme, resulting in increased knowledge, awareness and animal-owner responsibility. This can be substantiated by the fact that we have achieved a record increase of 55% in sterilisation procedures, thus decreasing the incidence of unwanted and neglected litters of both dogs and cats.

Almost 10,000 Grade II children in 53 disadvantaged learning centres have benefited from our three modules on basic Animal Care. Children are taught the importance of nutrition, vaccination, disease-prevention, and the basic needs of domestic animals with huge emphasis placed on sterilisation. The third module of the curriculum includes trained dog displays that provide an educational reprieve for children with little opportunity for creative and stimulating activity.

 

  

 

The Coal-yard Projectt

Putting the Horse before the Cart

Probably our greatest success story is our Coal-Yard Project. Launched in 2004 in Tembisa, this sustainable initiative has resulted in the ongoing health and well-being of more than 320 working horses and donkeys.

Many people are unaware of the archaic need for heat-providing coal within these communities. Fewer still are aware of the existence of coal-yards.

Our Coal-Yard Policy is based on empathy, understanding and mutual respect between horse owners and our trained Fieldworkers. Tended to by equine-proficient veterinarians and support staff, the condition of these animals is exemplary. Each working animal has an “ID Book” enabling our staff to catalogue gender, markings, vaccinations, de-worming treatments and farriery records. Horses that fall victim to injury or illness are transported to our headquarters, The Paddocks, for professional diagnosis, treatment and surgery if required.

Principles of ‘rescue and home’ serve no enduring purpose. On the contrary, these horse-owners need help, not hostility, and resentment towards confiscation would be counter-productive in the execution of our Mission Statement “Protecting Animals; Healing Their Sickness; Fighting Ignorance; Empowering Others to do the Same”.

Skills’ development has seen the graduation of two coal-yard residents now self-employed in the disciplines of farriery and harness-making. Training in hoof-care, grooming, paddock maintenance and early detection of illness has seen a decline in lameness, injury and colic-induced equine death and euthanasia. The deplorable practice of selling unsound equine to unsuspecting and unknowledgeable coal-yard owners has been reduced due to our intervention.

To maintain sound and consistent herds, business opportunities besides the sale and transportation of coal need to be generated. In summer, horses and donkeys are frequently sold and relocated to compensate for lack of earning potential. This practice defeats our objectives as enormous financial and human resources are invested in the Project, and the introduction of unknown animals in winter means duplicated expenditure. Concurrently, Society-nurtured horses may be neglected by new owners residing outside our areas of concern.

We are on the verge of introducing a standard multi-purpose cart, which will provide optimum comfort for horse and driver, while simultaneously providing safe load-capacity. During the warmer months, coal-yard owners would be skills-empowered to replicate the prototype cart themselves, enabling them to take advantage of refuse removal, goods’ delivery, tourism and taxi services. This cart has the potential to be converted into a ‘spaza’ shop/telephone booth at the flip of a catch.
 

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Skills Development

In 2006, The Society introduced a voluntary Skills’ Development Programme, which has seen the graduation of two coal-yard residents who are now self-employed in the disciplines of farriery and harness-making.

We sent these students by train, from Tembisa in Johannesburg to Cape Town, six times to complete their training. We are scheduled to support the training of a further four coal-yard residents in the near future.

 

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Bequest Programme

 

This newly-developed Programme will be launched towards the end of 2007. (Please see our Side Bar for our Official Codicil).

 

Success Storiess

VIOLET VS VIOLENCE

It’s an education

As an antidote to animal-abuse cases such as the “Husky Chainsaw Massacre”, we introduce Violet Maema from Vusimuzi in Tembisa.

Tembisa is one of nine townships in which The Society for Animals in Distress provides professional veterinary care, 365 days a year. And despite the vast distances travelled, our trained fieldworkers are unlikely to encounter any such violent and gory incidents, such as the highly-publicised Delmas case, during the course of their daily rounds.

Violet Maema is a client who wrote to us in appreciation of the service we provide. “I say to my Community that all people around Tembisa who have pets to take care of them, and give love by contacting The Society. They offer special treatment for your pets with love and care, and give you advice how to treat your pets all time and Festive Season.” Violet writes.

Our education of animal-owners, as well as Grade II learners in 50 schools, is ongoing, and responsible for a major breakthrough in knowledge of animal care, early-detection of illness and a healthy percentage of owner-requested sterilizations of domestic animals. Violet is a shining example in her community, who loves her three dogs, saying, “They are like children to me, and I treat them all equal. I do not do any bias because he is big or small, pretty or ugly. No! No! No! I treat them all with love, care and tender.”

Left to right : Violet, Percy, Gingitor, Ginger, David, and tickled pink on the floor is Tshegofatso Maema

There are many caring Violets out there as we have discovered during our half-century of existence in the realm of professional veterinary care and education. And since the inception of our official Education Programme launched in 2003, we educate up to 10,000 little Violets, who will grow into responsible animal owners, every year.

Violet adds, “When my animals are sick, I take them to The Society for Animals in Distress. They are affordable and you can pay in terms. If you don’t have money they can give you pills or inject your pets or give medicines. My dogs have never been happier thanks to The Society. They are even fit.”

Protecting animals, healing their sickness, fighting ignorance and empowering others to do the same is SAID’s Mission Statement. Our staff members performed 83,000 animal treatments during 2006/07 in areas where veterinary care was formerly non-existent, and at our small-animal hospital in Midrand. Every treatment presents a further opportunity to educate, resulting in a new culture of animal-care, healthy animals, and a euthanasia rate of under 1%.

Violet continues, “My dog Ginger was affected by a terrible disease so I contact The Society for Animals in Distress for help. They respond by sending someone to take care and he took my dog to their Vetinary for operation and he came back. He also took all my other dogs to the doctor for check up. They offer Medical Cards for each dog including medical treatments like tablets, shampoo and others for home care during life.”

“They will also teach you how to keep your animals in good health (very important). When your animals are sick, injured or eaten poison, you may call The Society for Animals in Distress. They will treat your pet with love and care. My dogs have never looked better. They are all fat thanks to The Society. They are all happy and fit for any competition. They are well trained how to communicate and treat people like friends and how to separate enemies and friends.” Violet concludes.

A comment from the Principal of Reagile Primary School, just one of the 50 schools actively benefiting from our Animal-Care Curriculum, sums things up: “Learners always gain and benefit a lot in these lessons, because afterwards they develop a positive attitude towards animals and nature as a whole”.

 

 

FOOTLOOSE

We found “Footloose” the day we launched our Coal-Yard Project in October, 2004 in Tembisa. This is how her hoof looked then. (Pic 1).

She wasn’t being worked, but used for breeding, which worried us terribly. We transported her to our farm where she underwent intense assessment, and the kindest thing we could do for her seemed to be humane euthanasia. But upon further examination, it was discovered that Footloose was in foal, which completely ruled out this drastic option.

Our veterinarians and a group of expert farriers conferred and decided to do everything in their power to help this sweet-natured donkey and her unborn foal.

First, they cut away from, and shaped the deformed hoof into something resembling normality. (Pic 2). Then, using local anesthesia, our senior veterinarian, Dr Sheelagh Higgerty, quickly cut the tendon. The farriers then got to work building up the hoof using a hot, quick-setting substance. (Pic 3). This was filed and shaped, and Footloose’s leg was straightened while everyone observing held their breath. (Pic 4).

Her leg was bandaged and Footloose was put out to pasture, at which stage no one knew what the prognosis would be. And so we waited. (Pic 5). Each day, Footloose appeared a little more comfortable on her new, straight leg. Two months later she gave birth to Chocolit, and today, this happy, healthy donkey does not limp AT ALL. (Pic 6).

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Pic. 4 Pic. 5 Pic. 6


 

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