Communities Against Rabies: Bringing global efforts together

In 2023, GARC launched the Communities Against Rabies (CAR) initiative with the purpose of assisting and empowering individuals and organizations working towards rabies elimination. As we prepare for World Rabies Day 2025, we want to show the world how we are living this year’s theme through our CAR initiative. By working as a global community, we can work towards a world without rabies!

 

Although rabies elimination efforts have made significant progress, deaths from dog rabies remains a concern in more than 150 countries. Through the CAR initiative, GARC is working towards addressing three remaining challenges:

• A lack of trained/skilled workforce at the community level
• Inconsistent reporting and surveillance of rabies, and
• A lack of coordinated collaboration at the community level.

 

CAR was launched as the first structured program designed to empower communities to take control, to take action, and to expand live-saving efforts through education and collaboration. This World Rabies Day, it is up to You, Me, Communities to Act Now! Why is CAR critical to achieving our vision of a world free from dog rabies? CAR aims to address systemic barriers to rabies elimination in the communities where the disease is still costing lives. The initiative delivers key health, digital tools and capacity building through solutions that have typically been out-of-reach for rabies-affected areas.

 

Through the CAR initiative, GARC also encourages communities to work together to tackle rabies holistically and direct limited resources more effectively. We do this by focusing on three aspects:

 

Strengthening local knowledge and know-how.

By completing specific courses through the GARC Education Platform, individuals can work towards becoming recognized as Dog Health Champions (DHCs). The courses focus on training DHCs to be able to educate their communities on dog welfare, rabies elimination and bite prevention.

 

 

Identifying Rabies Centers of Excellence (RCEs).

Organizations already working within their communities can apply to become one of GARC’s RCEs. After complying with specific requirements, RCEs benefit from additional and ongoing capacity strengthening, educational resources, promotion of activities and international media exposure.

 

 

Connecting RCEs to tackle rabies at scale.

CAR connects various RCEs within a geographic area to collaborate with other like-minded organizations. When RCEs share know-how and everyone uses the same digital and educational platforms, then we ensure a standardized approach to rabies elimination. As a global community, the benefit of this standardized approach is that we will then achieve a more coordinated and impactful outcome, because we can use resources where it is most needed while not duplicating efforts.

 

 

 

 

                     How will you join our community in 2025?