Your Work
Where do you work?
We work in Kurdistan region-Iraq
When did you start your work?
We started in 24 May 2009 this is the time of established our NGO as a first animal rights and welfare organization talking about all animals issue , zoonotic disease, public health and animals health and way to dissolve the stray dogs population.
What rabies elimination work do you do?
1.Protection of the public health and the animal health, because these animals (dogs) are infected by many diseases which are transmitted to human and also to the animals e.g. (Rabies, Hydatidcyst).
2. Control of the diseases that are transmitted by dogs remaining on the streets
Our Objective are:
1. Improving the health condition of the animals(dogs and cats).
2. Protection of the public health, environment and the nature of Kurdistan (water spring, cultivated area especially rural areas).
3. Increasing the comfort of citizens by reducing the diseases from stray animals to human.
4. Raising the national awareness towards healthy society in the future.
5. Education and awareness of citizen about how deal with the stray animals.
Therefore, for this objectives and aim we have a yearly plan to control the Rabies disease between animals and humans according to our budget, ability, and our partners from GOV, NGO and civil citizens as below:
1- Yearly vaccination campaigns for shepherd dogs, stray dogs and cat( most our focuses are on villages, complexes , refugees and IDP camps( poor families).
2. Educate and raise awareness among the public about rabies disease and the risk between the peoples and how we can create a stray dogs and cats healthy and free from Rabies disease with different ways like:
a. Organize seminars, slide shows, fun quizzes and interactive games in kindergarten, schools and children centres.
b. Introduce animal welfare articles into the educational system.
c. Inform and interact with the public via social media (newspaper, magazine, T.V Radio, FB……..etc.).
3. Animal Rights Protection Laws of Kurdistan.
a. We sent an Animal rights Law Draft in 2010 & 2014 ,2016,2020 sent to the Kurdistan parliament and in 2016 and 2020 sent to Iraqi Parliament.
b. Kurdistan region approved the law under name(( law number 14 / 2022 laws of organizing the dealing with stray dogs and domestic animals in Kurdistan region)
4. Control stray animal population in Kurdistan.
a. We got an approval for 10000 CM of land for shelter in Duhok, Erbil and Suleimania and in Erbil and sulaimanya finished and now involved stray dogs and for DUhok 75 % finished.
b. Coordinate with GOV and International Agency to spay and neuter (sterilization) program of stray animals in Kurdistan to control the population.
c. Pressure the Iraqi government to cancel Stray Dogs Campaign kill to control Law Number (48) 1971 &1986 in Kurdistan and implement new modern and scientific ways to manage the growing stray population.in Kurdsitan region this law is canceled after a new law number 14 2022.
d. printed a 1500 copies of book under name(( Project & Strategies to Control the Growing Population of Stray animals ( dogs, cats & donkey) in Kurdistan Region and distributed to all Kurdish government.
5.Daily meeting with GOV(relative directorate, decision makers, NGOs, animal activists and media about the importance of stray dogs as a environment balance and risk of rabies disease if not controlled the situation).
Your Work in Numbers
Number of animals vaccinated against rabies (last year) 950
Number of animals sterilized (last year) 53
Number of children educated (last year) 2950
Number of adults educated (last year) 350
Number of Professionals trained (last year) 235
Number (Other) last year: This according to the information of health directorate Duhok city as an example: 2013 16 case of biting 2022 95 case 2023 275 case in erbil
Your Work's Impact
Actually the number of stray dogs and cats are increase day after day in all Iraq and the reason is one the GOV and decision makers are busy with Politician not for animals and public health.
But in Kurdistan region and after many our and others animals NGO specially after approved the law number 14 2022 and starting building dog shelters and spay and neuters the number are decrease.
In our zoon that we work and specially we focusing on poor peoples in villages, complexes, IDP, refugees camps the reporting dogs bite have some decrease but the important things is the reporting of rabies disease are zero.
Partners
Government partners
Ministry of Health/General directorate of health/directorate of control and protection of disease
Ministry of Agriculture/General directorate of Veterinary in all province Erbil, SUlaymania and Duhok.
Duhok province Governorate./Municipality directorate
Government collaboration:
from 2009 till now without any stop
NGO Partners
Local NGOs in Kurdistan Region (Animals and environmental NGOS).
International NGOS like SPCA international. Robin Hood Organization, OIPA, Animal Australia, party for the animals foundation, SPANA and others.
NGO collaboration:
from 2014 till now
Other partners
some time businessman and company
Innovations and Learnings
What is innovative about your approach?
• To control the Rabies disease the GOV should do legislation, survey ,registration, vaccination campaign, TRN program and adoption by peoples.
• Yearly on 28 September, we celebrate World Rabies Day with different activities and yearly we register our events.
• We have a strong contact with health directorate and they updating us the situation of vaccine for human and case numbers and if some time the human vaccine finish or not available in health dispensaries we do some band and pressure to the GOV to available as soon as possible.
• We have good relationship with some international NGO for supporting us the budget for buying rabies vaccine for shepherd and stray dogs and cats.
• Work a team (GOV, NGO, animal activists, International agency like WHO, OIE )to control the disease eradicate by 20230.
• Involving the median press are very important to educate and awareness the citizen.
• Zoonotic disease like rabies disease if separated between the peoples they make a big problems and stress.
• Role of animals NGO, animal activists are very important to help the relative directorates specially health and veterinary.
• Helping the poor families in villages and refugees camps to control the disease and to create a dogs healthy
• We have contact with all relative agencies that focusing on Rabies disease issue like WHO,OIE, Global Alliance for Rabies control and others and yearly they ask us for update the situation of Rabies in our country.
Lessons learned (Positive)
1. in Kurdistan region we have animal welfare law and stop kill stray dogs and now they staring process of TNR and sheltering.
2.GOV each year think for budget and plan to control this population.
3. peoples become more educated and awareness.
Lessons learned (Negative)
1. till now the Iraqi government work with the old law called law(( Stray Dogs Campaign kill to control Law Number (48) 1971 & published in 1986)).
2. in some province that no deal with the stray dogs population scientifically (TNR) the number of stray dogs increase day after days.
** All information adapted from the submitted nomination form**
