The Nepal Veterinary Students' Association, Rampur (NVSA), works in the rural communities that have community dogs. The University is near the buffer zone of Chitwan National Park, where there is a lot of conflict with wildlife. The NVSA vaccinates the stray and community dogs of the buffer zones to prevent the risk of rabies. 300-500 dogs per year are vaccinated free of charge, but funding is always an issue.
The NVSA has visited all the Western Chitwan schools and educated thousands of school children, holding open poster art and essay competitions on rabies control. It has also organised presentations and seminars for university students with the help of the professors. Rallies and awareness programs are also organised with very limited resources.
As a result of its work unvaccinated dogs in the vicinity are rare,and the stray dog population has decreased noticeably. Wildlife conflict has been reduced, and rabies knowledge has been increased in people in the area. Every child taught also teaches their family, and the skill and knowledge of vet students has increased.
(Adapted extract from nomination)
