The Brooke charity has approved an emergency grant for the horse’s effected by Guatemala’s Fuego volcano eruptions, which occurred on the 3rd and 6th June 2018.
After a public appeal in the UK and USA, a grant was issued to provide the estimated 312 horses, donkeys, and mules with food, water, and veterinary care. Vital care will be offered to horses in the immediate area surrounding the eruptions by Brooke’s partner organisation ESAP. ESAP has been working with Brooke since 2006; ESAP’s work will also benefit the approximate 536 cattle, 345 pigs and 15,208 poultry affected by the eruptions.
Guatemala relies heavily on horses as work animals, being described as the “backbone of Guatemalan society”. Guatemala’s reliance on the animals is reflected by the shear-number within the country, estimated at 228,000. Horses are used for transporting agricultural produce, such as beans, corns and wood, as well as water to people’s homes.
The Guatemala appeal has raised £16,000 via donations to Brooke and Brooke USA. The money raised will fund the emergency response to the disaster and provide on-going support for the welfare of working Guatemalan horses. Relief work will take place during June and July 2018, with the after-math being monitored over the next 6 months.
The General Director of ESAP, Mario Sapon thanks Brooke supporters for raising the funds, and assures the fund will allow the team to “continue to provide relief and support to all affected” by the disaster.
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