Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust

Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust - The aim of the GHDT is to reduce rural poverty in The Gambia through improving the health, welfare and productivity of working animals.

Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust is a small charity, registered in both the UK and The Gambia. The GHDT was founded in 2002 by the late Stella Marsden OBE and her sister Heather Armstrong who is the charity's Director. With no tradition of horsemanship in The Gambia and a combination of poor management, high disease risk and poverty, farmers were investing comparatively large amounts of money for a working animal only for it to die, too often within six months. Not only was this causing further hardship for the farmers, it was also creating a serious animal welfare problem and the veterinary services did not have the infrastructure or finances to be able to help the farmers.

A healthy working animal can increase a farming family's income by up to 500% and buying an animal is a big investment for a family. If the animal becomes sick or dies not only the animal suffers, but its owners suffer too. The Gambia is one of the poorest countries in Africa and is unable to provide all the veterinary support that the farmers require, so when the animals become ill, sometimes the owners are simply unable to find help for it. Keeping horses and donkeys healthy in The Gambia is a real challenge; insect borne diseases such as Sleeping Sickness (Trypanosomiasis), African Horse Sickness, and tick fever are all too common and when these problems are combined with poor nutrition and management caused by lack of knowledge and poverty, the results can be disastrous for the farmers.

We believe in providing the Gambian people with the skills and knowledge to prevent and solve their own problems, creating a long term, sustainable solution.

We rely heavily upon dedicated volunteers who offer their time and services to help us, and we employ a team of local Gambian staff. The GHDT is a small charity that has had many great achievements, but to continue this work your support is urgently sought. We need your help and we make every single penny count. Our aims are achieved through a variety of projects including:

- Educational Programs
- Community Development
- Collaboration
- Veterinary Treatments
- Annual Show

For more information about The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust, or for donations and volunteering , please visit our website.