A working donkey has no life in Afghanistan – just toil, pain and a never ending slog along roads crammed with cars or up torturous slopes to reach the mountain villages that surround Kabul.

The Nowzad charity in Afghanistan; supporting a dog and cat shelter, small animal clinic and the first ever donkey shelter in the country; has finally gained permission to roll out our working animal program across all of Kabul. Our team led by Dr Reshad is super excited and eager to lend these overworked donkeys a hoof…(see what we did there? J ).
But on a more serious note; the program will tackle such issues as treating wounds caused by ill-fitting harnesses and saddles, problems with lameness, systemic infections, dehydration (ever so common) and a lack of food, shelter and correctly fitted equipment.

These problems and issues could be blamed on the owner’s indifference to animal welfare but we must understand that these donkeys and horses belong to members of the poorest members of the community here in Kabul; families who survive on as little as $5 to $7 per day. Most with limited access to any form of education. They just do not know what they don’t know. So Nowzad is determined to be the difference for these donkeys and horses. Our objective being;

• To eliminate health issues and maintain animal welfare.
• Educate the owners on proper health and welfare of their donkeys and horses.

Some donkeys we find may already be at the end of their working lives and / or are suffering long term injury and will, without doubt, need to be retired. Our remaining empty stables at the Nowzad donkey sanctuary will soon to be expecting new residents – of that we are certain!

As the program gains momentum we will update you with details of the donkeys and horses we have supported.
Your donation will help us to purchase much needed supplies to treat infection and pain whilst providing correctly fitted saddles and harnesses.
Nowzad will also be employing a farrier to ensure the donkeys and horses hooves are ready for their daily slog around the city. 
Those donkeys and horses that need to be hospitalized will be brought to the Nowzad donkey sanctuary for treatment and care and your donation will ensure we can be there for these overworked and under appreciated animals.