SPANA (Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad)

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SPANA is the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad (formerly known as The Society for the Protection of Animals In North Africa).

It is a voluntary British organisation, founded by two British women (Kate Hosali and Nina Hosali) in 1923, making it one of the oldest animal welfare charities in the world.

SPANA's objective and purpose is to provide veterinary care to working animals in communities.

In many poor countries, there are few qualified vets, and yet there is a fundamental dependence on working animals which is too often forgotten. Working animals like donkeys, mules and camels are used to carry water and firewood and bring produce to and from the market. If an animal falls sick or has an accident and is injured, it can cause serious problems for the family that depends on it. Through its in-country hospitals and mobile clinics, SPANA vets can reach remote villages and communities. In 2005 SPANA treated over 370,000 animals in countries like Morocco, Mali, Mauritania, Algeria, Tunisia, Syria, Ethiopia and Jordan. It also intervenes in emergency situations where affected people request help for their animals and has provided veterinary help in Kosovo, Zimbabwe, Iraq and Darfur, Sudan where it is currently working.

In February 2006 it was asked to help in the Mandera District of North Eastern Kenya by the charity Practical Action. A series of failed rains had decimated the livestock belonging to the predominantly nomadic people of the region. SPANA /Practical Action arranged for fodder to be trucked overland from Nairobi for a month in order to keep the remaining animals alive until the rains came in early April.

There is an increased interest in the work that charities like SPANA and The Brooke Hospital are doing, as they fulfil a role beyond that of a conventional animal welfare charity. This is due to the fact that as many benefits fall to the owners of the animals they treat, as tho the animals themsleves.

In Jordan its Honorary President is Prince Asem bin Al Nayef. Its President is Francis Newall, 2nd Baron Newall. Celebrity supporters include John Craven, who is a Patron of the Charity, and Oscar-winning actor Jim Broadbent who presented a programme about the work of SPANA on This Morning in March 2006.

More information on SPANA (Registered Charity No. 20915) can be found at www.spana.org