Our story
From animal suffering and human heartbreak on the streets of Meserani, Tanzania, to the foundation of the Meru Region’s first Veterinary Centre of Excellence, dedicated to combatting rabies, easing animal suffering and creating local employment: discover our story so far, and how you can help us write the next chapter.
2014: dozens of maimed and injured dogs lay bleeding to death in the streets of Meserani, Tanzania.
Four Steps to Freedom founder Phyllis Hutchison was visiting the village of Meserani when she saw, to her horror, that dozens of maimed and injured dogs were dying in pain on the streets.
She learned that this was the aftermath of an ‘anti-rabies cull’ – a desperate attempt by the local community to stop the spread of rabies, following the tragic death of a local child bitten by an infected dog.
Angry and terrified, the community had come together to destroy the dog population that carried the disease.
“I felt compelled to do something”
Phyllis could not witness such suffering, without taking action.
The most urgent issue in front of her was the suffering of the dying dogs in Meserani, and Phyllis found her first allies in Jens Fissenebert and Sandra Kliegelhoefer, founders of Mbwa Wa Africa Animal Rescue, just over an hour’s drive from Meserani.
At that time Jens and Sandra’s rescue operation was no more than a couple of kennels in their back garden, but they quickly agreed to take in and treat the only dog that Phyllis was able to save from the massacre: they named her Dolcina and nursed her back to health, before finding her a loving new home.
In the photo, you can see Dolcina today: fully recovered and enjoying her new life.
“There must be a better way”: from Tanzania to Glasgow
Deeply shocked and saddened by the events that she stumbled upon in Meserani, Phyllis resolved there and then to do everything in her power to help save Tanzania’s children and animals from tragedies like the one she had witnessed.
As a lifelong animal lover herself, Phyllis was determined not only to help prevent future loss of life, but also to begin healing the broken relationship between dogs and humans that she saw in Tanzania.
Convinced that there must be a better way to save lives from rabies, as soon as she returned to her home in Glasgow, Phyllis began to research the deadly disease. She soon learned that anti-rabies dog culls don’t work.
According to World Health Authority-approved research, canine vaccination and population control (sterilisation) is the only effective way to stop the dog-to-human infection cycle and stop the needless loss of life: so that is exactly what Phyllis resolved to do. The charity now known as Four Steps to Freedom was born.
Saving lives since 2015
March 2015: Our charity is founded by Phyllis Hutchison. Originally known as Friends of Mbwa Wa Africa Animal Rescue, we are a charity registered in Scotland, raising money to save animals and fight rabies in Tanzania, working closely with our sister organisation, the Tanzanian NGO Mbwa Wa Africa Animal Rescue.
July 2015: In conjunction with Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS) and with funding from the Marchig Trust, our first Anti-Rabies campaign sterilises 108 dogs in one week.
2021: With support from Mission Rabies and WVS as well as dozens of educators, volunteer vets and animal handlers, we have protected nearly 100 communities from the threat of rabies,
Friends of Mbwa Wa Africa Animal Rescue is renamed Four Steps to Freedom, reflecting our proven four-step method of fighting rabies.
Funding begins for the £300,000 Gongo Centre: our much-needed permanent base in Tanzania, from which we will accelerate our anti-rabies campaign work and expand our lifesaving animal wellbeing activity in conjunction with Mbwa Wa Africa Animal Rescue.2022: Mbwa Wa Africa Animal Rescue relocates to the site of the Gongo Centre, providing improved accommodation and facilities for suffering animals.
October 2025: Our Veterinary Centre of Excellence opens at the Gongo Centre, and the next chapter of our fundraising journey begins.
Meet Gongo: the brave dog who gave his name to the Gongo Centre.
October 2025: Our Veterinary Centre of Excellence opens its doors
Thanks to the generosity of our volunteers and donors, our dream of founding a Veterinary Centre of Excellence in Tanzania became a reality on 25 October 2025.
Equipped to world-class standards, this is the first Veterinary Centre of Excellence ever to exist in Tanzania’s Arusha Region, providing:
Veterinary care, laboratory and surgery facilities for animals throughout the Meru district and beyond
A base for our anti-rabies campaigns, accelerating our efforts to protect communities and prevent the spread of rabies
Dedicated training spaces where our international volunteer vets train local Tanzanian vet school graduates in lifesaving small-animal surgery techniques
Help us to keep saving lives at The Gongo Centre
Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, our all-Tanzanian team of veterinary professionals (left to right: Anna, veterinary surgeon; Naftal and Haike, paraveterinary professionals) is now based full-time at the Gongo Centre: easing animal suffering and saving animal lives every day.
Each year, with support from Mission Rabies and WVS as well as dozens of educators, volunteer vets and animal handlers, our anti-rabies campaigns now operate from the Veterinary Centre of Excellence.
From our permanent base, we now have the opportunity to amplify the efficiency and impact of our campaigns, protecting even more of Tanzania’s communities from the fear and suffering of rabies.
None of this will be possible without your ongoing support. We depend entirely on the generosity of donors and grant funders like you, to continue our lifesaving work in Tanzania. Please help us to keep on saving lives!
