Our work
We are a Scottish-registered charity, fighting to end animal suffering and stop rabies in the Meru district of Tanzania since 2015.
We save and care for sick and suffering animals, provide training for local vets and educate communities in animal handling and rabies prevention, working in partnership with our sister charity Mbwa Wa Africa Animal Rescue.
We fight rabies through animal vaccination and sterilisation campaigns, delivered in partnership with global non-profits, grassroot partners and volunteers from around the world.
We call our approach Four Steps to Freedom.
Step 1 : Vaccinate
We eliminate rabies from local domestic dog populations through systematic vaccination campaigns that stop infection in its tracks.
#vaccination
Step 2 : Prevent
We prevent the resurgence of the disease by controlling local dog populations, in sterilisation campaigns led by international volunteer vets.
#spay_neuter
Step 3 : Protect
We educate local children about the humane treatment of animals, explaining the risk of rabies and how to avoid it.
#education
Step 4 : Sustain
We train local vets in small animal surgery skills, often neglected or insufficiently taught in Tanzania, empowering them to manage dog populations effectively.
#employment
Why fight rabies in Tanzania?
1500 people (mostly children) die of rabies in Tanzania every year, usually following a bite from an infected dog.
The threat of rabies has created widespread fear and hatred of dogs in Tanzania, leading to unspeakable acts of animal cruelty.
By taking action to end rabies in the Meru district of Tanzania, we are directly saving children’s lives today - and building a safer future for the region’s animals, for ever.
Rabies is the world’s most deadly disease for humans and animals
Rabies is 99% fatal and 100% preventable.
Canine vaccination and population control is the only proven way to break the cycle of dog-to-human rabies infection.
The World Health Organisation (WHO), The World Organisation for Animal Health (OiE) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have pledged to eliminate rabies by 2030
For thousands of Tanzanian people and animals, that will be already too late.
Four Steps to Freedom is run entirely by volunteers.
Our work is made possible by the generosity of our supporters and the volunteer vets, nurses, educators and animal lovers from around the world who travel to Tanzania every year on our behalf.
With your support, we will make rabies a thing of the past in the Meru district of Tanzania.
Mbwa Wa Africa means ‘Dogs of Africa’ in Swahili. Based in the Arusha region of Tanzania, Mbwa Wa Africa Animal Rescue is an independent NGO founded in 2013 by Sandra Kliegelhoefer and her husband, Jens Fissenebert, a German couple living in Tanzania, to shelter, rehabilitate & rehome sick, injured dogs, cats and other animals.
In 2015, Mbwa Wa Africa Animal Rescue premises became the official base for our anti-rabies vaccination, spay and neuter operations in Tanzania.
As our lifesaving partnership flourished, in 2021 Mbwa Wa Africa was officially recognised in the Tanzanian Government’s National Rabies Control Strategy.
Explore life at Mbwa Wa Africa Animal Rescue on their dedicated website.
Our mission now is to save more lives, faster.
In 2021 we began raising funds to build and equip The Gongo Centre: the first dedicated animal welfare and veterinary training centre of excellence ever to exist in the Meru district of Tanzania.
Thanks to the generosity and hard work of our volunteers, donors and supporters, the buildings and infrastructure are now in place, allowing us to:
Provide urgent veterinary care for sick and injured animals
Quarantine animals when they come to our centre
Prevent the spread of infection thanks to our purpose-built isolation unit
Isolate animals with contagious diseases in the Isolation Building
Deliver training seminars and masterclasses to local vets
Accommodate international volunteer vets and vet nurses, on-site
Relocate and expand the lifesaving activities of Mbwa Wa Africa Animal Rescue
Shelter dogs and cats in our Kennels and Cattery.
With your help, The Gongo Centre will evolve into a true Veterinary Centre of Excellence, accelerating the battle against rabies; saving animal lives and educating a new generation of Tanzanian vets. When it is fully operational, the Gongo Centre will:
Become the only state-of-the-art animal hospital in the 1200 sq km Meru District of Tanzania, saving countless animal lives
Vaccinate 20,000 animals per year
Spay & neuter 4,000 animals per year
Educate 1,000 local children per year in the safe and humane treatment of animals
Train 24 local vets per year in vital small-animal surgery skills that will enable them to keep local dog populations in check