SPANA (Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad) is one of the world’s oldest international veterinary charities, providing practical care for around 380,000 working animals a year in 8 countries in Africa and the Middle East.

Millions of people around the world still get their income from a working animal, be it a donkey, mule, horse or camel. For thousands of years they have been the only truck and taxi that millions of people have ever known. But while we can always call the local garage when our car won't start, if you live in somewhere like Mali or Ethiopia and your camel or donkey is sick, that might mean your family going to bed hungry that night. So where do you turn?

The answer, for many people in rural areas across a swathe of North Africa and the Middle East lies with SPANA. Nearly a century after it was first set up, SPANA still believes passionately that by ensuring a working animal is well and healthy, it can make even more of a contribution to the lives of those who depend on it. By helping the animal, with simple practical veterinary care and support, we are helping the families who depend on it for a living.

SPANA was founded over 80 years ago by two English women, Kate Hosali and her daughter Nina, after they witnessed the mistreatment of working animals during a tour of North Africa in 1923. They vowed to do something about the situation and so Kate Hosali returned, as soon as possible, to begin treating the animals herself, while Nina set up SPANA back home in London.

At a time when few women even traveled alone, Kate worked tirelessly and selflessly. Initially her efforts were subject to ridicule, but through extraordinary hard work and determination, she won the respect and friendship of the local people, who called her the Toubiba, or Lady Doctor.

A demand for SPANA’s practical but invaluable assistance resulted in it establishing centres across North and West Africa, in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Mali, Mauritania, Ethiopia, and into the Middle East in Jordan and Syria. It has a flourishing education programme working closely with the authorities in each of its host countries. It is also being increasingly asked to help intervene in emergency situations on behalf of affected livestock, which has resulted in response operations in Kosovo, Iraq, Darfur/Sudan, Zimbabwe and most recently in Chad, where SPANA has been working with the UN.

SPANA’s team will be blogging every fortnight, giving an insight into the work of the charity and the people, places and equines they come across. Jeremy Hulme is SPANA’s Chief Executive, and he travels regularly to all SPANA’s countries. Karen Reed is Director of Veterinary Services, and Simon Pope, Director of Communications – they’ll all be blog contributors. Both Simon and Jeremy are running in the London Marathon (April 26th 2009) in lifelike donkey costumes, so more on this (with pictures..!) in a future blog! For more information visit www.spana.org