In a war-torn world it is easy to forget the animals. The immediate face of war is undoubtedly human suffering, but behind the scenes thousands of animals are killed, injured, starving or abandoned. By the time the current situation eases in Afghanistan, there will be a frighteningly uncertain future for not only the people but also the animals. What of the domestic animals essential for carrying water, food and firewood and for working small farms? With so much human suffering, they are the forgotten ones. We must help them!

HSI has once again joined with the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad (SPANA) to help them improve the lives of animals in a poor nation ravaged by war. SPANA has spent over 80 years dealing with crisis situations in every corner of the world, operating many dozens of veterinary centres and mobile clinics in some of the most unforgiving regions imaginable, treating over 300,000 animals every year. They are desperate to help the animals in Afghanistan but their funding is so tight and they have turned to us for help.

The following note from SPANA's CEO Jeremy Hulme tells how they started to help the animals in Afghanistan:

“I have a son in the Household Cavalry (you know, the ones who trot alongside the Queen when she's opening parliament etc.). Just before they all went out to Afghanistan, the Commanding Officer, on his second tour, said to me ‘We know we cannot ‘win' this war unless we win the hearts and minds of the people. This is my second tour – and although we're breaking our necks building schools and water treatment plants – everyone out there is a livestock farmer and there is absolutely nothing for their animals. I know what SPANA does, is there any chance you could come out and help us?'

He spoke to the ‘powers that be' who thought it was a great idea, and so to cut a long story short, we've now been out to Afghanistan twice, and look like we're going to be involved for some time.

Some 80% of rural people in Helmand Province (in the south, where all the fighting is) depend on livestock for their living or transport, where there are squillions of donkeys – no-one even pretends to know the numbers - and there is not one single Afghan vet in the province. But we found the owners to be very concerned about their livestock, and desperate for veterinary care.

In Africa, they are superstitious and inclined to fear vaccinations, in case we're putting bad spirits etc. into the animals. Not so the Afghans – they know it helps. The older ones remember when they had vets BEFORE the Russian invasion in the eighties. In March, they walked their flocks twenty miles when the Royal Army Veterinary Corp were doing a worming/vaccination campaign – nearly overwhelmed the whole program! We took out over eight thousand dollars worth of vaccine, and it disappeared like snow off a wall.

Donkeys are everywhere – but they are tough old things, and seem to cope. As usual, horses struggle – especially when they have moved ‘downhill' from a riding horse to being a carthorse. It's a hard, hard country, freezing cold in winter (minus 10 centigrade is common even in the lowlands) and a baking oven in the summer (50 degrees is common). Drought is an annual problem – yet the people, like many who live in very tough environments, are friendly, hospitable and with a good sense of humour.

So this is the plan:

Royal Army Veterinary Corp vets (there is only one at the moment, whose day job is looking after the search dogs) goes into an area with military cover and introduces treatment – normally worming and vaccination, making five or six visits over a period, to build up trust and confidence in local people. Together they identify two people from each village to be trainees.

Then SPANA arrives to equip and train the villagers as Basic Veterinary Workers - to worm and vaccinate the livestock, and recognise common ailments. Theyare then supported by SPANA and Royal Army Veterinary Corp over the next year as villagers get used to the whole concept, and start to get the benefits.

On my last visit we were training Ministry staff – so that eventually there will be an Afghan infrastructure to support the veterinary workers – and we also produced a simple booklet on animal husbandry in Pushtu for the farmers.

No-one is pretending it's going to be easy – the security problems make things complicated – but everyone is hugely enthusiastic – the Ministry of Agriculture, the Afghan authorities, the technicians we worked with, the military big-wigs – but perhaps most importantly, the ordinary Afghans. I think it's really exciting, and I know that the animals of Afghanistan will be the winner. I truly hope HSI will be able to help fund this vital work.”

It breaks our heart to see bewildered animals suffering the effects of continuing war and violence, without proper care and short of food and water. HSI is hoping to raise $20,000 to help SPANA expand their veterinary presence in Afghanistan and buy and administer more medical supplies to alleviate suffering and bring calm to the animals that need it most.