Following the change of government in Afghanistan last August, Mayhew Afghanistan initially suspended its operations for safety and security reasons but always with the objective of resuming its operations in the country’s capital, Kabul, as soon as it was safe to do so.
Following a month’s hiatus, the team at Mayhew Afghanistan was given permission to continue with its work of vaccinating the free-roaming dogs against rabies and neutering the dogs to manage the city’s canine population.
The team worked at a reduced capacity between September and November, but from December 2021 the charity’s operations are now returning to its usual levels.
In 2021, Mayhew’s team in Kabul had vaccinated 14,503 dogs against rabies – 1,345 since September. Last year 9,468 dogs were neutered, with 1,697 neutered between September and December alone.
The Community Engagement team has also continuing with its vital work in delivering information about rabies, dog bite prevention and how to behave around street dogs. Last year, this community programme has reached over 1,700 children and adults, ensuring better outcomes for both the communities and animals in Kabul.
Mayhew has been working in Kabul since the early 2000s but was officially registered as a non-government organisation (NGO) in 2016. The charity’s aims are to eradicate dog-mediated rabies from Kabul through a mass vaccination campaign of the dogs over consecutive year and to humanely manage the city’s free-roaming dog population, building safer and healthier community for both dogs and Kabul’s residents.
Mayhew Afghanistan also provides employment, training and volunteering opportunities for Afghan veterinarians and students, thereby growing the veterinary sector in the country as well as raising standards in animal welfare.
So far, Mayhew Afghanistan has neutered over 22,000 dogs and more than 79,000 dogs have had a life-saving rabies vaccination.
Mayhew Afghanistan’s Country Director Dr Mohammadzai DVM, (known as “Dr Mo”) has been instrumental in driving the work to improve the welfare of the dogs in Kabul and raising veterinary standards in Kabul for a number of years now. He has received a number of awards in recognition of his work, including the International Award from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons‘ honours list for his ground-breaking work in Kabul.
Dr Mo said: “Since August, the team in Kabul has done amazing things in spite of the many challenges it has faced. As a charity, we have been working within the new Government’s framework so we can carry on our much needed work.
“We have continued to make a great strides here in our work with dogs as well as the local communities in Kabul.”
