Our work
Mbwa Wa Africa Animal Rescue
The Gongo Centre
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: but with 1,500 rabies deaths in Tanzania every year, for thousands of Tanzanian people that will be already too late.
Working with global charities, grassroots partners and volunteers around the world, we have been working since 2015 to free Tanzania from rabies forever: one community at a time.
Research shows that the only way to break the cycle of canine-human infection, is through mass vaccination of the dog populations. For us, dog vaccination is just the beginning. Through our commitment to end rabies in Tanzania, we are working to save human lives, stop animal cruelty, and help repair the broken relationship between dogs and humans, replacing mutual fear and mistrust with friendship and appreciation.
We call our approach Four Steps to Freedom:
A sustainable, effective approach that has already wiped out rabies from 21 communities in Tanzania
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, not currently taught in Tanzania, empowering them to keep dog populations under control.
#employment
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 supporters 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 Tanzania.
Since 2015, Mbwa Wa Africa Animal Rescue has served as the base for our anti-rabies vaccination, spay and neuter operations in Tanzania, hosting hundreds of volunteer vets from around the world and vaccinating tens of thousands of animals.
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 and other animals.
Thanks to the hard work of the local team and the incredible support of our international volunteers and global charity partners, to date our operations at Mbwa Wa Africa Animal Rescue have completely eliminated rabies from 21 communities in Tanzania.
With strong links to the local community, Mbwa Wa Africa Animal Rescue provides a safe space where local children can learn to interact safely with dogs, embedding new, positive attitudes and animal handling practice for the next generation. Local vets work alongside our international volunteers, learning vital skills that equip them to continue crucial spay & neuter campaigns in autonomy.
Mbwa Wa Africa were officially recognised in the Tanzanian Government’s National Rabies Control Strategy, published in 2021.
Mbwa Wa Africa Animal Rescue in numbers:
275,938 school children educated in animal handling & safety
78,052 domestic animals vaccinated
5,991 domestic animals spayed & neutered
200 veterinary volunteers welcomed from around the world
744 vulnerable animals accommodated
21 Tanzanian communities freed from the threat of rabies
‘The Gongo Centre’ will open its doors in 2022 as the Arusha region’s first animal welfare & veterinary centre of excellence, providing us with the permanent base we need to save more human and animal lives, faster.
We need your help to make ‘The Gongo Centre’ a reality.
The first veterinary and education centre of its kind in the Arusha region of Tanzania, ‘The Gongo Centre’ will provide clean, purpose-built veterinary facilities and surgery rooms, where we will:
Re-locate & expand the vital work undertaken by Mbwa Wa Africa Animal Rescue
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
Accommodate two international volunteer vets on-site, all year round
Work to build ‘The Gongo Centre’ has already begun, but we still need your help to complete it. We are working to raise £300,000 to build (£180,000) and equip (£120,000) the Centre.
(1) Veterinary and Education Facility & Volunteer Accommodation (2) Isolation Building (3) Kennels & Quarantine (4) Cattery (5) Dogfood Kitchen (6) Office, Store, Laundry (7) Dog Shelters (8) Boarding Shelter (9) Individual Dog Training Area (10) Dog Training/Agility Area with Aqua Training (11) Volunteer Accommodation (12) Staff Toilet/Shower (13) Carport