Project Date: March 5th to April 1st 2018
Localisation : Africa
Population : 51000000
Spoken Languages : Swahili, English and numerous dialects
Local Partner : Mbwa Wa Africa Animal Rescue
Learning, while helping, a feel good experience! Eight graduating animal health technician students from College Lionel-Groulx lived that experience during an end of degree externship in Tanzania last March. What they were able to accomplish was phenomenal!
Flying to Africa is always exciting, but intimidating at the same time. Starting at their arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport, we welcomed highly motivated and determined young women ready to perfect their knowledge and help the animals at the same time. In a few days, they had to adapt to a new culture, different customs, bugs, cold showers, slow WiFi, etc…
They made new friends with the Tanzanian team whom they traveled with in a dala-dala (common form of public transport in Tanzania), went door to door vaccinating dogs against rabies, accumulated statistics on the number of dogs in the area, and observed the daily life of the Tanzanian people which is totally foreign to ours. The experience totally changed the way they viewed life for sure!
The clinic part of the externship was next. Here are the numbers from this impressive campaign:
- 287 dogs sterilized, 41 of which were street dogs, and one small cat. Every sterilized dog was tatooed and received a yellow ear tag. Visible from a distance this tag indicates that the dog has been vaccinated and sterilized. We hope that the authorities will stop putting down these dogs, being that they no longer represent a threat to the human population.
- 1235 dogs vaccinated against rabies. A big number!
- 7981 students in 15 schools educated in dog bite as well as rabies prevention.
- More than 680 homes were visited by the Tanzanian survey team, to compile statistics on the number of dogs in the area as well as people’s perception on the dog population.
Sterilizing 287 dogs in two weeks signifies a ton of practical experience for the students: 287 catheters, 287 endotracheal tubes, 287 local blocks and too many to count subcutaneous and intramuscular injections. The school of life in the fast lane!
Mission accomplished!
Thank you to Gabrielle, Valérie, Camylle, Camille, Alexandra, Mélika, Andréanne and Christine! Your devotion and passion contributed to changing the lives of hundreds of Tanzanian dogs and their humans!
Asante sana!
Would you like to do an international end of year externship? Don’t hesitate to contact us! The world awaits!