Brooke USA Foundation (Brooke USA) is officially announcing the successful completion of its comprehensive philanthropic campaign, The Power of ONE. Raising $1,194,839.29 (close to $200,000 over goal), The Power of ONE was created last October to emphasize the fact that it only takes one person to have a profound impact on millions of lives—ONE by ONE. ONE gift at a time, ONE animal at a time, ONE community at a time.
More than 1,000 friends and supporters contributed to the record-breaking $1.2 million which serves to meet Brooke USA’s commitment to fund programs in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. With a focus on impacting the economic sustainability of vulnerable communities, protecting the planet, ensuring gender equality, and guaranteeing life on land resilience, the funds raised during The Power of ONE are already benefiting programs around the globe.
One such project strives to help local communities in Nicaragua diversify their income and provide food security, through the establishment of “demonstration plots”. These small parcels of land are used to grow crops that benefit not only humans but provide much-needed fodder for working horses. As such, owners are provided with an alternative source of income, while also improving the health and welfare of their animals. Thanks to The Power of ONE, Brooke USA will contribute toward 75 plots across impoverished communities in Nicaragua.
“Over the span of this campaign, many demonstrated their support of Brooke USA; a testament to the value that donors place on Brooke USA’s mission and work. We are ever so grateful to all those who joined our efforts,” said Katherine Kaneb, Chair of the Board of Directors of Brooke USA. “Thanks to this campaign, Brooke USA is able to continue its mission of alleviating the suffering of working horses, donkey and mules, and the people who depend on them for survival everywhere.”
Another program funded by the generosity of Brooke USA friends is grassroots advocacy which triggered a public crusade to halt the sale of ejiao from Amazon, the largest worldwide online retailer. Ejiao is the product derived from boiling donkey hides and used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to allegedly cure infertility, increase potency, and manage circulation. Most recently, thanks to Brooke USA’s efforts, Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) introduced the Ejiao Act (H.R. 5203), which restricts trade on all ejiao products as these are decimating the donkey global population and threatening impoverished families who rely on them.
“It is inspiring to see our community of donors, friends, family and supporters come together to attain the $1 million goal of The Power of ONE and make our commitments a reality, especially amidst the COVID-19 global pandemic,” said Emily Dulin, CEO of Brooke USA. “It is hard to overstate the impact these generous contributions will have on the people and animals who need it most.”
Moving forward, Brooke USA will be able to:
- Continue its commitment to banning the import and sale of ejiao in the United States, the third largest consumer of the product in the world.
- Establish more plots in Nicaragua to help villagers in that nation and hopefully see an expansion to other nations in Latin America.
- Grant funds to US-based equine rescues which, due to the global pandemic, have seen a reduction in funding and an increase in horse abandonment and medical bills.
- Support disaster prevention and citizen resilience across Africa with a pilot test in West Africa, specifically Senegal and Burkina Faso.
- Help coal mine donkeys in Pakistan, used to fetch coal from approximately 3,000–6,000 feet below ground, working up to eight or 10 hours a day, six days a week.
- Aid horses, donkeys, and mules in the brick kilns of India. These equines are used to transport bricks by cart under extremely harsh conditions.
- Build two veterinary health clinics in Ethiopia which will reduce the distance owners and animals need to travel to access services.
The Power of ONE was launched to recognize the enormous value of every single donation and every single donor toward improving the lives of working horses, donkeys and mules, and the people they serve throughout the developing world. “We are ever so grateful to all those who supported us,” concluded Dulin.
About Brooke USA Foundation (Brooke USA): The mission of Brooke USA is to significantly improve the health, welfare and productivity of working horses, donkeys and mules and the people who depend on them for survival worldwide. We are committed to sustainable economic development by reducing poverty, increasing food security, ensuring access to water, providing a means to education, and raising basic standards of living through improved equine health and welfare. We accomplish this by raising funds and responsibly directing them to the areas of greatest need.
Brooke USA strives to alleviate the suffering and vulnerability of developing communities by funding and implementing programs that improve the quality of life and health of working equines and thereby positively impacting their economic sustainability, protecting the planet, ensuring gender equality, and guaranteeing life on land resilience. We want to see healthy, happy people and equines that work in partnership to achieve sustainable local economies.
For more information, contact:
Emily Dulin
305-505-6170
Emily.Dulin@BrookeUSA.org
Kendall Bierer
561-309-9873
Kendall.Bierer@BrookeUSA.org