$250,000 a year for 5 years to yield drastic improvements in brick kilns
(Lexington, KY – August 15, 2024) – Brooke USA Foundation has agreed to fund its first multi-year project to support more than 300 newly identified Indian brick kilns over the next five years, promoting animal welfare-friendly attitudes and environments. Brooke USA will be working in communities which have never been in contact with Brooke India, the field partner on this project, allowing Brooke USA to measure impact and change over time – from initial program deployment to planned exit strategies years later.
There are approximately 100,000 active brick kilns across India, serving as the second largest producer of clay fired bricks in the world, accounting for more than 10 percent of production. Ten million people and 380,000 animals work in the brick kilns (ICIMOD’s, Burnt Clay Brick Sector in India, 2019). Brick kilns take a heavy toll on the animal and human workforce as well as damage and pollute the environment.
Donkeys, horses and mules work in brick kilns, a largely hidden industry, often unorganized and unregulated, where animals and humans endure the harshest working conditions with limited, if any, legal protection and rights. Labor abuses are commonplace, including low wages, child labor and bonded labor. Brick kilns pollute the air and water, causing infection and respiratory diseases in animals and humans.
In these brick kilns, the animals transport tons of handmade bricks every day. These animals suffer from poor nutrition and other serious health and welfare issues as well as extreme working environments, and poor husbandry. Acute heat, no shade, water or rest, as well as overloading, all of which lead to disease and injuries.
Emily Marquez-Dulin, Chief Executive Officer of Brooke USA said: “This five-year commitment to Brooke India is historical for Brooke USA as we embark on servicing five communities which have had limited or no access to Brooke’s training and services. We will follow each community through their journey to improved animal welfare and better human livelihoods by consistently measuring change against specific indicators. Moreover, we will be able to report progress and impact to our donors while positioning ourselves to reach larger contributions and thus, help more people and animals across the globe.”
USA has committed $1,250,000 to deliver change and thus improve the lives of working equines and the people they serve in the brick kilns. Brooke USA’s India project kicks-off in October 2024 and will be funded through October 2029 with an option to extend support for an additional two to four years, based on proven and remarkable community improvements (or lack thereof) on behalf of working equines and their extremely poor owners. This new project will take place in villages near Kaimur, Gonda, Samba, Rothak and Surat in the states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Hariyana and Gujarat, respectively. The goal is to reach 4,500 working horses, donkeys and mules and 9,700 people who depend on them.
The program has been designed to provide a 360° intervention approach that measures specific outcomes against pre-set indicators and benchmarks. The overarching themes to be continually assessed and evaluated are changes in human behavior toward working equines such as proactive husbandry and preventive healthcare, increased family income generated from new sources of revenue such as small business development and community collaborations, improved animal health and body condition, and environmental enhancements like access to water, delivery of feed and provision of shelter.
Jyothi Dharmadheeran, Country Director of Brooke India, said “We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our partners in the USA for their generosity and compassion in creating a life worth living for horses, donkeys, and mules. This pledge will help support Brooke India’s efforts to improve the health and welfare of both equines and equine-owning families, empowering women and building economic resilience.”
“We’re thrilled to be able to offer data, both qualitative and quantitative, that showcases the power of our work, and the importance of philanthropic investments in making our world a better place for humans and animals alike,” announced Dulin. Undoubtedly, this approach will strengthen Brooke USA’s ability to respond to both worldwide and local needs for animal welfare programming.
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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. To learn more about Brooke USA, please visit www.brookeusa.org.
Media Contacts:
Emily Dulin
305-505-6170
Emily.Dulin@BrookeUSA.org
Kendall Bierer
561-309-9873
Kendall.Bierer@BrookeUSA.org