We have teamed up with the Christian charity Send a Cow to launch a new training programme in Ethiopia to improve the health and welfare of donkeys - and thereby the livelihood of poor families.

The Sanctuary has been working in Ethiopia since 1986 and with the help of donations received from our supporters, we now have a donkey hospital in Ethiopia equipped with an operating theatre, laboratory and recovery stables. The Sanctuary also operates a number of mobile clinics throughout Ethiopia visiting donkeys and owners to provide veterinary aid to some of the hardest working equines in the country.

The training programme will be over a period of one year which will hopefully lead to further training initiatives.

Stephen Blakeway our Director of International Operations goes on to say: "Teaming up with other organisations to improve donkey welfare, helping them to add that ‘donkey dimension’, is an effective way to spread the impact of our work.

In this case, Send a Cow have realised the importance of donkeys in the lives of their partner communities. Through our training, the donkey owners will be better able to keep their donkeys fit and healthy. This will benefit the donkeys and their owners."

The Donkey Sanctuary will be providing 75% of the funding for the £6,500 training project, with the remainder provided by Send a Cow.