Vet Books for Africa

Our first trip for the year to Zimbabwe and Zambia took place from 30 June to 9 July 2022. Over the course of 10 days we travelled a total of just over 4000km. In Zimbabwe our ports of call were the University of Zimbabwe and Twala Trust animal sanctuary, and in Zambia it was the University of Zambia, Lilayi Elephant Nursery and the Leopard Hill Veterinary Clinic. Our team distributed five boxes filled with 60 veterinary science textbooks, twelve microscopes, four spay kits, cleaning materials and other supplies of veterinary interest. This included different kinds of surgical instruments, reels of chromic cat gut, bandages, dressing, disinfectant and darting equipment. We also donated 100 kilograms of dog food.

It was heart-warming to walk through the university libraries we visited and to note just how many of the books at veterinary science students’ disposal have over the years been donated by Vet Books for Africa. Some of the books date back to 1998. One of the trip highlights was seeing the “absolute delight” of the veterinarians at Leopard Hill Veterinary Clinic in Lusaka when they received a box filled with veterinary supplies and a new microscope to replace the very old model they were using for diagnostic purposes.

The trip was however not all plain sailing. Our team, among others, had to cope with the logistics of having to seek medical attention and organize MRI scans in a foreign country, after one of the committee members, Lara, suffered a serious back injury. Lara received fantastic medical care and were able to book her a flight from Lusaka to Johannesburg.

Our sponsors have also been wonderful. Without them, we simply would not have been able to do the work that we have been doing! MBT Petroleum, our main sponsor and provided us with vehicles as well as fuel for their trip. The trips are also made possible thanks to Montego, Global Supplies, Pneu Dart, Wildlife Pharmaceuticals, Hills, Elanco, Kyron Agri, MSD Animal Health, SAVA, Molatek, Avimune, Acorn, Sanlam, OVK, Zoetis, Sapmok, HERD, Afrivet, NuPro Veevoere and Sky Information Supplies. We look forward to having all our sponsors at our Gala evening later this year.

We are already hard at work planning the second leg of their trip, which will take place from 2 December 2022 to 9 January 2023. We learned a lot of valuable lessons during out first trip that will help us a lot during our longer December trip.

Earlier this year, 26-29 May 2022, we had an amazing opportunity to join hands with HERD and take part in a rabies and veterinary awareness drive at schools in the local communities. Thanks to Montego, we were also able to distribute dog food and treats in local communities. At the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre, we lent a hand with feeding the cheetah’s, vultures and wild dogs at the centre. We also helped to clean the feeding area of the vultures and the watering holes of the leopard and wild dogs being cared for at the centre.

We would like to thank each and every person and organization for their involvement and support.

The Vet Books for Africa Team 

Links:

• Donation Pictures from Vet Books for Africa
• Video from Vet Books for Africa
• Vet Books and Rabies Campaign

We are extremely thankful for all the support for our mission – from individuals to organizations, people have opened their hearts and wallets and are joining in our excitement for this amazing mission.

We have a vision for our amazing organization to grow and to have a long-lasting impact on the countries that we visit and the people that we meet. We are proud to say that we will be visiting more countries and organizations than ever before in the 29-year history of Vet Books for Africa. We will be visiting 8 African countries and support 18 organizations including universities, conservation organizations, animal rehabilitation centres, animal shelters and schools. In order for us to reach all these countries and organizations we will be doing two trips, another first for Vet Books for Africa. The first trip will take place from 1-9 July 2022 and we will be traveling to Zimbabwe and Zambia. By splitting our trip in two we will be able to visit Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi in December. We plan to take this trip from 2 December 2022 to 9 January 2023.

We have been blessed with many organizations and businesses that support the Vet Books for Africa mission. A special thanks to MBT Petroleum, our main sponsor, for the major contribution that they make and all the doors that they have opened for us as an organization. We also have two Platinum tier sponsors: Montego and Global supplies. Along with these 3 organizations are a long list of amazing sponsors. Thank you to each and every one for enabling us to follow the dreams we have for Vet Books for Africa. Without our amazing sponsors Vet Books for Africa will not be able to exist.

We have decided to reach out to different conservation organisations (HERD and Care for Wild) and communities in our own country as well. We look forward to the opportunity to volunteer at these amazing organizations and to engage with local schools and communities. We plan to provide schools with the necessary stationery and support communities by assisting in rabies vaccination campaigns.

What do we do with sponsored money?

We are in the process of purchasing veterinary textbooks and equipment for the organizations we will be visiting in July. This includes items like immobilization darts, epoc cards, suture material, disinfectants, stethoscopes and otoscopes. We also plan to buy stationery for the learners of the schools that we will visit in July.

The rest of the funds will be used to cover travel expenses and accommodation during our trip.

Route July trip

As mentioned previously our first trip will commence on the first of July 2022. The following is a short itinerary for the July trip:

Day 1

On day one we plan to set off from Onderstepoort to Musina where we shall start our journey. Arriving late afternoon in Musina we will set up camp and get a good night’s rest before an early start on day two.

Day 2

Day two sees us undertake the busy border post of Beit Bridge in the early morning, which will signal the start of the first steps into Zimbabwe. We will reach the capital Harare later that day and settle in for another night after the hard day’s drive.

Day 3

The University of Zimbabwe will be the first port of call for the committee on the third day, where we will meet with the university staff and re-establish the strong ties previous committees have forged here before. Mukuvisi Woodlands reserve and Twala Trust will also be expecting a visit from us- to help with much needed supplies and engage with the local community on topics such as veterinary work and conservation.

Day 4

A long day three will precede a day the committee takes on the road, as we trek up further North to our goal of Lusaka, Zambia (via the Chirundu BP), where we will be welcomed by our hosts in the capital at Lusaka National Park in the late afternoon.

Day 5

Lilayi Elephant Nursery, Leopard Hill veterinary clinic as well as the University of Zambia are on the itinerary list for day 5 as we help where asked and build strong ties with the establishments, from the aspect of conservation and education respectively.

Day 6

After an incredibly busy week the Vetbooks Committee will begin its trip back down South with an easy drive to the city of Livingstone near Victoria Falls. Here we will do some well-deserved sight-seeing and try to work on establishing contacts and networks for the December/Jan trip to come.

The remaining days (7-9) will be spent on the road back home to Onderstepoort, which will likely see us visiting Bulawayo for a night and making a short detour into Botswana the following day (via Plumtree BP) to avoid the hustle and bustle of Beit Bridge.

December/January Trip (summary)

After the earlier taste of adventure in July, where lots of good ground has been covered in both Zimbabwe and Zambia - the end of year trip is able to cover all countries and charities as planned.

With 5 weeks and two days afforded to the Vetbooks committee we will be hard paced to reach all our destinations and make it back in time for the kick off of the academic year.

On this note the Vetbooks convoy will need only a few days to make it up to Lilongwe, Malawi (via Harare and Northern Mozambique). After leaving our positive mark on the University of Agriculture and Natural Resources we will set off along the shores of Lake Malawi North and into Tanzania, where our next destination will be Sokoine University of Agriculture close to the port city of Dar es Salaam.

By the end of the second week on the road we have set the goal to reach Nairobi Kenya (stopping along the way in Mombasa and stopping for a moment to appreciate the beauty of Mt. Kilimanjaro as seen from the Kenyan view). When our work is complete at the University of Nairobi, the road will take us to the little village of Kisii (close to the shores of Lake Victoria) where we will assist Kisii National Polytechnic and the local village school in whatever needs they need met to continue to educate and inspire the children and young members of the community there. Over the course of the next week the team will skirt the lovely shores of Lake Victoria, Uganda, with visits to Makerere University, Elgon Wildlife Conservation and St Mary’s Primary school. With the turn South at hand we will find ourselves en route down to Kigali - the capital of Rwanda.

After visits to the University of Rwanda and WAG animal shelter the final frontier for the committee will be the second of our novel destinations – Burundi. This small country is home to the source of the Nile river and the beautiful capital city Bujumbura lies along the serene waters of Lake Tanganyika- the deepest lake in the Southern Hemisphere. Here we make calls at two educational establishments including Ecole Foundamentale Ndava.

From this point our official mission will have been completed- the journey home will have begun. The proposed route of return will see our bakkies return back through Tanzania and South West into Zambia towards Lusaka. Victoria Falls and Livingstone will see us on our way down South towards Bulawayo. From where we will follow the Plumtree and Botswana route back to Mzansi.  

All in all (including the July trip) the Vetbooks team will have traversed over 12 000km in just under 7 weeks, stamped their passports in 11 countries and aided or supported 18 organisations, schools, and universities on their journey to inspire and equip young Africans on their mission in animal health care and conservation.    

We can just emphasize our gratefulness for every contribution and all your support that make our fundraising task easy and making the Vet Books for Africa mission possible.

Thank you

The Vet Books for Africa Team.