This project will provide medication, vitamin supplements and surgical care for animals in the rural communities surrounding Leon, Nicaragua. These procedures help to lower the burden of zoonotic diseases on the community while simultaneously improving the health of the community's animals. Additionally, this project will provide scholarships to students interested in pursuing careers as veterinarians with the aim of improving future access to these types of services.
Work animals in rural Nicaragua can form the cornerstone of the community. When these animals are in poor health so too are the community members depending on them for their livelihood. Limited transportation options, long travel times and low-income levels make veterinary services hard to access and leave many animals suffering unnecessarily. Furthermore, according to Central America Data, there are fewer than 1,000 veterinarians throughout the entire country of Nicaragua.
In August of this year, HOLA will send volunteers to Nicaragua to work alongside local veterinarians and students in the rural communities of Chacraseca, La Leona, and La Ceiba. This trip will bring much needed veterinary care and supplies into these areas. The Jamie Byers fund, established in memory of one of HOLA's original founders, will help fund tuition scholarships for financially disadvantaged students with the goal of building broader access to veterinary services.
Over the next three years HOLA has committed to identifying six students who wish to become veterinarians, helping to build a broader base of veterinarians with ties to rural areas that have long gone under served. Healthier animals and the food security and capital that this can generate has the potential to lift community members out of poverty. Even simple procedures, like the spaying of animals, can keep population counts in check and reduce future outbreaks of zoonotic diseases.
