MorrisDarbo - Liberia Animal Welfare and Conservation Society -

World Animal Day Celebration 2014

Dec 08

This free outreach veterinary service was conducted to improve the relationship between dogs and their owners. The program made dog owners to values their dogs. Due to the presently unprecedented health crisis our country is faced, ban has been placed on bush meat posing another threat for domestic animals including dogs- “Man Best Friend“. We organized the program to strengthening a cordial relationship between dogs and their owners. It was a successful program with dog owners appreciating the Liberia Animal Welfare & Conservation Society for undertaking this initiative. The program also encourage people to care for their dogs including the living condition and health.

World Rabies Day Celebration 2014

Dec 08

The issue of rabies still remains a serious and neglected concern in Liberia, a country without easy accessibility to anti-human rabies vaccine or rabies vaccine for dogs. Very little is known about this neglected and deadly disease in Liberia. The people of Liberia keep dogs for several reasons- for hunting, securities, pets, and income. When there is an outbreak of rabies in any community, killing of dogs has been the common and only method used to eradicate the spread of the disease. Dogs are killed randomly and eaten by organized groups. LAWCS has done lot of education in discouraging people from eating dog meat and changes are taking place gradually.

Every year, the Liberia Animal Welfare & Conservation Society with support from Doggone Safe Canada organizes educational activities with school children and community members educating them about rabies and dog bite prevention.
In the heat of the currently serious health crisis Liberia is faced with in fighting another deadly disease, Ebola that continues to take the lives of many innocent people, LAWCS in partnership with Doggone Safe Canada conducted educational programs from September 1 to 30, 2014. These sessions educated children and their parents about rabies, dog bite prevention and responsible pet ownership. All of these activities were geared toward protecting children and their parents from dog bites, and improving the relationship between dogs and their owners. When people are educated about rabies, they can become prepared to address any outbreak without killing all the dogs in the communities. They will also start to care for their dogs and to improve the health and living conditions.

LAWCS` volunteers visited 35 communities with the world rabies day celebration program and educated 2653 parents and 3972 children. A total of 6,625 people were reached and inspired with the rabies and dog bite education activities.

We are grateful to the family of Doggone Safe, most especially Joan C. Orr for the financial support given to LAWCS which made the program a successful one.

Thanks,

Morris Darbo
Program Coordinator
Liberia Animal Welfare & Conservation Society

Operation Hand Wash Against Ebola – Sept 16 Report

Sep 23

The people of Lofa County, Liberia and LAWCS’ volunteers are very happy and want to extend thanks and appreciation to all those who donated or donating toward the fight against this deadly disease in our country. LAWCS’ volunteers are very much happy that through your donations they are also contributing to the fight against Ebola in Liberia by volunteering their times and services to reach to remote communities neglected due to lack of roads or deplorable road condition. LAWCS believes that educating people to prevent the spread of the virus and providing them with those essential preventive materials is key and will greatly help in saving lots of lives in the country.

Click here to donate so that this education can continue in areas where other aid organizations are not able to go.

Today was another joyful day for the people LAWCS’ volunteers met across a big river with no road leading there. The staff took the risk to cross the river with the bikes using local made canoe to reach three communities where there has been no awareness or the distribution of other essential preventive materials like buckets, soap and clora. LAWCS was the first organization to meet these communities since the outbreak of the disease in the country. The people including their children were very happy for this life saving gesture and extended their thanks to all those who donated their money to help them. The team created awareness with 563 people- women: 197; men: 162; children: 204. 18 buckets, soap and clora were distributed to the three towns.

These people drink directly from the river. They don’t have well in their towns.

We want to tell all of our sympathizers, friends and supporters that your donations are making tremendous impact in reaching communities that are truly in need and we still want you to please join us in asking other friends to help. There are still lots of communities that need our help.

Please join us in saving lots of lives in Liberia. We can only do this with your support.

We also want to extend a big thank you to the family of Doggone Safe, most especially Joan Orr for your tireless efforts in raising funds to empower LAWCS to reach to remote communities at this bitter time in our history to provide these essential preventive materials and awareness.

Operation Hand Wash Report – Sept 11 2014

Sep 13

We purchased 45 buckets, clora and soap today and distributed 36 buckets, clora and soap.

The reception from the communities is very great. The people are so appreciative that LAWCS is reaching them with the education and donation.The road condition is challenging and deplorable.The team visited three remote communities today and distributed buckets, clora and soap. They provided awareness education for 264 people: Children were 115 and Adults were 149. It was a successful day for LAWCS.

The people were very happy for the education and donation.

Operation Hand Wash Against Ebola

Sep 10

By Morris Darbo

My area is the hardest hit area presently in the country. Over half of the death rate in Liberia is happening in Lofa County where I live. Lots of people have died in Lofa county due to Ebola and continue to die. Some friends that I personally knew have died with their entire families. Some children have become orphans due to the virus.

My family, our volunteers and their families and I are all well and following the preventive measures.

Awareness education is very cardinal and the provision of buckets, soap, sanitizers, chlorine and clora are highly needed in the villages.

We have been doing some awareness but need to do more in the villages where lots of organizations can’t go due to the deplorable road condition.

If we can do that in the villages where we have been working, it will be a life saving approach. We can do this along with the rabies prevention program.

95% of the population in Lofa county live on subsistence farming. They live below 1 dollar per day. The government of Liberia said that washing of hands with clora, chlorine and water is very vital in preventing the virus. 65 percentage of the people live in remote communities that are not easily accessible to car. Few organizations have been distributing buckets and chlorine in communities where car can easily go. There has been no awareness and distribution of those items in the remote communities where car can not reach.

Due to the high poverty rate, people can not afford to buy those items for themselves. We want to reach to remote communities. Each bucket cost 10 USD, clora is 3 USD and soap is 0.45 USD. LAWCS has a bike to travel in those communities. Gas and engine oil will be needed. Meals for volunteers while on the field.

Please donate $2 to help us buy buckets, soap and bleach and to educate the poorest most marginalized people about basic sanitation and disinfection.

International Dog Bite Prevention Challenge 2014

Jun 23

DURATION: March 3, to May 23, 2014

SPONSOR: Doggone Safe Canada

DATE OF SUBMISSION: May 26, 2014

NUMBER OF BENEFICIARIES: 13,949

Doggone Safe Canada is a strong partner to the Liberia Animal Welfare & Conservation Society. Through materials and monetary support from Doggone Safe Canada, the Liberia Animal Welfare & Conservation Society has a sustainable dog bite prevention program established in 10 schools and an outreach program in additional 11 schools.

Dog bite prevention education is cardinal in rebuilding a country- Liberia where nearly 85% of the population lives below USD 1 dollar per day and the means of accessing anti- human rabies vaccine is nearly impossible. Dogs are part of the family circle but suffer as the result of rabies and the dog meat trade. When there is an outbreak of rabies, killing has been the only easy method used to wipe out the disease. This method failed to eliminate or reduce the spread of the deadly and neglected disease. In partnership with Doggone Safe Canada, the Liberia Animal Welfare & Conservation Society introduced the dog bite prevention program in various communities and schools in Lofa County, Liberia targeting mainly children- the main victims of dog bite. The program is making an impressive improvement in the fight against the spread of rabies and the killing of dogs as the mean of curtailing the spread of rabies. Today, as the result of LAWCS intervention, dog bite incidence are drastically reduced in the communities where LAWCS is working and people continue to live happily with their dogs. Read More…

LAWCS Conference Presentation

Jan 25

Lawcs presentation at the conference from MorrisDarbo

The Vegan Outreach Program

Dec 20

Donor: FARM`s Sabina Fund
Duration: November 1- 30, 2013.
Amount: USD 500.00
Date of Report: December 5, 2013

About LAWCS

Efforts aimed at creating an Animal Welfare and Conservation Society in Liberia started in 2000 when the founder, Mr. Morris Darbo and some concerned animal lovers at the local community level began to campaign against the lack of care for domestic animals. It was observed at that time the number of stray dogs in the streets had increased at an alarming rate, with most Liberians referring to the dogs as “CITIZENS“. It was also observed at that time that wildlife were over harvested due to the bush meat trade as an important source of meat protein and income to local and national economies and their habitat was destroyed due to logging. The campaign methodology to address the stray dogs’ situations consisted of outreach visits to a number of pet owners and residents in Monrovia and other parts of the country. The campaign methodology also extended in various communities educating local community people about the importance of wildlife and the forests to the country. These efforts set into motion, the process that led to the establishment of the Liberia Animal Welfare and Conservation Society (LAWCS) in late 2001. The society was subsequently registered and accredited under the laws of Liberia as a non-governmental organization in 2004.

Report on Rabies Education and Prevention 2013

Oct 07

DURATION: AUGUST 1 TO SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

SPONSOR: GLOBAL ALLIANCE FOR RABIES CONTROL

DATE OF SUBMISSION: OCTOBER 7, 2013

The Liberia Animal Welfare and Conservation Society (LAWCS) is grateful to Global Alliance for Rabies Control for funding the printing of posters and flyers which were used to educate community people and school children in Voinjama District about rabies education and prevention.

International Dog Bite Prevention Challenge 2013

Aug 23

The Liberia Animal Welfare and Conservation Society (LAWCS) is a locally based animal welfare organization established in 2000 and legally registered with the government of Liberia in 2004. LAWCS renewed its legal status with the government of Liberia on January 3, 2012.

The vision of LAWCS is to create a society where the welfare of all forms of nature matter. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”.

Liberia is one of the countries that does not provide rabies vaccine to dogs and anti-rabies vaccine to humans. Dogs are the main carriers and transmitters of rabies in Liberia. Children have been the main victims of dog bite. In partnership with a Canadian based organization, Doggone Safe, LAWCS has been actively involved in dog bite prevention education in various schools in Lofa County using “Be a Tree“ dog bite prevention program.

From April to May, 2013, LAWCS` volunteers visited and inspired 10,076 school children in 19 schools.