SWERA

India is the world's largest democracy and second most populated country. Many of its 1.2 billion people still make a living on the land.

Animal Husbandry is a major economic activity of the rural peoples, especially in the arid and semi-arid regions of the Rajasthan. About 10 per cent of GDP of the State is contributed by livestock sector alone. This sector has great potential for rural self-employment at the lowest possible investment per unit. Therefore, livestock development is a critical pathway to rural prosperity.

We are committed to making a difference by improving the welfare of working horses, donkeys and mules. Our work focuses on:

• Ensuring that separate water facilities, shelter, provision of first aid, local health practitioners and even road surfaces are available at all brick kiln sites.
• Teaching equine owners to adopt welfare friendly practices and animal husbandry skills using a 'traffic-light' scoring system, with green (good), amber (moderate) and red (poor). We help owners understand what actions they need to take to move their animals closer to green.
• Encouraging animal-owning communities to establish self-help groups with their own bank accounts, to overcome issues with credit. Through these SHGs small loans to those in need are ensured and this prevents them from falling prey to money lenders.