Around the world 100 children die every day from rabies, and Nurse Clinic Co-ordinator, Philippa Barclay from Wheelhouse Vets, is joining the fight against this horrible disease.
Philippa has been accepted as a volunteer on a Mission Rabies expedition to Goa to help vaccinate dogs, collect data and educate local children.
She said: “Mission Rabies is a charity whose expeditions I have always wanted to volunteer for, so this is a fantastic opportunity for me to be contributing towards Mission Rabies objective, which is to eliminate Rabies from the entire state of Goa.”
Mission Rabies is attacking the problem of Rabies from both ends with dog vaccination and education – making sure children in the high risk areas know what to do if they are bitten by an infected dog. To date, they have vaccinated over a million dogs and educated over 2 million children in India, Uganda, Tanzania, Sri Lanka and Malawi.
Clinical Director of Wheelhouse Vets, Charles Winslade is very proud of what Philippa and Wheelhouse Vets have achieved.
“The team at The Wheelhouse are so pleased to be helping and supporting Philippa on her Mission Rabies expedition to Goa on 11th October for two weeks. Teams out there are working tirelessly to make Goa the first rabies-free state in India. The practice is very keen to support events and charities outside of the veterinary box that we work in everyday to remind us of those less fortunate than ourselves and provide support where we can."
He went on to say: “Across the world 100 children die every day from rabies. How would we cope with that if it happened in the UK?! Nearer to home we are very active in supporting StreetVet helping a community without a roof over their heads where their pets really are their best friend. It makes you stop and think.
"Philippa has arranged events ranging from bake sales and competitions to a summer party and quiz night to help raise money and to cover the cost of the trip. She goes with our very best wishes to make a real difference. We hope to provide some updates on her trip on social media but expect contact to be limited given the remoteness of where she is travelling to.”
Philippa is keen to get going and some of her colleagues will be sending her off in style from Heathrow Airport later this month (October).
“I am extremely thankful to have been gifted a week’s holiday and generous £500 bursary from my employers – The Wheelhouse Vets. The Wheelhouse family have provided me with awesome fundraising participation, endless encouragement and ongoing support on my journey towards this incredible adventure that awaits me.”
If you would like to support her and help raise vital funds for Mission Rabies visit her fundraising page: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/missionrabies
