It was an action-packed day performing 3 dog spays (one with complications), 1 female cat spay, and 1 cat castration.  Contributors (and potential) to the clinic will be invited to inspect developments. Planning for the event is underway with invitations being sent out via email in due course.

EQUIPMENT UPDATE

Whilst on leave, Dr Caty sourced a used operating table and an aesthetic machine at very little cost from a charity facility based in Australia, together with other useful odds and ends. Thank you to Trade & Farm Vanuatu, for offering to bring our items into the country, with their imports, which is an enormous help.
We have been in urgent need of a sterilizer for our surgical instruments. Today we received the good news that the Holiday Inn Port Vila, Vanuatu would generously sponsor this vital piece of equipment.

OUR WISH LIST

A surgery light!  Due to the expensive nature of this item, we need to ask other charitable organisations to assist us.  Does anybody have connections to other charity or donor avenues who could help us to reach out for help?
A small fridge
4 Plastic chairs for our waiting room
Dog crates & Cat traps
Vinyl flooring 6m x 6m
2 Eskys (for our mobile operations)
White Board & Pens
An air-conditioner for our surgical room if the current one cant be used
Dog and cat food plus old towels to send patients home with
Disposable items, e.g. Paper towels, rubbish bin bags, rubber gloves, hand sanitizer, cleaning agents, and cloths are always useful.

ANYONE ABLE TO ASSIST WITH ANY ITEM, PLEASE REACH OUT!

ADMINISTRATION

We are pleased to advise that we now have our bank account. Whilst it is easy for local donations into our BRED Bank account, we need to have a facility for international donations. We are in the process of finalizing this which means anybody, from anywhere, can use a debit/credit card and pay directly into our charity account.

Bred Bank

Current Account – Business

Account Number : 012968510100017

Account Name : Ava Animal Welfare Animals Vanuatu Association

Swift Code : BREDVUVU

ANIMAL CRUELTY

Cruelty continues to be a challenging community issue. It is expensive to stitch animals up after deliberate injuries and some require fostering and intensive care, until they can either go back to their homes or be adopted. We would be grateful to have some other foster carers to help spread the load. People who care about animal cruelty should educate others within our communities.

ADOPTIONS

The administrator for another Facebook page, Vanuatu Pets, has generously handed over its ownership to AVA and we have reserved it for adoptions only. It has a membership base that is growing slowly. Over the past month, several adoptions have occurred. It has been a rewarding experience to meet some of the families taking on adoptees. We are hoping to build good relationships via this social media channel.

A special thank you to Air Taxi for supporting our adoption process by delivering an adoptee to Santo Island.

STUDENT INVOLVEMENT

During January, two young ni-Vanuatu students spent time with Dr Holly. This is part of our youth inclusion activities we wish to concentrate on this year. This program will be offered again next school holidays. We have been invited to do a presentation Vila Central High School on their Career Guidance Day which will include some animal welfare teaching and a live puppy demonstration.

VETERINARY EXPERTISE

One of the critical challenges we currently face is the lack of skilled vet nurses. AVA envisages training an enthusiastic young person, equipping them with basic skills with the possibility to further their training in New Zealand by enrolling for a 1–2-year diploma.
We are currently exploring two Australian volunteer vets to come to Vanuatu to assist us in remote areas in April or May. This will take some considerable organisation which requires discounted or free accommodation during their visit.

FUNDRAISING

Through our fundraising efforts, we have met wonderful individuals, business owners, and managers. We plan to build long-lasting and special relationships with these community members. We would like to thank Catherine Boudier who secured a new donor, FX Primus, and as always, the General Manager of Holiday Inn, Rashmi Tulsiani, for her continued support!

SANTO

Dr Caty has sourced some space in which to do two clinics in March. One will be for her clients and an AVA clinic later on in the year. Modern cat traps are urgently to address the large cat populations on Aore Island. If you can help with traps, cages, and catching feral cats, please contact us directly. Alternatively, we would like to use existing social media feeds in Santo to secure some funding and community support.

MOBILE OPERATIONS AROUND EFATE

We are currently exploring two areas of Efate`: Lelepa Island and Eton. Such an undertaking requires strong Chieftain support, community engagement and commitment, as well as collective organisation, to be successful.