Project Dignity for Freedom, Argentina

Project name: Project Dignity for Freedom

Project location: Argentina

Website: http://crre.com.ar

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/crre.centro.de.rescate.equino/

Project description:

HORSE DRAWN CARTS, A SAD REALITY IN ARGENTINA

Reality is sometimes tough and difficult to explain with words. Horse drawn carts are part of that reality in Argentina. Many poor families use horse drawn carts to collect garbage and junk. These recyclers make their own carts with heavy parts of cars from junkyards. Thousands of animals are subject to a life of slave working in regrettable conditions.

Many of the horses used for these purposes die in a very cruel way in few months. They are abandoned, with no veterinary assistance, with wounds that deform them and injuries that torture them. The suffering of this working animals is dreadful and unjustified.

It is impossible to go along streets without finding them. Many people don't seem to see them, but they are out there, working during long days and nights. They are underfed and thirsty, and also battered or abused if they refuse to pull the carts.

They are forced to carry garbage and contaminating residues to the places where they live. This creates new thrash dumps at open air, causing environmental issues with no ending. People and animals are exposed to terrible diseases.

Many of the horses used for these purposes die in a very cruel way in few months. They are abandoned, with no veterinary assistance, with wounds that deform them and injuries that torture them. The suffering of these working animals is dreadful and unjustified.

CHILD LABOR AND ANIMAL ABUSE

Many children work with horse drawn carts as recyclers. They abandon the school and prefer this job because they don't need licenses to use these carts. Unfortunately the great majority of these children abuse animals because they grow up in violent environment.

The problem grows year by year because the recyclers make mares have more and more foals. This foals are going to suffer the same destiny of their parents, enslaved to the carts till death.

In many cases these mares are forced to work pregnant, sometimes they have an abortion or a birth in the street tied to the carts. Lack of food make animals eat garbage, and they die in a horrible and painful way.

When their bodies can't resist all the punishment they are hidden or simply discarded to streams, wells or trenches where they find their last hours of their lives. The next day they are replaced with a new horse that will inevitably end suffering the same way.

Horses don't cry or shout. The only resist until they fall, and when they fall they wait to slowly die. Just a few survive thanks to the work of animal protectionists.

We are the voices of their stories and their suffering.

OUR ORGANIZATION

We are CRRE (Centre of Rescue and Rehabilitation for Equines). We rescue abused and mistreated horses. Treatment of their wounds, injuries and also their chronic or degenerative diseases remain our major priority. We help abandoned , malnourished, burned, battered, stabbed or even shot animals. Many of them need to be treated for life.

Also we save many horses from slaughter via amputations. We are one of the few places in the world that brings the possibility of a normal life to three legged horses. Their quality of life is excellent and they run and live mostly like a non injured horse.

But we cannot alone save all those who fall. Without a change, the destiny of these horses and people will be tragic.

OUR PROJECT

Horse drawn carts are not banned in our country. Consequently, we need to find together a solution to this serious social, environmental and ecological issue. Because of this reason, our project for Youforg20 is to found the first workshop to make together with recyclers, motorcycle- carts.

Our goal is to replace in the near future horse drawn carts by these vehicles. These safe and ecological vehicles will be the beggining of a change. With this new transport the horses will be free from abuse. Urban recyclers will find dignity and new opportunities in their jobs.

We need to change. Horses and people can transform this reality now. And we need your help to make it real. So please vote for our project in Youforg20 and help us change the reality for people and animals and together let's build a better world.

Goal and purpose of the project:

The goal of this project is to start the first workshop to build ecologic motorcycles with carts in Argentina. This workshop will have a big social impact in the city of Quilmes. The enslaved horses will be freed from their work and these new vehicles will replace them.

Starting a project of this size is a difficult task, but we strongly believe that we can make it happen.

Our plan consists of several steps. The first one is to provide tools and material for our workshop. Also, we will train a small group of recyclers to involve them in the process. The workshop must have special equipment to build the first units of motorcycles-carts.

Once the workshop is equipped and ready for the job we will build our first units. We need to do several tests of them and watch closely the replacement system to make necessary corrections.

Another important task is to train the recyclers so they can build their own motorcycle- carts, and they can participate in the workshop. Also they should learn to drive in order to have a license.

The goal in the long term is to have a successful program of horse retirement and exchange for vehicles in the city of Quilmes. With this experience we are going to expand this idea to the whole country.

The idea is to encourage the municipal government to launch a plan of microcredits for social development and for the exchange program.

It is necessary to promote social entrepreneurship for motorcycle-carts projects, in order to solve the problem of social inclusion and environmental protection.

The final goal in the long term is to have a national law to ban horse drawn carts. We endeavor to make a big change. The law will provide the steps to the cities in Argentina for gradually replace working animals for vehicles in an organized and transparent way.

This is how we plan to end with horse drawn carts, new jobs should be created and social entrepreneurship should be promoted. Finally, horses could be freed and people could work with dignity.

GOALS OF THE PROYECT

• Build and provide equipment for the first workshop to make motorcycles with carts. We always keep in mind the importance of including recyclers in the workshop.
• Make a plan in the long term to replace horse drawn carts by vehicles.
• Obtain microcredits for the recyclers to finance motorcycles
• End with horse drawn carts collecting garbage from the streets.
• Create motorcycles to start the replacement in other cities.
• Promote social entrepreneurship with more workshops
• Achieve a successful program of animal replacement by vehicles.
• Support a national law to make this project possible in the country
• Free as many horses as possible. Every horse replaced is a horse that will not die.

Motivation of the applicant / applicant team:

We are a group of young people that rescues mistreated horses. We like challenges and big tasks. We love animals.

When we started to rescue horses, we didn't have a place to store medicines. We kept them inside the hole of a tree and we covered them so they didn't get wet.

We had no boxes to treat the horses, no pharmacy, no buildings. Our Facebook page had just 1500 followers. In spite of these disadvantages, we kept on rescuing animals, working hard, seeking for help and promoting animal care. Now things are different.

We work endlessly to save animals, now we keep a herd of 50 horses safe. That is not an easy task. In the past, we have had difficult times, but we moved forward and now we have well- equipped installations and a big herd of horses with several problems that we can treat successfully.

The reality of our country is sad, what we do is just a drop in the ocean. We realize that we have to make a substantial change to have a real impact. We should do more to help animals and also people.

Our main motivation is to help animals and people with this project. We want to show that it is possible to work free from animal abuse and protect the ecology. Animal protection is not opposed to recyclers jobs dignity.

A social and educational change should be done. This is going to take a long time but we are not going to stop until we make it. We will use all the available resources to reach our dream, to free horses and dignify the work of recyclers.

Use of prize money:

The prize will be used in two stages:

In the first place, we will use some money to buy all necessary tools for the workshop. We already have technicians who will help us make the ecologic motorcycle-cart

In the second stage we will buy the material to build these vehicles, and also train the recyclers to start the exchange program.

Finally, we will organize an advertising campaign to show other cities that there is another way, dignified work free from animal abuse.