Consultancy: Country Assessment of Zimbabwe

The Donkey Sanctuary is looking for an experienced and reputable organisation / individual consultant to conduct a country assessment of Zimbabwe.

The Donkey Sanctuary does not have an in-country presence in Zimbabwe. We currently work with one partner in Zimbabwe, funding a project focusing on water, nutrition and welfare management of donkeys in five districts. Despite the successes of this partnership, we still have limited knowledge of the wider needs of donkeys, mules, and the communities that care for them in Zimbabwe, and how The Donkey Sanctuary can affect change to improve the welfare and livelihoods needs of donkeys, mules, and people through our work.

Desk reviews outside of Zimbabwe provide only limited information which is inadequate to truly understand the needs of donkeys and mules in Zimbabwe and where our interventions would be most effectively carried out. Information sourced so far is limited to one project-specific context within Zimbabwe and does not enable us to fully appreciate and identify donkey and mules in livelihoods, how donkeys and mules assist humans, where and if donkeys and mules are involved in industry, agribusiness, donkey milk production, or what the welfare needs of donkeys and mules in Zimbabwe are. We believe that they are instrumental to the livelihoods of the most vulnerable and poor in Zimbabwe. Currently, we are unable to evidence this and understand what it means in the Zimbabwean context.

The Donkey Sanctuary is commissioning an assessment in Zimbabwe to clearly identify the location and needs of donkeys and mules and those reliant on them. This will guide future programming in the country. In addition, we are seeking to strengthen existing relationships and build new relationships with external stakeholders in Zimbabwe. The results of this assessment will feed into our Southern Africa Regional Strategy for 2023 onwards.

The main objective of the assessment is to enable The Donkey Sanctuary to better comprehend the Zimbabwean context across a range of data points, including:

• Location, numbers, needs and welfare issues for donkeys and mules.
• Challenges facing donkey and mule owning communities.
• Stakeholder mapping of organisations supporting the welfare of donkey and mules and/or donkey and mule owning communities.
• What needs to change to create improvements in donkey and mule welfare.
• What needs to change to create improvements for those who rely on donkeys and mules for livelihoods.

The Donkey Sanctuary anticipates the contract can commence in early April 2023 and requires the work to be completed by no later than the 30th June 2023. However, it is desirable for the work to be completed prior to this, and as soon as is practically possible.

The Donkey Sanctuary’s anticipated budget range for the delivery of the assessment is between GBP 10,000 and GBP 20,000.