TOKA 2023

In addition to many great success stories, there have also been serious disappointments for our veterinary project in the past. We had to give up the shop as a new owner took over the property who had other plans than renting it to us. The TOKA team has been restructured under a revised statute, following the in-depth analysis carried out last year under the leadership of veterinarian Dr. Waiswa.

An interim management team temporarily managed the business until the election at the Annual General Meeting on 23.01.2024 and has since been able to renew the registration with the Veterinary District Officer. DVO Dr. Moses Byaruhanga honoured TOKA's continued commitment to the welfare of the community's animals with his presence and words of appreciation during the AGM.

Highly motivated and strengthened by the improved professional structuring, the TOKA team now continues to work in various missions to treat animal diseases, to improve animal health through preventive measures, to limit the uncontrolled reproduction of dogs through castration and is committed to animal welfare in the community.

We would like to continue this important work for securing the income of the rural population this year and look forward to your support.

Toka Consitution revised.pdf

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Our experiences with past activities in the veterinary cooperative TOKA Animal Care, show clearly: The will to work in a community organisation is still there, as well as the commitment of TOKA members to ensure the community’s animals' health. What the past few years have also taught us, however, is that better organisation and local leadership are essential to keep TOKA alive and efficient. The team is all the happier about Dr. Joshua Waiswa's willingness to take over the leadership of TOKA. His first step was carrying out a thorough assessment of the organisation in Iganga, the results of which were then discussed with the members and new paths for the future were decided together with the team.

Dr. Waiswa drafted a new statute for TOKA, which was shared, discussed, revised and adopted in a general meeting on October 27, 2023 (participation took place in presence in Iganga and partly digitally) (see "Constitution of TOKA" in the appendix.

We are confident that we will be able to support many animals that are so vital to ensuring the income of the community, who depends on their small farms.

We look forward to your support!

Just as the economy across the country had suffered from the hard lockdown, TOKA has not escaped unscathed. As everyone had to fight for their own survival, field activities with TOKA employees were rare.

Therefore, we are more than happy to report that all employees are now back. And what says more about our achievements than the welcome in Antonie during our project visit in November 2022:

"Dr. I have to thank you! PUC has made me a big man! I am now accepted in the community, the skills I learned with your support are requested by the farmers, my work as an animal health worker is needed and I earn my own money, so I can send my children to school.

Thank you PUC!"

These spontaneous words of thanks moved us and encourage us to continue with our efforts to improve animal health in the community!
With some sadness we had to move from our shop to smaller premises nearby. The financial bottlenecks of the past 2 years meant that the rent for the shop in the main street became unaffordable. No longer being in the ‘front row’ made it a little harder for the farmers to accept and find us.
With combined efforts and new energy, we are now ready to resume our activities.

Together we carried out essential treatments on a large well-managed farm - a good opportunity to pass on the experience of the older colleagues to the younger ones and to strengthen their professional competence in the team.

The grateful farmers then invited us to a sumptuous and delicious lunch, which we used to discuss the future plans for TOKA.

Once again, a "Rabies Day" was organised by VsF Germany (Veterinarians Without Borders Germany e. V.) in Tororo, which also included a castration campaign. The expertise of the TOKA employees caused admiration and astonishment; some of which exceeded even the practical experience of the graduates of the Makerere University of Veterinary Medicine. Our training has paid off! And the equipment that we were able to bring to Uganda thanks to PUC's supporters helps the animal health workers to put their good technical knowledge into practice.
A big Thank you to all the helpers of our organisation!