The Donkey Sanctuary is now welcoming individual organisations or consortia applications to implement a 24-month donkey welfare & environmental protection project in Lamu, Kenya.

The Lamu Archipelago is home to approximately 2,000 working donkeys, which are essential to nearly every aspect of daily life. These donkeys play a critical role in income generation, access to water, transportation of people and goods, companionship, and support in local development. However, the environments in which donkeys live and co-exist with humans and other animals are threatened by urbanisation, population growth, resource mismanagement, climate change, and pollution.

Through this call for proposals, The Donkey Sanctuary is looking to support innovative projects that address environmental threats impacting the health and welfare of working donkeys.

This may include, but is not limited, to one or more of the following:

  • Improved solid waste management practices leading to a reduction of plastic waste consumption amongst donkeys.

  • Investigate the potential for proactive collection and utilisation of donkey dung for manure to be used as fertiliser, and/or to be used as an alternative energy source.

  • Introduction of drought resistant and sustainable permaculture practices for growing donkey feed.

  • Training on donkey feed production and storage to support feed availability throughout the seasons.

  • Improved access to safe donkey feed by utilising organic waste that would otherwise be dumped.

  • Access to, and harvesting of, clean and safe water for donkeys.

Application process

If you are interested in applying, please read our call for proposals, which provides more information on the fund, eligibility criteria, the application process, and information required to apply. Please also refer to the submission guidance document which will assist you in preparation for your application.

You may also wish to review The Donkey Sanctuary’s Theory of Change to understand our approach to our international work.

Applications must not exceed more than £30,000 Great British Pounds (GBP). The project implementation period should be no longer than 24 months.

It is expected that each project will directly reach between 500-1,000 donkeys.

Stage 1: Initiation & project design

Once you have reviewed the guidance documents, our frequently asked questions and confirmed that your organisation fits the eligibility criteria, please download and complete the application to explain how you intend to structure your project to improve the lives of donkeys by addressing environmental threats impacting the health and welfare of working donkeys in Lamu.

The application must be completed and emailed to [email protected] by 23:59 BST (British Summer Time) on the 13 September 2024. Both successful and unsuccessful candidates will be informed of the results by 4 October 2024. 

Stage 2: Planning

Once submitted applications have been reviewed, successful applicants will be invited to develop a full project proposal. This will include developing a full narrative proposal, logical framework, workplan, budget plan and risk assessment.