It All Started With One Letter. It Became Her Legacy.
In 1930, wealthy Scottish socialite Dorothy Brooke followed her new husband to Cairo, where she discovered thousands of suffering former British war horses leading lives of toil and misery. Brought to the Middle East by British forces during the Great War, these ex-cavalry horses had been left behind at the war's end, abandoned as used equipment too costly to send home.
We celebrate her life today, and the entire month of June, as we acknowledge the tireless work and passion she had to rescue these noble creatures. After years of deprivation and suffering, Dorothy was able to provide respite in the Old War Horse Memorial Hospital, in Cairo, Egypt, which she established. She faced many challenges of founding and maintaining an animal-rescue institution on this scale, but she never wavered and the legacy of the Old War Horse Memorial Hospital and its founder endures today in the work of Brooke USA.
It was her letter that paved the way for thousands of war horses to find respite after such despair. Today we continue her legacy by raising funds to help working horses, donkeys and mules and the people who depend on them to survive in vulnerable communities all over the world.
June 1 marked her 138th birthday, and we celebrated by lighting a candle and eating a cake in her honor. Join us in celebrating during the month of June by lighting a candle, making a fabulous classic cake (from the recipe box of our Chair of the Board, Katherine Kaneb's mother.) See some photos of our celebrations across the nation down below, and send us your photos, too!
Learn more about Dorothy and the history of Brooke USA at brookeusa.org/history.
Working Equines in India Are Paying the Price For COVID-19
During 2021, Brooke USA has focused its efforts on helping people and equines in need who have fallen victims, directly or indirectly, to COVID-19, both in the United States and abroad. The reality is that the people Brooke USA serves, the most disadvantaged of the population, are being disproportionately affected. Working equines, donkeys and mules are likely to pay the price for owners’ inability to care for them. More recently, India has taken centerstage as people and equines continue to suffer due to COVID-19.
According to the World Organization for Animal Health, the economic downturn in India is affecting and will continue to affect owners as they attempt to provide feed, fodder and veterinary first aid. For this reason, Brooke USA has launched an emergency campaign to help India’s working horses, donkeys and mules as the situation continues and recovery is slow. To learn more, visit www.BrookeUSA.org/India. 
Brooke USA Earns a “Give with Confidence” 100/100 Rating from Charity Navigator
Brooke USA is proud to announce that its strong financial health and ongoing accountability and transparency have earned a 100/100 rating from Charity Navigator’s Encompass Rating System. This score designates Brooke USA as an official “Give with Confidence” charity, indicating that the organization is using its donations effectively based on Charity Navigator’s criteria. Charity Navigator is America’s largest and most-utilized independent charity evaluator. Since 2001, Charity Navigator has been an unbiased and trusted source of information for more than 8.5 million users a year.
The Encompass Rating System is a comprehensive evaluation tool that analyzes nonprofit performance based on four key indicators. In July 2020, Charity Navigator released the first indicator, Finance & Accountability, to highlight nonprofit organizations demonstrating fiscal responsibility. This is determined by five metrics: Program Expense Ratio, Independent Audit or Financial Review, Board Composition, Liabilities to Assets, and Website Listing. In October of 2020, this was quickly followed by the second indicator, Impact & Results, assessing how well a nonprofit delivers on its mission. The additional indicators, to be rolled out in the next 18-24 months, are Leadership & Adaptability and Culture & Community.
“We are delighted to provide Brooke USA with third-party accreditation that validates their operational excellence,” said Michael Thatcher, President and CEO of Charity Navigator. “We are eager to see the good work that the organization is able to accomplish in the years ahead.”
“Our Charity Navigator rating of 100 out of 100 through their Encompass Rating System is further validation that our supporters can trust our commitment to good governance and making the world a better place,” said Brooke USA CEO Emily Dulin. “We hope that the recognition from Charity Navigator will introduce our work to new supporters who can help us advance our mission to significantly improve the health, welfare and productivity of working horses, donkeys and mules and the people who depend on them for survival worldwide,” added Brooke USA Chair of the Board Katherine Kaneb.
Brooke USA’s Encompass rating and other information about charitable giving are available free of charge on charitynavigator.org. 
Brooke USA Bestows 2021 Crystal Award: Talmadge and Ian Silversides of North Carolina are the Honorees
Brooke USA is pleased to announce that longtime mission supporters and animal advocates, Talmadge and Ian Silversides of Lexington, NC were honored with the Crystal Award at Brooke USA’s Sunset Polo® & White Party, presented by Lugano Diamonds. Due to COVID-19, the Silversides were not present for their recognition which took place at the highly recognized yearly event at the International Polo Club in Wellington, FL.
The Crystal Award is Brooke USA’s most prestigious accolade. It recognizes outstanding champions of the organization who have gone above and beyond in support of its mission to significantly improve the welfare of working horses, donkeys, mules, and the people they serve in the developing world. The individuals honored demonstrate a deep love and commitment to working equines and those who depend on them for survival.
“The Crystal Awards allow us to pay tribute to those individuals who have made an enormous difference in advancing our mission. Talmadge and Ian have been instrumental to our organizational growth, especially in 2020 when we were hit by the pandemic and made a commitment to funding microgrants to organizations in need of feed and medicines for the animals in their care,” said Brooke USA Chair Emeritus Dr. David Jones who introduced the Silversides to Brooke USA.
Devoted civic and community leaders, the Silversides’ have supported several organizations across the globe and in their home state. In addition to Brooke USA, some of their hometown favorites include the North Carolina Zoo, Hospice of Davidson County, Wake Forest Baptist Health, and Davidson-Davie Community College.
Talmadge has noted that traveling with the North Carolina Zoo to Africa has allowed to her observe first-hand the plight of working equines and the impact Brooke USA has had on improving their lives. She explained, “there is nothing more satisfying than being a part of positive change. To see these animals progress from malnourished to well-fed and cared for is great proof that Brooke USA is funding projects that are making a difference among those who need it most. A healthy, happy working horse or donkey is able to provide for their owners.”
Katherine Kaneb, Chair of Brooke USA’s Board of Directors, added that “working equines fetch water at remote rivers, transport produce to sell at local markets and take children to school. These animals are essential to those living in poverty."
Talmadge and Ian Silversides join Margaret Hamilton Duprey, Katherine Kaneb, and Claudine and Fritz Kundrun who received the award in 2019, and Antonia Axön Johnson, Richard Schechter, and Hazel and Richard Schultz who received the award in 2020. The efforts of all these outstanding people help make a difference alleviating the suffering of some of the 100 million equines working in the developing world to support the livelihoods of 600 million people. 
Thank you to our monthly donors, The Guardians, for your ongoing commitment to Brooke USA. Year after year, for the past six years, you have helped us achieve our goals and meet the needs of working equines and the people they serve throughout the world.
This year, our donations are being allocated to supporting our key funding programs for 2021, as approved by the Board of Directors:
As a Brooke USA Guardian, you have an important role – that of protecting the livelihoods of working horses, donkeys and mules, and the people who depend on them.
To help Brooke USA reach its lofty goals and execute on its key funding programs and more, please become a Guardian today!
We look forward to welcoming you to our exclusive group, The Guardians. For more information, please contact Jina O’Neill, Community Development Manager at Jina.Oneill@BrookeUSA.org.
Through the programs we fund, Brooke USA helps equine owners, service providers and governments in the developing world to implement scientifically proven, practical, sustainable, and culturally relevant solutions to enormous animal welfare challenges. Making a difference in the lives of these animals benefits the very poor families who depend on them to earn a living. 
As COVID-19 continues to take a toll in India and the impact of Cyclone Tauktae, the most powerful storm to hit the region in more than two decades, is felt throughout the western coast, both people and their working equines are in desperate need of aid.
We, at Brooke USA, are working with Brooke: Action for Working Horses & Donkeys and Brooke India to distribute feed and fodder for their working horses, donkeys, and mules. We are also working to fund the purchase of veterinary first aid kits for communities where animals are pivotal to survival. With staff available via WhatsApp and mobile phones, these first aid kits can help overcome many common issues.
The truth is that the poorest of people are unable to work, travel, or afford food and health for themselves, and their valuable equine. They are totally at risk. YOU have the power to help. ONE person can make a difference, and your donation today will help us empower those affected by the pandemic and help them make it through with their equine's welfare at the forefront of the emergency relief.
THE FIRST $10,000 RAISED WILL BE MATCHED! Support of Brooke USA’s COVID-19 Response & Recovery Fund for nonprofit organizations across the country in need of financial assistance. Due to the pandemic, horses, donkeys, and mules are being abandoned as their owners struggle with financial hardship and the inability to feed and care for their equines. Micro-grants range between $500 and $1,000. To date, we have provided more than $40,000 to organization to help in these trying times.
Your support of Brooke USA’s Americas Fund will help us purchase 233 demo plots in rural communities in Nicaragua. These demo plots are used to teach and train villagers on the basics of fodder cultivation – from planting to storing food for their equines. Cost per plot $500.
Support of Brooke USA’s Advocacy Fund to ensure a ban on the import and sale of ejiao, the derivative of boiling donkeys hides for use in Traditional Chinese Medicine, in the United States. Donkeys in Africa are being stolen, mistreated, and inhumanely slaughtered for their hides; the US is the third largest global consumer of ejiao.
Support of Brooke USA’s new initiative to scope and research equine welfare among Native American tribes with the goal of introducing programming that will improve the quality of life of equines and positively impact the lives of those living on the Reservations.
Your donations and spreading awareness for Brooke USA, as well as the working horses, donkeys, mules and people we are helping truly makes a difference. Remember, ONE donation can change the life of an equine, a person, a community. ONE person can change countless lives. That is the Power of ONE! Please show your power today by helping us meet our goals.
By The Love of Horses - Featuring Brooke USA CEO, Emily Dulin 
Check out By The Love of Horses, a podcast for those with a passion for everything equestrian. Brooke USA CEO Emily Dulin chats with host Susan Jamieson about the organization’s history, mission and work, and its latest initiative to help working horses, donkeys and mules in India. COVID-19 and a recent cyclone have devastated the economic means for people to secure food and veterinary care for these animals. Susan Jamieson is the CEO of Red Scarf Equestrian and believes in the power of good that comes with the personal interest in the world of the horse. The show is Doug Allen, a student of history at the University of Toronto, who believes in the need to be versed in country things.
Listen wherever podcasts are available or click the button below.
Number of People it Takes to Make a Difference? ONE.
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