Four Steps to Freedom

Four Steps to Freedom is the new name of Friends of Mbwa Wa Africa Animal Rescue. Through our sustainable, four-step approach, we are wiping out rabies in Tanzania to save lives, end animal cruelty & break the chain of rabies infection for good. We believe no family in Tanzania should have to live with the fear of losing a child to rabies. We’re wiping out rabies in Tanzania, one town at a time. Will you help? The charity was founded by Glasgow-based Phyllis Hutchison following a visit to the Arusha region of Tanzania in May 2014. Driving through the streets of Meserani, a town in the Arusha region, she was shocked by the sight of dozens of maimed and injured dogs. She was surprised to learn that the animals were the victims of local anti-rabies ‘culls’: they had been shot or mutilated, then left to die. The story grew more tragic, as she learned that such culls are driven not by cruelty, but by fear: an estimated 1500 people – mostly children under 15 – die of rabies every year in Tanzania, after being bitten by infected dogs. The animal cruelty she had witnessed was simply the result of ordinary families’ attempts to protect their children from the risk of a fatal bite. We work with grassroots local charities and NGOs including Mbwa Wa Africa Animal Rescue. With the support of our donors, our volunteers and our partners, we are determined to step up the frontline battle to eradicate rabies from communities in Tanzania, saving human and animal lives and educating children and adults in the humane treatment of domestic animals.