ONGOING PROJECTS
JIRAW:
JIRAW, abbreviated of JBF Integrated Care and Resource Centre for Animal Welfare, is the dream project of JBF’s founder and trustee, Dr. Sashanka Sekhar Dutta, who intends to fill the void of referral institutions in the context of animal welfare. The facility is located in Mairakuchi, Sonapur, Guwahati, Assam, and conducts quality research, supports delivery of services, and trains skilled workers all within one umbrella administration. The project also provides technical and managerial backstopping to field NGOs and welfare activists of the North-East region of India and is also planned to grow as an extension of the AWBI supported Animal Shelter cum Veterinary Dispensary infrastructure on the same plot of land. The Vet couple Sashanka & Smriti planned and decided to start the construction work to transform it into an organization for animal welfare from the grass root level to a regional level integrated institution.
DBT Wellcome Trust India Alliance:
JBF is also collaborating with DBT Welcome Trust India Alliance funded project on ‘Implementing a comprehensive One Health approach to eliminate dog-mediated rabies in India’. Hosted at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG), the project involves studies and research on dog population dynamics, canine mass vaccination strategies and public attitudes and behaviour towards rabies and free-roaming dogs, in order to make the region free of dog-mediated rabies.
Disaster Management:
Dr. Sashanka Sekhar Dutta’s disaster management activities in Assam are commendable. In Guwahati, the team focused on creating a campaign strategy for awareness about disaster response and risk reduction and has organized post-flood relief camps, provided medicines, conducted health check-ups, and administered vaccinations, etc. in Boko, Chaygaon and villages at Goalpara. In Dhemaji and Machkhowa districts, Dr. Dutta’s team was a disaster response team, implementing an awareness campaign strategy for disaster management and risk reduction. In Majuli, Jorhat, the project aimed to strengthen disaster risk reduction and capacity building. They establish knowledge and information sharing platforms, create recovery frameworks to support affected animals and revive livelihoods, and maintain a comprehensive database on disaster-related information. Lastly, in Lakhimpur and Kokrajhar, the team facilitates an awareness campaign strategy for disaster response and risk reduction. Their efforts include organizing relief camps, distributing medicines, conducting health check-ups, and providing vaccinations, making a positive impact in these communities.
Humane Education On Welfare:
- HUMANE DOG & RABIES MANAGEMENT, GUWAHATI:
As a part of this project, the HUMANE DOG & RABIES MANAGEMENT involves the Animal Birth Control & Anti- Rabies Vaccination Program across the Guwahati City. This project also focuses in assisting in check-up camps of community animals, awareness and education programs.
- RABIES CONTROL PROGRAM, GUWAHATI:
This part of the Humane Education on Welfare Project focuses on spreading awareness about the deadly zoonotic disease, RABIES, and attempts to spread the importance of the rabies vaccination and how is it beneficial. Humane Immunological collaborated with it and a booth camp was also set up in Abhay Clinic at JBF, Guwahati.
- AaDaR:
AaDaR an Assamese word means „to love/affection‟. Under the leadership of Dr. Sashanka Sekhar Dutta, his team has initiated a pioneering Program named AaDaR, where, Rabies Free India, JBF along with the state government has initiated counselling programs for dog-bite patients in government hospitals for dog-bite and rabies prevention, in Kamrup district and an educative awareness program for children in government schools. Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organizations (FIAPO), under their Rabies Free India campaign, has also helped JBF towards the mission. In order to make the program more targeted, currently attempts are being made to identify and approach more schools.
Other Projects:
- “Humane Education on Welfare” projects in Schools at Delhi and Guwahati.
- Setting up of Community Animal Hospital, Hiyaa‟s Clinic & Surgical Centre for Pets under Agri Clinics & Agri Business Centres Scheme (ACABC) of NABARD.