Four Steps to Freedom

That this House recognises the work of Phyllis Hutchison, who founded the charity Four Steps to Freedom, which focuses on building a safer future for the children and animals of Tanzania free from the scourge of rabies; notes that the charity was originally called Friends of Mbwa Wa Africa Animal Rescue and was founded in 2015 by Phyllis following a visit to Meserani, Tanzania, where she witnessed the impact of rabies; highlights that rabies is the world’s most deadly disease for humans and animals alike, with a fatality rate of 99% once symptoms emerge and that the disease is 100% preventable with canine vaccination and population control; understands that 1,500 people die from rabies in Tanzania each year; further notes that the charity ran its first sterilisation campaign in 2015, resulting in the sterilisation of 108 dogs and the education of local children in the safe handling of animals; highlights that the charity’s ongoing efforts to build a state of the art veterinary and education centre in the Arusha region to support the eradication of rabies and that the centre will be named after Phyliss’s three-legged dog called Gongo; commends the fantastic work carried out by Phyliss and all those involved at Four Steps for Freedom; and applauds the brilliant progress made by the charity to date, having educated 115,000 children in the safe handling of animals, vaccinated 51,000 domestic animals and freed 21 Tanzanian communities from the threat of rabies.