The University of Pretoria (UP) has embarked on a campaign to create awareness, attract new donors, and encourage existing donors to increase their funding to the University.

The global #UPGivingMatters campaign is championed by UP Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Tawana Kupe, who says the main aim is “to raise funds, but also to increase the culture of philanthropy at UP. Giving can be done through mentoring, participating as guest lecturers, sitting on boards, and in many other ways.”

How and why can your contribution also help the Faculty of Veterinary Science and the Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital (OVAH)?

The Faculty is the only faculty training veterinarians and veterinary nurses in South Africa and has been training veterinarians for more than a century. Through the graduates we have qualified over the years, we have ensured that the country is food secure while maintaining standards in animal welfare. The veterinary profession is also at the forefront of care for our pets, or members of our extended families as we would like to think of them.

To ensure that our graduates are properly trained and can practice under any conditions in the country, we maintain an academic hospital on our Onderstepoort campus and two satellite veterinary clinics.

TO DONATE TO THE FACULTY: https://givingday.up.ac.za/p/FacultyofVeterinaryScienceUoP/

The Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital (OVAH) is the destination of choice for veterinary care for animals, and plays a critical role in animal care in the communities around us.

Activities at the OVAH include ongoing sterilisation clinics, mobile community animal health clinics, veterinary services to subsistence farmers and commercial farmer support. The OVAH is also a comprehensive specialist hospital that allows us to offer tertiary care to our patients right up to advanced heart surgery or to even giving a parrot a new beak.

Unlike our medical academic hospitals, the OVAH receives no state funding for medication or operations/maintenance of our equipment. As a result, we are reliant on our clients to support our activities as well as to rely on donations to the hospital and faculty from the public.

TO DONATE TO THE OVAH: https://givingday.up.ac.za/p/OnderstepoortVeterinaryUoP/

From all our activities, as a faculty we have prioritised service delivery to our surrounding communities who cannot afford the care their animals deserve, as well as to enhance our country’s capacity for food production as a project we hold dear.

For the latter we prioritise engagement with small-scale farmers through programmes on farmer education, vaccination campaigns, and early recognition of disease. However, what truly differentiates us is our pool of talented veterinarians and researcher staff, who are subject experts in the country.

Through their expertise and the correct funding, the Faculty of Veterinary Science will be able to assist the state in developing programmes aimed at controlling endemic animal disease.

If we can improve our agricultural production and exports, the entire country will benefit from the economic growth.

MORE INFO ON #GivingMatters: https://givingday.up.ac.za/