‘STRONGER TOGETHER’: Battersea Dogs Home & Global Alliance For Rabies Control Collaboration To Eliminate Rabies

This World Rabies Day (28 September, 2026), under the theme ‘Stronger Together’, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home and the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC) are highlighting how collaboration is helping prevent rabies in South Africa, where two organisations have joined forces to vaccinate more than 4,000 dogs and cats across nine communities. South Africa is one of five countries - including the UK - supported by Battersea’s Global Programmes work. This provides training and strategic funding to strengthen knowledge, networks and practice across the companion animal welfare sector, driving systemic change for dogs and cats. 

Battersea has funded GARC’s Communities Against Rabies (CAR) programme since its launch in 2023, helping connect local organisations with expertise, tools, training and opportunities to share best practice in the global fight to eliminate rabies. South Africa has eleven Rabies Centres of Excellence (RCEs). In Limpopo, two RCEs are working together through the CAR programme to reach communities with large populations of roaming dogs and limited access to veterinary services. 

Collaboration in Action 

The ARRC and HALO partnership, Animal Relief for Rural Communities (ARRC) and Hoedspruit Animal Outreach (HALO), were awarded Rabies Centres of Excellence status in 2023. The organisations provide veterinary care, rabies prevention and community education in rural Limpopo, one of four areas where strategic rabies vaccination has the potential to eliminate more than 90% of dog-mediated rabies in South Africa, highlighting the importance of coordinated local action. 

Supported by GARC’s Stronger Together grant, ARRC and HALO vaccinated 4,174 dogs and cats across nine communities in 2025 through door-to-door outreach and stationary vaccination clinics. The partnership also distributed 2,000 educational information sheets and displayed 50 awareness posters in community spaces. 

Lani Anagnostou, one of ARRC’s Directors, said: “Working jointly with HALO enabled us to combine our field experience, local knowledge and established relationships to overcome challenges and reach more communities. Each organisation was able to play to its strengths to ultimately strengthen the impact of our rabies prevention efforts, and we look forward to further collaboration with HALO, including larger-scale projects and community services.” 

• Read More: World Rabies Day 2026: When & What Is It?

From Local Action To Global Progress 

The ARRC and HALO’s partnership demonstrates how the CAR programme connects organisations facing similar challenges, allowing them to share practical experience and build local capacity. While community organisations can make a significant difference on the ground, eliminating rabies requires collaboration at every level - from local communities and animal welfare organisations to veterinary services, governments and international partners. 

By working at national and community levels and connecting organisations through a global network, Battersea and GARC are helping drive progress towards the global goal of zero human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030. 

Simona Zito, Grants & Programmes Manager at Battersea, said: “Rabies is a global challenge that no one organisation can tackle alone. Drawing on 165 years of experience, Battersea’s Global Programmes team has been bringing organisations together since 2018, championing effective and humane solutions and strengthening the capacity of the wider animal welfare sector. The ARRC and HALO partnership in South Africa is a powerful example of how this approach can help deliver lasting change for animals and the communities that care for them.” 

Her sentiments were echoed by Dr Andre Coetzer, CEO at GARC, Rabies Alliance: “The Stronger Together theme of World Rabies Day 2026 reminds us that through collaboration across local, national and international levels, we can make a rabies-free future a reality. The work of organisations such as ARRC and HALO shows the impact that collaboration can have on the ground, and we now need this spirit of partnership to extend across communities, other organisations, governments, and international partners to accelerate progress towards rabies elimination.”  

To find out more, head to Battersea’s website or follow Battersea on Instagram @battersea, facebook.com/Battersea and TikTok @battersea.

Feature Image Credit: Elnur, Shutterstock