If you’re thinking about doing something to help an animal charity, why not look at taking on a personal challenge in 2023?

Many animal charities offer the chance to do this, one example being SPANA.

SPANA help working animals in many countries around the world, where locals are utterly dependent on horses, donkeys, mules and elephants for their livelihoods.  In the developing world, they say that one working animal can support an extended family of up to 30 people.

Help a charity achieve its vision and mission
with your personal challenge

SPANA’s vision “is a world where every working animal lives a life free from suffering and is treated with compassion.”

Its mission is “to improve the welfare of working animals in the world’s poorest communities.”

SPANA take a three-pronged approach to achieve both their vision and mission:

1. They treat animals with free veterinary care
2. They train both in the community and professional training
3. They teach animal welfare education

They also respond to emergencies.

SPANA has a number of appeals going right now, but one thing you could do to help is to set yourself a personal challenge. 

They list a number of challenges on their website:

• Running: You could run a half marathon in the Royal Parks Half Marathon, or take part in charity fun runs or 5k run or the Great Run Series, or even running abroad – thousands of people take part in the City2Surf event in Sydney!
• Go climbing with SPANA – Kilimanjaro or Ben Nevis
• Go trekking with SPANA and do the Machu Picchu trek

Find out more about the challenges to help SPANA

Obviously you will need a certain level of fitness and good health to participate in challenges such as these but there are other challenges you can do for other charities.  If you’re a keen knitter, why not take a look at charities needing knitters and see if you can set yourself a personal challenge to help them?

A number of animal charities have ideas for personal challenges – Cats Protection also have lots of challenges, including cycles, tris and swims, plus zipwires, abseils and firewalks, skydiving and wingwalks. 

If you’re looking for something really meaningful to do in 2023, this could be one way to achieve a goal and help animals as well!  A great win-win!