February 2025: GARC Data Platform Featured User
The featured GARC Data Platform user for February is Mara North Conservancy Rabies Project (MNC Rabies Project), who are also a recognized Rabies Center of Excellence in Kenya. While mass dog vaccination is the only effective way to eliminate rabies, we know that it is only impactful if dog owners bring their dogs to be vaccinated. As such, education is critical to ensure that people know about the dangers of rabies and understand how vaccinating their dog is key to saving lives and protecting communities. MNC Rabies Project highlights this critical integrated approach perfectly and uses multiple GARC Data Tools to capture, analyze and plan coordinated education and MDV activities in the Narok and Bomet Counties of Kenya.
Below are some interesting figures relating to MNC Rabies Project’s use of the Platform over the course of the last 12 months.
Number of animal vaccinations tracked: 1,082.
Number of people educated about rabies and preventing dog bites: 98,682.
Estimated number of people reached with information provided by Mara North Conservancy Rabies Project: 345,387.
We asked Dr. Jerlyn Sponseller, the Director of MNC Rabies Project, some questions about their use of the Platform.
1. Briefly explain what rabies-related work you do?
We educate school children about preventing dog bites and the dangers of rabies. In addition, we coordinate dog vaccination clinics in the same areas where children have received educational training.
2. What benefits have the GARC Data Tools provided you?
We love the interactive maps that allow tracking of both education events and dog vaccinations. This allows us to visualize where children have been educated, so we can plan dog vaccination clinics following the school trainings in the same area. Children learn about dog bites and rabies prevention, and then they are motivated to get their dogs vaccinated against rabies. The colorful maps are also a great way to highlight our progress when giving reports to stakeholders.
3. Which of the GARC Data Tools have been most beneficial to your work and why?
We primarily use the Rabies Vaccination Tracker (RVT) tool because it is quick and simple for use during mass vaccination campaigns. We think the greatest feature of the GARC Data Tools, however, is their versatility. For example, when performing vaccinations door-to-door, we often use the Vaccination and Sterilization Tracker (VST) which allows us to capture a lot more data for each dog.
GARC wishes to thank Mara North Conservancy Rabies Project in Kenya for their ongoing use of the GARC Data Platform.
If you are working towards rabies elimination and you are not part of our growing network of Platform users, why wait any longer? You can benefit from improved data collection and visualization – while also engaging with potential donors in a more meaningful way – in a few weeks.
Alternatively, if you are already an active user of the Platform, let us know by sending us an email and you could be featured too!
