On September 9th, three representatives from People’s Postcode Lottery visited APOPO’s operational headquarters in Morogoro, Tanzania. The three visitors, Stephanie Kerr (Long-term Partnerships Advisor), Will Humpington (Advisor Climate Change & Environmental Programmes), and Ryan Mackie (Deputy Head of Charities & Governance Manager) were given an overview of APOPO’s core activities, including the training and breeding of rats for various detection purposes. The tour covered APOPO’s mine detection rat training, tuberculosis (TB) detection rat training, and ongoing research projects. The team also visited APOPO’s pilot syntropic farm site, where they learned about the intricacies of syntropic agroforestry and the impact of the HeroTREEs project.
Exploring APOPO’s Programs
The visitors observed firsthand the unique training methods used to prepare APOPO’s HeroRATs, African giant pouched rats (Cricetomys ansorgei) known for their ability to detect both landmines and diseases like tuberculosis. In addition to seeing the well-established training programs, the team was introduced to APOPO’s developing initiatives. These include RescueRATs, which are being trained for use in disaster zones to locate survivors, and wildlife detection rats, which are trained to identify illegal wildlife products in transit.
Reflecting on the experience, Stephanie said, “It was a real privilege to meet the dedicated team and see the new and innovative ways funding raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery is supporting APOPO’s vital work.”
“In particular, the Search and Rescue rats, which help find and save people trapped in collapsed buildings when every second counts, and the rats who detect and prevent the illegal trade of banned wildlife products. The entire APOPO team, including the wonderful HeroRATs, who make all this possible are simply amazing. Thank you for a wonderful day we will never forget”.
Thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery
In 2023, players of People’s Postcode Lottery raised £900,000 for APOPO, including an additional £100,000 awarded in December as part of an initiative to help longstanding charity partners address the challenges of the current financial climate. In total, since 2014, players have contributed around £6.8 million to APOPO’s programs.
These funds have been key in supporting APOPO’s demining and tuberculosis detection programs. APOPO has destroyed over 160,000 landmines and other explosive remnants of war (ERWs) in countries like Angola, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, and Zimbabwe, helping restore land for communities to use safely. In the area of tuberculosis detection, APOPO’s HeroRATs provide a valuable second-line screening method in regions with limited healthcare resources, identifying many cases that traditional tests have missed in Ethiopia and Tanzania.
Flexible and Impactful Support
One of the strengths of this funding is its unrestricted nature. This flexibility allows APOPO to allocate resources where they are most needed, whether to scale up existing programs or respond to new challenges. This approach ensures that funds can be used efficiently to achieve the greatest impact across APOPO’s areas of work.
The latest contribution from players of People’s Postcode Lottery is supporting APOPO’s ongoing work, which continues to address pressing global challenges such as landmine contamination and the spread of tuberculosis. As these challenges evolve, the flexibility of unrestricted funding helps APOPO maintain its effectiveness and reach.
APOPO’s CEO, Christophe Cox, remarked, “On behalf of APOPO, I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Stephanie, Ryan, and Will for coming out to Tanzania to meet the HeroRATs and see them in action firsthand. Players’ continued commitment to APOPO has been instrumental in helping us achieve our mission to save lives and create positive change in communities around the world. We look forward to achieving an even greater impact together in the coming year.”
The visit highlighted the value of this partnership, which continues to support APOPO’s work in some of the world’s most challenging environments. Together, APOPO and players are working to make a measurable difference in the lives of communities affected by landmines, tuberculosis, and other urgent issues.
Players of People’s Postcode Lottery help support APOPO through the Postcode Global Trust, which awards charities that save lives and improve healthcare systems. APOPO, known for training animals to save lives, benefits from this support ,enabling the organization to continue its life-saving work.
