Lebanon because of the horrible scenes they were subjected to,” the statement said. The organization supports spaying stray dogs as a means of controlling Lebanon’s stray popu- lation and has repeatedly wamed of the risks of Killing animals and leaving them to rot. Last year, prominent Shiite cleric, the late Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah, issued a fatwa authorizing the killing of stray dogs by civ after a formal letter of complaint was received from residents of Nabatiyeh, “Once more, BETA confirms that the barbar- ic and violent methods that were used contradict with the values of kindness and tolerance the Lebanese people pride themselves on and with the image of a civilized country they so cher- ish,” the organization said, adding that the method was ineffective. “The most evident proof of this failure is that these practices have been going on for several years and have clearly not been able to remedy the problem.” The Daily Star, Lebanon Beruit for the Ethical Treatment of Animals; wow.betalebanon.org. Vietnam Animal Welfare Project Update On November 1, 2010, [ and two other trainers flew to Hanoi, Vietnam, to commence a nine- ‘month Humane Edutainment pilot project in partnership with IOGT-VN and several other key coalition partners, including VietPet.com, Live & Leam, Green Network, Fauna and Flora Intemational, and the Vietnam Veterinary Med- icine Club A six-day Humane Edutainment practitioner workshop was conducted in Hanoi and aimed to provide participants from various coalition part- ner groups with the skills needed to plan and implement Humane Edutainment events at schools and universities throughout the Hanoi Municipal Region. This workshop provided ‘raining in Forum Theatre techniques and vari- ous Humane Education exercises designed to stimulate critical thinking, perspective taking, conflict resolution, and divergent thinking skills. Representatives from the World Society for the Protections of Animals (WSPA), Live & Leam, mals Asia Foundation, Education Nature Vietnam and VietPet also provided presentations to enhance participant awareness of animal- related is More than 35 Vietnamese attended the work shop from 6-11 November, which culminated in a mock Humane Edutainment performanceevent featuring vignettes created by the participants themselves. These vignettes covered such topics as 1) how to help a chained dog in need; 2) dealing with conflict at home over rescued kittens; 3) refusing to use traditional medicine products made from endangered animals, and 4) not participating in bullying behaviors. Vignettes such as these serve as the core of the Humane Edutainment approach, which calls on audience members to become part of the sociodrama with an eye towards developing, successful resolution to complex ethical dilemmas. As Boal noted, this kind of experiential learning is practice for real life. ‘Through the process of examining and evaluating various potential solutions to complex problems each of us is likely to eventually face, we become better prepared to act decisive- ly and ethically when faced with the same dilemmas in real life. ‘On November 16, graduates of the workshop presented a Humane Edutainment per- formance for thirty students at the Hanoi University of Agriculture, which includes the College of Veterinary Medicine. Several Veterinary students from the Hanoi University of Agriculture attended the Humane Edutainment workshop and took the lead for setting up and running this performance. They wrote and performed new vignettes dealing with the trapping of exotic wildlife and caring for sick water buffalo. The first full-scale Humane Edutainment event is planned for next month at Nguyen Tat Thanh high school in Hanoi, ‘A presentation on Humane Education was also given at the U.S. Embassy's American Center in Hanoi. More than 80 Vietnamese youth attended this presentation, many of whom subsequently volunteered to be part of the pilot project and we are looking forward to integrating them into the Humane Edutainment project. Following conversations with representatives of VietPet.com and Vietnam's Veterinary Medicine Club, we have also decided to support an initiative designed to facilitate the ‘operations of a home-grown animal rescue club in Hanoi. We are currently in discussions with SCAD Bangkok (www.scadbangkok.org) to coordinate a 3-4 day to their Bangkok facility visit by a handful of Vietnamese veterinary medicine students and a senior vet to explore what it would take to establish an animal rescue operation in Hanoi. This group currently carries out very limited and informal animal rescue activities, but we feel that mentorship by a professional actual animal rescue organization in the region would sig nificantly enhance and accelerate the development of a true animal rescue capability in Hanoi and also serve as a model of other Vietnamese urban centers (Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Da Nang, etc). So, all things considered . . a productive trip and a great start to the project. I am so excited to watch the action unfold over the next few months and I'll be sure to keep you ‘updated! Cheers, —Bob Lucius, Executive Director, Kairos Coalition; email: execdirector@kairoscoalition.org; www kairoscoalition.org. ‘Above: Students perform Humane “Edutainment” in Hanoi. Toe Axmais Vor Macwzne LL