SPANA was founded on 2 October 1923 by British woman Kate Hosali and her daughter, Nina. While travelling through North Africa as tourists, the Hosali's found donkeys, mules and camels who were malnourished; weak; buckling under the weight of heavy loads; suffering with wounds inflicted by poorly fitting harnesses. To help these working animals, they founded SPANA to provide them with practical support and to promote the treatment of the animals with respect and kindness. Initially the charity worked primarily in North African countries including Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco, before expanding into West and East Africa and even the Middle East. SPANA's early history is described in the 1978 book
Kate Who Was Called the Toubiba: The SPANA Story, by Nina Hosali. In recent years, SPANA has expanded its work into southern Africa and, through local partnerships, also delivered projects across Asia, Africa and Central and South America. In 2014, SPANA was selected as the charity of the year for
Horse & Hound magazine to mark the publication's 130th anniversary. In 2016, SPANA launched International Working Animal Day. This annual event aims to raise awareness of the role played by working animals in low-income countries. SPANA was named 'Best Animal Welfare Charity' (for Europe, the Middle East and Africa) at the 2016 Animal Health Awards. In 2018, SPANA campaigned against the increased threat to donkeys posed by the donkey skin trade and uncontrolled use of donkey skins to produce
ejiao. During the early months of the
COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, SPANA's work was limited by local government lockdowns and health restrictions, while the accompanying decline of local businesses left many animal owners unable to work and struggling to look after or feed their animals. The group also ran a series of emergency feeding programmes in 2020 and 2021, which reached thousands of starving animals. During the run-up to the
COP26 climate summit in October 2021, SPANA highlighted the impact of climate change is having on working animals and the low-income communities they support. In the Charity Film Awards 2022, SPANA won the People's Choice Award (in the £5m-£20m turnover category), after gaining the most votes in the public vote. The charity's film also received a Bronze award in the same category, voted for by a panel of judges. In June 2022, a road in Mauritania was named Rue SPANA - SPANA Road - in recognition of the charity's contribution to animal welfare. The road's official inauguration ceremony was attended by local officials, including the Mayor of El Mina and the Chief of Police. During the same month, SPANA signed an agreement with the government of Mauritania to confirm its involvement in a ‘Green Schools’ pilot project, to bring animal welfare lessons to about 60 schools in Mauritania. Students taking part in the new project were set to be taught about topics relating to the environment and sustainable development, and – in line with the UN animal welfare nexus resolution – will learn about the need for good animal welfare. For the initiative, SPANA has partnered with bodies including the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Environment and Sustainability, the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) and the German Development Corporation. In April 2026, the organization changed its name to Working Animals International to clarify its focus on working animals. ==Today==