Spark and enhance interest, awareness, and action in developed countries about the attitudes and treatment of domestic animals in less developed countries with the aim of raising much-needed funds for AKI's animal welfare partners. We match our developing country partner organizations with businesses and individuals in developed countries who can provide assistance. We have an already established network of animal welfare organizations in less developed countries, who are committed to working at the community level to change attitudes and behaviors towards animals--they have the drive, the skills, and the knowledge, they only need financial support--so difficult to raise in their countries.
The Problem: Since animal welfare organizations in most developing countries compete for resources with so many other causes, internal appeals for funds—to government, individuals, and business—are unlikely to fulfill resource needs. For animal welfare groups in developing countries, crisis management becomes the norm, and unable to plan for the future, they miss opportunities to have broad impacts in the animal welfare arena.
More developed countries have the resources to help overcome the challenges. However, the key is to identify and match resources to needs and provide targeted and secure delivery of services, supplies and equipment to our partner organizations in developing countries.
How you can help: If you’ve felt powerless to help distressed animals in a country you’ve visited, if you’re interested in helping animals beyond your borders, or if you’re just curious about the status of animals and animal welfare in other countries, Animal-Kind International can be a source of information and can also help you to help animals in far-away places.
Animal-Kind International is getting the message out about animal welfare issues in developing countries and what can be done to address them. When you read about AKI’s partner organizations in developing countries we are sure you’ll want to contribute to their efforts.
Animal-Kind International’s Core Values
Our core values influence all we do:
- We believe that animal welfare has no boundaries.
- We believe that improving the conditions for animals goes hand in hand with improving the conditions for people in our AKI partner countries.
- In all we do, we will strive to show respect and understanding for the human community because we understand that working in animal welfare in AKI countries means working with the people who so rely on their animals.
- We believe that our partner organizations are best positioned to identify their strategy and activities, and to decide on how to use their funds. We will not dictate; our role is to oversee the use of AKI funds to ensure they are used wisely for animal welfare purposes.
Animal-Kind International’s Strategies
Animal-Kind International’s Strategy for Forming Partnerships with Organizations in Developing Countries
AKI has high standards for the organizations we choose to form partnerships with. We look for these attributes in our partner organizations:
- Local: We partner with organizations that are rooted in the local culture, either founded by local people or longtime residents, who respect the local culture and work within its norms to improve conditions for animals in their country.
- Community based: We partner with organizations that work at community level, and work mainly from bottom-up because we believe that lasting change only happens when local people are behind it and advocate for it.
- Lasting change: We partner with organizations who use funds efficiently and effectively, have programs that are worthy of broad support from the international community, and whose work has the potential to bring about lasting changes in their countries.
Animal-Kind International’s Strategy for Ensuring our Integrity and Sustainability
Due diligence: We will conduct ongoing due diligence of our partner organizations to ensure that funds, supplies, and other support is used solely to further animal welfare. Due diligence will include regular reports and receipts by our partner organizations, and field visits by the Board in conjunction with other work that takes us to AKI partner organization countries (at no cost to AKI).
- Minimize overhead, maximize contributions: We will conduct our business with minimum overhead, and to this end we will provide 100% of each donation to our partner organization (only to be used for overhead costs if a donor states so); and we will avoid banking fees and high postage costs by sending funds and supplies with people who travel to AKI partner countries, and by using other low/no cost and secure means.
- Grow slowly and smartly: Although there are many worthy organizations, AKI will only add organizations to the AKI network when we can: ensure that the group meets our high standards; conduct the ongoing due diligence to ensure wise use of funds; and when the AKI budget can support additional groups.
- Communicate widely: We will communicate with AKI partner organizations on a regular basis so we remain aware of and updated on their activities. We will communicate with our donors on a regular basis so that they are aware of how their funds are used, and so that they truly become partners in AKI’s global animal welfare efforts. We will communicate with the press, the animal welfare community, and others to spread the word about the great work that our AKI partner organizations are doing.
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