Chiemeka Chiedozie sent this article to AKI. It provides insight into what
one person can do --and is doing--to improve the world for animals.
Chiemeka Chiedozie, the Project Director of Humane Animal Aid Project in
Nigeria, is one man that is passionate about caring for animals. Through
his NGO, Chiedozie promotes animal welfare in Africa specifically for children below the ages of 19 years. His mission is to impart knowledge on the
children so they will have relevant information about the animal kingdom and
how to care for them.
Chiedozie, who has been running this project for the past four years, has
taken the campaign to different primary and secondary schools: “I have been
to over 200 primary and secondary schools to educate young people about the animal kingdom. I show them a documentary
and take them to zoos to see animal life to build a relationship with
the children and animals so that they won’t develop the passion of killing
the animals,” he said.
He explained further that an average Nigerian doesn’t have passion for an
animal, all they know is how to kill animals. This is a project to educate them.
“I said to myself that this destructive attitude must be stopped because we are raising animal killers.”
"I just took the challenge upon myself to start the project,” he said. On how
he gets the project funded, Chiedozie, who has traveled to Ghana to address people on animal rights, said he gets only material donations from the United Kingdom and USA to run the project. He has gotten educational materials from the
People for Ethical Treatment of Animal (PETA), in United Kingdom.
“I have done animal conferences and exhibitions which had over 300 people in attendance. I finance it myself and also ask people to donate to the project. Finance is the major challenge rocking the project,” he explained.
He wants the Nigerian government at all levels to partner with his NGO so he can fund the project. Chiedozie, who has been featured in Animal Times Magazine in the UK, was recently made World Animal Ambassador for Nigeria.
He wants Nigerians to care for animals. Chiedozie said, “Animals have feelings and emotions just as people have. Because they can’t talk, people take advantage of them. If every Nigerian has feelings for animals, then people will also not be killing their neighbours and families,” he advised.
