AKI Donor Support to Mbwa wa Africa (disbursement 3-2017)
AKI's 3rd (and final) disbursement of 2017 covered the cost of food for shelter cats and dogs, staff salaries, infrastructure improvements, medicine and other vet supplies, and shelter supplies--almost 1/3 of the cost to run the shelter over a 3 month period. Here are some of the details of how Mbwa wa Africa used your donations and some of the cats and dogs who benefited.
Plywood, plumbing fittings, chain link fence, and other fencing material--not very exciting stuff, but these materials (purchased with AKI $$) have resulted in great improvements to the Mbwa wa Africa shelter. The plywood was used to build shelves in the MwA storage area (photo below). The fencing material (plastic-coated) was used to replace the old chicken wire in the free run areas in front of the kennels to make them puppy-escape-proof. MwA used the plumbing material to place a water line to the therapy pool, used for dogs with spinal injuries and other problems that affect their limbs.
MwA founder, Jens, wrote to us: "Running a dog shelter in Africa where there are more public known issues like wildlife poaching and providing communities with water and the children with education, we are thankful for our partnership with AKI. Otherwise we wouldn't have money to do the ongoing improvements."
During October, November, and December, Mbwa wa Africa used AKI funds to cover >US$2000 in salaries for shelter staff. About US$250 was used for medicines and other vet supplies.
Some of the cats and dogs that benefited from AKI donor support over this period are:
Mia-Sandra told us, "Our lovely Mia was one of the 'invisible' dogs. She came as a abandoned little puppy in March and was always a bit shy with strangers. She would rather stay back and watch when the other dogs were happily greeting visitors and the lucky ones were chosen by their new owners. So one by one her siblings and friends left. Mia grew into a big, beautiful dog, made new friends, and they went to forever homes too. Then one morning Lesley came to the shelter to find a companion for her old dog and she decided on Mia!"
Logan-MwA's Sandra and Jens had seen Logan at one of the areas where they regularly check and treat street dogs, and they decided to take him to the shelter because he was too old to fend for himself. He had a torn ligament in his knee and couldn't use that leg. He was skinny and sad and they just couldn't leave him there like that. No one knew where Logan came from, but as soon as he arrived at the shelter, he couldn't get enough attention and loves human company. He also loves other dogs, he quickly gained weight, and is enjoying his retirement (but would love a real home).
Two ginger kitty sisters-The mother of these 2-month old kitties was killed by a wild animal and they were left behind confused and scared. Oscar, who helps at the shelter on weekends, felt sorry for them, he captured them, and brought them to the shelter. They were really scared, but bit by bit they settled in and are used to being around people now.
Duchess and Queenie, Pako and Monty-It took 4 months for Duchess and Queenie to trust people enough so that they could be put up for adoption. With Nathalie they found their perfect home, where they can stay together forever. Little tomcats Monty and Pako will also spend the rest of their lives together at a new hostel with a lot of attention from volunteers from all over the world! All 4 were adopted in December.
Mama dog + 10 puppies-MwA knew about this friendly street dog for a while, but hadn't been able to get her spayed before she got pregnant. The guards at the complex, that she had chosen as her home, are nice with the dogs who stay there, they feed them and call MwA if something is wrong. However, when this mama gave birth to 10 puppies, MwA knew they had to get her and her babies to safety and the chance of peaceful lives in loving homes. At the shelter, they flourished, mama and her 5 girls and 5 boys! Sandra wrote, "We want to thank Animal-Kind International for their support though the last year and especially for helping with the costs which are involved with this happy family!
Aladin, Merida, and Pocahontas-Around mid-November, 4 very sad little puppies were found lonely and scared on the street. The people who found them had them checked by a local vet before bringing them to MwA shelter. Unfortunately, a far too strong worming medicine was used on them, which did more damage than good to the small pups. The smallest one died after only a few days. Luckily, the others were hanging in there with a lot of love and care from MwA volunteers Laura, Alina, and Melina. Especially little Pocahontas was very weak and didn't seem to recover as well as her siblings so she was looked after around the clock. Sandra wrote, "Everybody was heartbroken when the little girl left this world regardless after 3 weeks - she will never be forgotten! But we needed to look forward and at least Aladin and his sister Merida are doing good now! They spend their days playing with the other puppies or sleeping and dreaming of a loving future home."
Maggie-In the last AKI Blog post about MwA, we reported about Maggie, who was hit by a car and her eye was damaged (actually, it popped out). She was a street dog who was living at a hospital compound in Arusha and MwA brought her to the shelter for surgery, recovery, and to find a real home. At the end of December, she was adopted and is now living at a farm in Karatu and has a new doggy friend, Zep.
Simba and Luna-In mid-November, 2 sweet dogs who have homes near the MwA shelter, spent about 5 weeks at MwA to be treated and recover from horrible injuries. Nobody really knew how it happened, but Luna's hind leg was dislocated and twisted to the point that her skin had burst apart. After surgery at Merlino Vet Clinic, her leg had to be tied up against her belly, she needed strict kennel rest, and rehabilitation after that, so she had a cage for herself at the shelter. Simba was living at an orphanage and had a badly broken front leg, which was fixed with a splint inside the bone. Of course she also needed post-operative treatment until the splint could be removed. Both healed well, and went home for Christmas (Luna on a motorbike)!
Sirius-Two children were trying to sell Lupin and Sirius outside a supermarket in Arusha. When a policeman appeared, the kids dropped the puppies and ran off. Luckily, someone knew to call MwA, and they rescued the parasite-infested pups. In December, Kristen and Said adopted little Sirius!
Birdie-Birdie had an incredibly hard start in life. After being rescued as a tiny puppy half starved to death, she ran away from her 1st home and she was rescued again, but by then, she had parvo. Finally, at the MwA shelter, she was treated and recovered from this horrible disease. And then, she found a fantastic forever home with Diana and Bruce in Arusha.
From Jens, "Without AKI, we would struggle keeping the shelter running....our philosophy is to help as many dogs and cats as possible and to give them a chance when injured or in need of medical care. Campaign donations [spay/neuter and rabies] don't cover that!! Meaning without you we would have to take a dog's life to make sure he is not suffering instead of giving him a chance to recover!!! That is why we are so proud of having AKI as a partner."
Thank you AKI donors for helping MwA help as many dogs and cats as possible!