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Writer's pictureAnimal-Kind International

Animal Friendly Kids Camp in Congo, 2024

This is the 9th year that Sauvons nos Animaux has held their Animal Friendly Kids Camp. When it started in 2016, nine children attended the camp. In recent years, Sauvons nos Animaux hosted about 240 campers. This year, due to funding challenges, an average of 140 children attended the 5 day/week, 7-week camp.


Animal Friendly Kids Camp, 2024

During the 2 months of Animal Friendly Kids Camp, campers participate in many different activities at the shelter, including educational activities and shelter tasks. Campers sing songs, draw pictures, write stories, all with animal themes. All children receive a vegetarian lunch each day.


Usually, Sauvons nos Animaux plans a special project for each year's Animal Friendly Kids Camp, and the special project this year was to make enclosed beds for the cats to keep them warm and dry during eastern Congo's rainy, cold seasons. This year, Animal-Kind International (which means, you, our supporters) funded the entire cost of the camp.


During weeks 1 and 2, Sauvons nos Animaux staff showed the campers around the shelter and explained the purpose of the animal shelter and the role of the shelter staff. They taught the kids how to approach dogs and how to pet them and how to hold puppies and kittens. The staff explained the body language of cats and dogs.


A man in a yellow vest holds a brown dog at the animal shelter in Congo.
SnA's Aganze explains a dog's body language and how to hold a dog

Many children surround a brown dog who is sitting and enjoying the attention at the animal shelter in Congo.
Campers learn how to read a dog's body language and how to approach and pet dogs

Several children with two dogs at the animal shelter in Congo.
Campers learn how to tell if a dog is friendly and enjoying the attention

Many children in the background as two children pet a dog laying on her back and an adult supervises at the animal shelter in Congo.
Always with staff supervision, the kids learn to pet dogs

From their parents and school teachers, most of the kids had only learned to fear animals. If they were taught to interact with animals at all, it was usually about controlling them, and usually with force or violence. But at the Sauvons nos Animaux shelter, for the 1st time, the kids learned about being kind to animals, thinking of them as our friends and playmates, and understanding their reliance on us and our responsibilities to them.


From these pictures, it looks like they learned their lessons well!

A boy smiling and holding a small puppy at the animal shelter in Congo.
Holding a puppy is fun!

A young girl looking very happy while holding a little puppy at the animal shelter in Congo.
Puppy love!

A little girl kneeling wiht kids around her while she's holding a tan puppy at the animal shelter in Congo.
Cute and small

One boy holding a little puppy and smiling with one boy on either side of him, each holding puppies at the animal shelter in Congo.
Three boys with their three puppy friends

A boy sitting on a bench is petting a dog whose legs are on his lap at the animal shelter in Congo.
While Sauvons nos Animaux's Olivier looks on, a camper pets his new friend

A young girl gently touching a tan dog at the animal shelter in Congo.
She has learned her lessons well and knows how to befriend and pet a dog
A girl holding a gray puppy and a boy holding a white puppy and smiling at the animal shelter in Congo.
Puppies are so much fun and they're so cute too!

A boy holding a gray and white puppy and another boy behind him holding a black and tan puppy at the animal shelter in Congo.
The first time holding a little puppy!

A boy holding a black puppy looking a little nervous at the animal shelter in Congo.
He'll learn to love puppies!

During the next few weeks, the campers helped with tasks around the shelter. One of the activities they most enjoyed was bathing the dogs.


One boy washing a dog in a white bathtub while three adults and several children look on at the animal shelter in Congo.
Time for a bath!

Children bathing a brown dog in a white bathtub at the animal shelter in Congo.
Bath time

During the last couple of weeks of camp, some of the kids made enclosed kitty beds out of plastic basins. The cattery at the shelter has a roof (which is a little leaky), but has open sides, where rain and cold air can blow in. These beds will keep the kitties warm and dry and are perfect hideaways for shy cats.

Colorful basins with children who have placed one on top of the other to create enclosed cat beds at the animal shelter in Congo.
Making cat beds from basins commonly available in Congo

Children holding colorful basins with two dogs near them at the animal shelter in Congo.
Paterne checks out the campers' products

Children holding green, red, yellow, and blue plastic basins made into cat beds at the animal shelter in Congo.
Showing off their hard work

Many Sauvons nos Animaux volunteers and staff have previously attended the Animal Friendly Kids Camp. Which 2024 campers will become animal shelter staff, who might become a vet, which campers will be lifelong animal advocates? We can't wait to find out!


Animal Friendly Kids Camp & More: Video by Paterne


Watch this video to not only get a good idea of what camp is like, but to see the dogs and cats and people of the Sauvons nos Animaux animal shelter.



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