With the end of the year looming, it's time to remind our monthly donors to keep their eyes open for my email message-which I'll send out around the end of November/beginning of December--with the total you donated over the year (for tax purposes and FYI) and what your donations have achieved. As always, but this year more than ever, our gratitude is beyond words. Some months monthly donors make up about 90% of the donations we receive.
AKI was published in the Santa Fe New Mexican "My View." Our article is about the progress that animal welfare organizations in Africa have made in recent years and how the pandemic could undermine much of it:
In AKI's September newsletter, I mentioned that we're doing "friendly audits" for some Africa-Based animal welfare organizations that we've come to know, most of them we've been unable to support financially, but we want to help in other ways. We've done 7 friendly audits. Now we're looking for volunteers who have website building and editing experience, social media experience, editors, marketing experts, grant writers, and just about anyone who is comfortable working online and wants to help animal welfare organizations in Africa become stronger. Send an email to me and we'll get you started.
NEWS FROM AKI PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS
The picture above shows a 1st for Liberia Animal Welfare & Conservation Society and for Zorzor-it's the 1st time LAWCS has brought their community animal care clinics to Zorzor district in Lofa County, and it's the 1st time Zorzor pets have ever received professional care. LAWCS visited several communities, where they treated over 250 dogs and cats for wounds, tick, flea, and worm infestations, skin issues, and gave advice about taking good care of pets. LAWCS uses funds from AKI donors to pay LAWCS staff salaries, for upkeep of LAWCS motorbikes (the best way to get to some of the remote communities where LAWCS holds humane ed programs and community animal care clinics), for rent of the LAWCS office and animal clinic in Voinjama, for dog and cat food, medications, for meds and supplies for community animal care clinics, and other priority needs.
AKI Partner Have A Heart-Namibia is committed to providing lifetime care for dogs and cats who are spayed or neutered at HAH mobile clinics. Geesche (HAH volunteer fundraiser) explained how HAH came up with that goal:
"HAH Founder, Lindie, knew that it was a big waste of money if an animal was spayed or neutered and later contracted distemper, parvo, or rabies, and died. Plus, the owners would lose trust if after s/n their pet died. The idea of lifelong ongoing care started in Luderitz, when some HAH dogs were s/n'd, but needed help again. I argued that it was cheaper to keep the sterilized dogs and cats healthy than have to do the s/n surgery again on a new pet. And now, the HAH committee has approved the lifetime care concept as the way that HAH will do business.For me it's really about the dog or cat and the people who care about the animal.I don't see any reason why a dog or cat has to be put down with an easy to treat injury or illness, only because it's a member of a poor family! All I need to know is that it's loved!"
AKI donors play a big role in HAH's lifetime care concept. With AKI funds, HAH gives booster shots (rabies and the combo shot) to all returning HAH clients. And we've created an AKI-HAH Emergency Fund to pay vet costs for needy HAH clients. Like Katsy from Okahandja, a recent beneficiary of the AKI-HAH Emergency Fund................
Katsy (picture above) had squamos cell carcinoma on her ear. Her owner is Jolandi Goeieman (the surname is Afrikaans and means "Good Man"). He was very worried that he wouldn't be able to get help for Katsy because he knew he wasn't able to afford the cost of a vet. Geesche said, "Jolandi is super thankful for the support. Katsy would have eventually died without this small but life saving operation - only possible because of AKI!"
New on the AKI Blog this month from our Partners:
Kingston Community Animal Welfare-dealing with the fallout of covid-19: While there have always been many cats and dogs living on Kingston's streets, the recent increase in their numbers is striking, but thanks to AKI donors, KCAW is feeding them, providing vet care when needed, and getting them spayed and neutered. The numbers are overwhelming at times, and as always, we and KCAW are grateful for your support, which covers 90- 95% of KCAW's operating costs.
Ghana Society for the Protection & Care of Animals gets back to work after covid-19 lock down: For the remainder of 2020, as funds allow, Ghana SPCA is focusing on bringing vet care to poor communities in Accra, where there are high numbers of domestic animals and where pet owners have no other access to vet care.
AKI Partner Mbwa wa Africa in Arusha, Tanzania thanks our AKI supporters: Mbwa wa Africa's Sandra sent this message to AKI supporters, "Because of AKI we know that we can pay our animal caretakers' salaries and that we can buy dog and cat food tomorrow. We know that we can give Taji, Babu, Akili, and all the others the lives they deserve to live -thanks to you!"
New on the AKI Blog from our Africa-Based Animal Welfare Grant Recipients:
Nairobi Feline Sanctuary has happy (and sterilized) cats thanks to the grant from AKI: The Nairobi Feline Sanctuary constructed a play yard, a vet office, vet surgery space, and recovery area at the Sanctuary and as soon as construction was finished, they got busy spaying and neutering kitties!
AKI grant recipient Tikobane Trust in Zimbabwe purchased conveyor belts from mine workers and shops, which they use to make humane harnesses for donkeys. During September, Tikobane made 17 harness (like the one in the picture above) and padded and distributed 14 harnesses in Magoli and Dete villages; trained 11 donkey owners how to use humane harness; and trained 3 women on humane harness making. Tikobane's harness making, repairing, and training will continue for another few months through the AKI grant period.
AKI grant recipient Animal Welfare Society-Cameroon is working with cotton farmers who use donkeys to plow their fields and haul cotton. The cool thing about this grant is that it has built-in sustainability because AWES has partnered with the cotton producing association (SODECOTON) and their farmers, who are very aware that they need the animal care expertise that AWES brings. For the 1st month of this 6 month project, AWES registered 44 SODECOTON farmers belonging to the cotton producing group, Mbor-Moundang, having a total of 64 donkeys. AWES will be working with these 44 farmers, training them to provide basic care, good food, water, rest, and shelter before moving on to the next group. The 2nd cool thing is that AWES had each farmer give a name to their donkey-this was a 1st. The donkey in the picture below is named Ngueri. Naming something makes what may have seemed more of an inanimate object, a feeling creature. And the 3rd cool thing, AWES is also involving school kids in the training program because they are often caretakers of the donkeys, and because they want to learn about donkey care!
More from AKI Africa-Based Animal Welfare Organization Grant Recipients in the November newsletter!
Uganda SPCA Land Update!
These may just look like vacant and bush land now, but imagine a USPCA shelter, a larger Haven, on one of these plots. The USPCA team is still searching, but finally we're finding some reasonable, accessible properties, not quite within our financial reach yet, but not all that far (the pictures above are 2 of a handful of plots we're considering).
As most of you are aware, the number of cats and dogs at The Haven has steadily increased (to more than 300), the number of adoptions has decreased this year, and all around the USPCA shelter, upscale residential buildings have popped up, making the current location untenable. We are worried that at any time, The Haven could be given notice to move out!
We'll need your help over the next few months to reach our goal and make our longstanding dream reality. Here are ways you can donate:
(100% of your donation to AKI designated for USPCA land is set aside for land purchase)
(USPCA-AKI crowdfunding page, GlobalGiving takes no fee to host the fundraiser)
You can also donate through Facebook (on AKI's page with no transaction fee), at the USPCA Haven, or check the USPCA website for more options.
Also, we're hoping to have some matching donation opportunities coming up between November and end of the year. Please watch for those!
As we say in the AKI article in the Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper, Africa's animal welfare organizations have made amazing progress over the last decade. Your donation can help make sure we don't lose those gains.
100% of your donations go to AKI-supported organizations. AKI donors support our 10 Partner Organizations in Uganda (2 partners), Tanzania, South Sudan, Namibia, Liberia, Ghana, Armenia, Jamaica, and Honduras; and AKI's 2020 Africa-Based Animal Welfare Organization Grant Recipients who work in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo (2 grantees), Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Please help us get the word out about AKI by forwarding this message to your friends and family who love animals. We hope you are staying safe and healthy.
With Gratitude,
Karen Menczer, Founder & Director
& the AKI Board