Oct 2026: Animal-Kind International's 20th year brings big news & some changes
Kindness to Animals Has No Boundaries
AKI News: October 2026
As a non-profit organization, Animal-Kind International, now in our 20th year, we're considered a senior citizen (30% of non-profits don’t make it past 10 years). But we’re a spry and agile senior! Some of you have been with us from the beginning, and I’m sure you’ve noticed how we’ve grown and adapted. From six Partner Organizations, we now support 11 Partners, sponsor a grant program (14 grantees this year), fund three Special Projects, and support a virtual mentorship program. Starting with this newsletter, and continuing over the next few months, we’ll update you about more changes to come.
Matching Grant Update
In our September newsletter, we announced the offer of US$2000 in matching funds for $1000 bonus grants to four grantees, if we can raise the full $2000. We’re about $700 short of reaching the full match. AND A SUPPORTER HAS OFFERED TO DOUBLE THE ORIGINAL MATCH, BUT ONLY IF WE CAN REACH THE $2000 BY NOVEMBER 30. That means, if you donate $50, we could receive an additional $100 for a total of $150: your donation is tripled, more grantees will receive a top-up grant, and if you donate, you get to vote for one grantee who you would like to receive a bonus.
Grantees like COALA (Coalition for the Welfare of Animals in Senegal) are depending on us!
A police officer in Bambilor noticed Hope tied up to a heavy cart in front of his owner's shop in poor physical condition with signs of neglect and difficulty breathing. Citing the law, he confiscated the horse and called Nassirou, COALA’s deputy manager, to take the horse to the refuge.
COALA has worked hard to build a trusting relationship with the local police and the police now regularly contact COALA to help enforce animal welfare laws, especially when it comes to neglected or stolen cart horses and donkeys.
This is huge and doesn’t happen by chance, nor is it common in the countries where we work, to have such a solid relationship between police and an animal welfare organization.
For Hope, this relationship was a lifesaver. Hope was in terrible shape when he arrived at the COALA sanctuary in mid-September. A month later, after treatment for a respiratory infection and nutritious food, he’s gained weight and he’s breathing normally.
Hope joins COALA’s growing number of rescued horses and donkeys -- 18 right now -- most of whom were referred to COALA by the local police, and who, without COALA, would have no hope.
If COALA receives enough votes to win a $1000 bonus grant, they told us they’d use it to spay/neuter ~7 dogs at the shelter and bring in the farrier to take care of the horses' and donkeys' hooves, needed every few months.
For our friends in New Mexico: Please join us!
In the October AKI Blog, you’ll find detailed updates about how your donations support:
One & Only Animal Sanctuary - Ghana: their completed grant project
Two of our Partner Organizations (Bam in Uganda and Sauvons nos Animaux in Congo); and
Two AKI Special Projects (FAV in Haiti and SPCA Grahamstown, South Africa).
With their AKI grant, the One & Only Animal Sanctuary (Ghana) gives kittens space. The One & Only used their grant to build a safe space for rescued kittens to reduce overcrowding at their shelter, the only sanctuary in Ghana. Read about their grant project here:
We support the Bam Animal Clinics’ Donkey Welfare Program in eastern Uganda by funding their free community vet clinics and by training donkey owners to make, use, and maintain humane saddles to prevent painful injuries due to overloading. During recent community clinics, Bam filed overgrown hooves and treated donkeys for maggot infestations, prolapses, eye issues, a head injury, and the usual overloading wounds, injuries from fighting (as ungelded males will do), and parasite infestations.
Good News for Sauvons nos Animaux and Cats & Dogs in Congo: With so much negative news about the Democratic Republic of Congo over the past few years (armed conflicts, Ebola, natural disasters), we're so happy to share this positive news about our Partner, Sauvons nos Animaux, and how we help them through the tough times and the good times:
Good DOG Fund 3: how we support SPCA Grahamstown - 89 animals and their human families helped from mid-May through-September, including 47 sterilizations, pyometra, ovarian cysts, parasite treatment, and so much more!
Fondation Alliance Verte in Haiti continues to provide care, thanks to our AKI Special Project and your donations - In August and September, FAV built a 2nd catio at their shelter to make room for the many newly rescued kitties, spayed 3 dogs, provided much-needed vet care for cats and dogs, and vaccinated 20 dogs at their shelter to protect them from rabies, distemper, parvo, and other viruses, and de-wormed them.
More Updates from our Supported Organizations
And more about your donations at work…..
AKI Partner Liberia Animal Welfare & Conservation Society launched a massive rabies vaccination campaign after several people were bitten by dogs. This created a rabies scare among the population (even though no rabies cases materialized), and the lives of Zorzor’s dogs were in danger. All LAWCS’ hard work, getting people to accept, care, and love their dogs, and even consider them part of their family, was at risk.
We agreed that LAWCS should use AKI funds for a 3-day campaign during which 1281 dogs and cats were given health checks, including: 400 dogs vaccinated against rabies, and others were treated for worms, tick and flea infestations, mange, sore ears, and other conditions.
We’re continuing to provide vet care for the dogs rescued from the Mityana, Uganda scammers. In October, the 52 dogs received heartworm and tick prevention. Next up will be transmissible venereal tumor treatment for the 5 dogs who need it (3 of them below with Dr Lewis).
While we always make sure the cats and dogs at the Uganda SPCA shelter get plentiful food and the vet care they need, that animals-in-need can be rescued, and that communities can get veterinary services (last week, we funded a very successful day of USPCA community outreach in Kyambala with 78 dogs and cats vaccinated against rabies and dewormed and 12 spayed/neutered), we never forget about the USPCA staff. That’s why we cover the cost of staff salaries, and we recently paid for all USPCA staff to get their pre-exposure rabies vaccinations.
Animal-Kind International News for our 20th year
We’ve made some changes to our website, but there are many more to come over the next couple of months. You may want to check some out now, especially our "What People are Saying” page, where you’ll find our 4-star rating on Charity Navigator, 2026 Platinum Transparency from Candid, and our 2026 Great Non-Profits badge, where you can delve further into what people are saying about our work!
Did you know that you can always find previous AKI monthly newsletters in our archives? The very 1st one in the archives is from April 2010!—See how we’ve grown and adapted and how much more we’re able to do thanks to your support!
Help us reach a larger audience. Please forward our newsletter
to an animal-loving friend.
No AI was used to write this newsletter.
Thanks to your support, we’re helping effective animal advocates and 28 animal welfare organizations working in conflict areas and impoverished communities in 20 countries.
We are gratefully yours,
Karen Menczer, Founder/Director
& the Animal-Kind International Board
Our Partner Organizations work in Uganda, Namibia, DR Congo, Ghana, South Sudan, Liberia, Zimbabwe, Honduras, and Jamaica. You can donate to AKI’s general fund or designate your donation to one or more of our Partner Organizations.
Our 2026 (9th annual) Animal Welfare Organization Grant Program grantees work in: Tanzania, Ghana, Senegal, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Zambia, South Africa, Haiti, Honduras (2 grantees), Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, and Peru.
Our Special Projects are: the SPCA-Grahamstown’s Good DOG Fund; Fondation Alliance Verte-Haiti Spay/Neuter & Emergency Fund; vet care for the rescued cats and dogs from the Mityana, Uganda scammers; and the Liberia Animal Welfare & Conservation Society’s Humane Education MEL Plan.
AKI: Since 2007, helping animals and the people who care for them in resource-poor areas.
We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization; donations to AKI are tax deductible in the US to the extent the law allows. 100% of your donations are used to support our Partner Organizations & our Animal Welfare Organization Grant Program.
