Kindness to Animals has no Boundaries
October 2023
Dear Animal-Kind Friends,
With all the sad news in the world, more than ever, I wanted to focus on the positive, uplifting things that you’ve helped us accomplish. I’m trying to do this-focusing on positive news-for myself as well. It’s a balancing act, especially when it comes to animal rescue/protection groups. Some groups use upsetting images to elicit a quick emotional response-and donations. I choose to focus on the positive work being done. I’m sure you’re already aware of the very sad side of animal rescue and I don’t think I need to bombard you with graphic images to get your attention. Instead, I believe and hope that providing good information and keeping people well-informed will grow dedicated AKI supporters.
One of our best donors said it better than I can when he told me that his concern was, “my contribution would fall into a black hole and end up as a rounding error on someone's financial sheet.” He added, “Your assurance that my funds will make a tangible difference in the lives of so many animals is reassuring beyond words.”
This struck me for 2 reasons: The reality is that we have so few donors (imagine a sub-set of a sub-set of a sub-set of animal lovers who give beyond their physical borders whose focus area of concern are the resource-poor regions where we work). Your donations are never a “rounding error” —every single one is important. But beyond that, I realized that this donor wasn’t interested in sad stories and gory photos, but wanted good information, he wanted the assurance that his donations will make a tangible difference in the lives of animals-in-need. YES! We can give you that assurance. Read on for some examples.
In keeping with our focus on positive news, check out Kitsy’s story from AKI Partner Organization, Have a Heart-Namibia. Kitsy needed: 2 x amputations (leg and tail), an emergency C-section, a crazy number of stitches, overnight stays at the vet clinic, a blood transfusion, and A LOT of medication. The cost for this intensive care? US$195.40! (Thank you to Dr Erna, who freely gave her time.) Kitsy is so loved by her family, we couldn’t think of a better use of the AKI-HaH Emergency Fund than helping her and her family through her near-death ordeal. (Photo left: Kitsy’s family visit post-op; photo right: Kitsy still under anesthesia after surgery)
AKI Partner Organization, The Six Freedoms-Ghana continues to pursue their dream of having their very own horse sanctuary in Ghana, open to everyone in the community, a place to learn about horses, a place where rescued horses (usually rescued from a life of misery as racers, used for beach rides for locals and tourists, and/or abandoned after an owner loses interest or the ability to provide care) can physically and emotionally heal. Meanwhile, as we help The Six Freedoms work towards that goal, you’ve provided the support for T6F to feed and provide vet care for their rescued horses currently living at 2 different locations. @thesixfreedoms
From Tanzania Small Animal Veterinary Organization, one of our 2023 Africa-Based Animal Welfare Organization Grant Program grantees, we have this news about their spay/neuter progress. 4 female dogs, 3 male dogs, 13 female cats, and 16 male cats were s/n’d in September and all 36 were vaccinated against rabies and de-wormed-but that’s just the quick view. Their progress and successes have as much to do with the time they spend on education and ensuring their efforts are fully inclusive. They invite vets, vet students, community members, and local business and political leaders to join in their work with the goal of increasing acceptance and support of trap-neuter-vaccinate-release and of community cats and dogs in general. Our grant is helping them do this!
From another of our 2023 grantees, Blind Love in South Africa, read about three of their rescued horses, beneficiaries of Animal-Kind International-funded shelters (along with 9 other rescued horses and 21 donkeys….and a just-born baby donkey of one of the rescues who no one suspected was pregnant!) Pictured below is Angel, born with a condition called wry face.
More News from our Partners & Grantees
In last month’s newsletter I asked if anyone had a camera or a laptop that they would like to donate to our Partner Organization Sauvons nos Animaux in the Congo. I was so delighted to receive at least 5 offers to donate a camera and 3 for laptops. I’ll be carrying a laptop and camera and so much more to SnA:
We’re also grateful to a generous vet, Dr M, who donated expired meds to Animal-Kind International (in the above picture). Along with everything else, it was just too much to carry to Congo, so our Partners Kingston Community Animal Welfare and Helping Hands for Hounds of Honduras also received a share of Dr M’s meds.
And how wonderful is this? In last month’s newsletter, we told you about Helping Hands for Hounds of Honduras’s new rescues, six 3-week old puppies, all in a desperate state (2 of the puppies pictured below on the day they were rescued, after a bath). Now they’ve been adopted. The pictures of these adoptive families help show what we’ve been documenting is happening in Honduras—younger people are adopting dogs and cats, considering them part of the family, they are starting and volunteering at animal rescue organizations, becoming strong animal advocates. Our Partner HHHH/Pilar has paved the way for this new generation and continues to provide support to local advocates and organizations.
Modeled on our very successful Shirlee Christensen Pet Food Fund for Sauvons nos Animaux in the Democratic Republic of Congo, thanks to another very generous donor, we’ve created a pet food fund for our Partner Organization, Uganda SPCA. When we told the USPCA about the donation and the Fund we created, they were elated! “With the animal food fund we will be able to bring back the feeding of the animals to normal. Kennels sponsorships are in decline plus the number of animals is getting higher! So it is great to have the fund allocated only to the animals food.” But we still need your help to make sure 2024 will be a year of full bellies for USPCA’s 350+ shelter animals.
[Photo above: a few of the 80 or so kitties at the USPCA Haven who are relying on us for their daily meals.]
For some years now, Animal-Kind International has been working with a small group of animal lovers, local South Sudanese and expats (mainly humanitarian/aid workers, who work on and off in South Sudan) to organize a spay/neuter campaign in Juba. Together, we raised the funds needed for the campaign, which would involve Kenya SPCA doing hands-on training of South Sudan’s veterinary professionals and others so that locals can carry on with these efforts. But getting approvals without having an in-country, registered group, has been difficult.
And now, it’s looking like we are on the verge of seeing and being a part of the 1st ever locally-run animal welfare organization in South Sudan! Once recognized and registered, this organization will be able to do so much more than our loose band of volunteers has been able to accomplish. This is monumental news for South Sudan and all animal lovers! And we’ll keep you updated.
I want to give some recognition to our 2023 grantees. Even though our 2023 grant program has just begun, I feel this year’s grantees may be the best group of grantees we have had since we launched our Africa-Based Animal Welfare Organization Grant Program in 2018. https://www.animal-kind.org/grant-program-2023 Another reason for us to have hope for the future. We’ll be bringing more news from our 2023 grant recipients in upcoming newsletters.
Lastly, from AKI Partner Kingston Community Animal Welfare:
“I rescued her from a yard in an area close to my home 13 years ago. She had 7 pups with her, struggling to feed as she had no owner. I took her home with her pups and now my beloved Whitey has left me.
I put her to sleep yesterday. The tears came as they put the needle in her little paw and u think after doing this for decades u would grow a thicker skin over your heart. You don't. The tears came all day.
I buried her in my garden alongside my numerous other beloved pets. Missed. And always loved Whitey.”
I hope this newsletter gives you something to smile about; I hope you can see the tangible results brought by your donations; I hope the stories give you a feeling of accomplishment.
We ask for your donations because we love bringing you good news, but that’s only possible when you donate.
With gratitude for your kindness and your much-needed and appreciated support,
Karen Menczer, Founder/Director
& the Animal-Kind International Board
AKI has Partner Organizations in Uganda, Namibia, DR Congo, Ghana, South Sudan, Liberia, Honduras, Jamaica, and Armenia. You can donate to AKI’s general fund or designate your donation to one or more of our Partner Organizations.
Our 2023 (6th annual) Africa-Based Animal Welfare Organization Grant Program grantees work in: Zimbabwe (2 grantees), Tanzania (2 grantees), South Africa (2 grantees), Morocco, and Namibia.
AKI: Since 2007, helping animals and the people who care for them in some of the poorest countries.
We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization; donations to A-KI are tax deductible in the US to the extent the law allows. 100% of your donations are used to support our Partner Organizations & our Africa-Based Animal Welfare Organization Grant Program.