Kindness to Animals has no Boundaries September 2023 Dear Animal-Kind Friends,
Check out the many ways you can help our Partners & Grantees in Africa—and beyond—from financial donations to volunteering to donating needed items. Of course financial support is by far the top need, but here are a few other ways you can help strengthen local, community-based animal welfare organizations in resource-poor areas (and some financial needs too, such as Morocco earthquake response)…..
AKI Partner Organization Sauvons nos Animaux (Democratic Republic of Congo): We’re hoping that someone has a working MacBook or similar laptop that they no longer use and would like to find a very appreciative home for. SnA Director Paterne (below) had an old MacBook that recently crashed and can’t be fixed.
And you know how it goes, when one thing breaks, it starts a string of breakdowns. Paterne purchased his Nikon camera, at a bargain price, in 2018 and certainly got his money’s worth, but now it’s freezing up and won’t take photographs. In Bukavu’s hot, humid, dusty, muddy conditions, devices just don’t last as long as they do in more pristine settings. If you have a camera that you no longer use, please consider donating to the Sauvons nos Animaux shelter so we can continue to enjoy Paterne’s beautiful photos!
This is a perfect time to donate these items because I can carry them directly to Paterne during my work trip to the DRC (with a side visit to the Sauvons nos Animaux shelter, of course!)
AKI Grantee Morocco Animal Aid: One of eight 2023 recipients of our Africa-Based Animal Welfare Organization Grant Program, the AKI grant to MAA is for dog food and vet care for animals found on the streets and injured, mainly due to collisions with vehicles. But due to the recent earthquake, we’re expanding our support to cover disaster relief —with your help!
Morocco Animal Aid posted on Facebook that, “We are incredibly lucky….We have some broken down walls, cracks have appeared and some dogs have sadly run away. We are trying our best to find them and bring them back. Even so, when we look at the devastation in other surrounding areas, we feel lucky.”
We discussed with MAA about how we could help. They told us, “As of now we have a small team traveling to the worst hit regions to take some supplies and just understand the nature of what help exactly is needed, then a plan will be formed.”
We know that their long-term plan will require the support of the global community, especially since, as MAA told us that locally, they “are receiving upsetting comments and backlash about helping the animals when so many people are suffering.”
Of course, helping animals also helps people: you may have seen the donkeys ferrying people and supplies out of the earthquake zone. As always, we’ll send 100% of the funds you donate for MAA’s disaster response to MAA to be used for vet care, food for animals, and whatever relief is needed, based on their assessment of immediate needs and long-term response.
When you donate via the link above, please make a note that your donation is for MAA earthquake response. Thank you!
AKI Partner Organization The Six Freedoms (Ghana): We’re looking for an attorney skilled in contract law, who can provide advice to Ulla, The Six Freedoms Director, about developing and enforcing contracts. Of course, Ghana-specific experience would be great, but given that no animal rights attorneys practice in Ghana and Ulla has been unable to find a local attorney interested in this field, we’re looking outside of Ghana for assistance.
A top priority for The Six Freedoms is resucing Zuma (photo above). For a couple of years, Ulla has been begging Zuma’s owner to relinquish his horse to The 6 Freedoms. It seems the owner may be ready to give in and Ulla wants to be ready with a contract that will be binding in case the owner changes his mind once his horse is healthy and strong.
We’re looking for volunteers for our Friendly Audit Program. Our Friendly Audits provide technical and administrative support to animal welfare organizations in Africa. The support ranges from developing websites, writing or editing proposals, searching for funding opportunities, creating brochures, developing documents for shelters (adoption contracts, foster agreements, etc), editing websites and social media posts, adapting educational resources to the local situation, assistance with financial management, and almost any other aspect of nonprofit animal welfare organization management.
Have a Heart-Namibia: AKI Partner Organization, Have a Heart-Namibia, told us that their top needs are an emergency fund and lifetime care of their spayed/neutered clients. We listened, and those are the HaH priorities that your donations are supporting.
Besides the several Emergency Fund cases in the AKI Blog post above, the Emergency Fund also recently funded the vet care for Sonet, an older horse from Rehoboth, Namibia, who was attacked by a dog.
Aanwo Vet Clinic requested help for Sonet through the AKI-Have a Heart-Namibia Emergency Fund. Sonet’s owner, Mario Gowaseb, is a poor man, and the dog’s owner, who was clearly poor drunk during the attack, couldn’t pay for the vet care that poor Sonet needed.
Of course we agreed that the Emergency Fund could be used to help Sonet. Mr Gowaseb had to bring Sonet to the Aanwo clinic three times for treatment and although she’ll have scars forever, she is now 100% fine. Such a lovely horse, everyone fell in love with her!
The consensus is that Sonet looks much better in real life than in the picture above. She just needs some brushing but otherwise she is well taken care of and Mr Gowaseb really loves her.
AKI Partner Organization Uganda SPCA: Among many other important needs, your donations ensure that the USPCA always has a tank of gas and a working vehicle to rescue cats- and dogs-in-need; and that the ~350 USPCA shelter animals get the vet care, food, and water they need.
Your donations at work for Uganda’s animals!
AKI Partner Organization Sauvons nos Animaux: This year's Animal-Friendly Kids Camp at the Sauvons nos Animaux shelter in Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of Congo hosted 240 children, who daily took part in animal care and welfare lessons (always with some fun mixed in), games and craft making, and tasks around the SnA shelter. Every activity at camp is geared towards instilling a respect for and love of animals. And the kids get a healthy, plant-based lunch every day. The Kids Camp is funded primarily by AKI supporters.
AKI Partner Organization Bam Animal Clinics-Uganda: Animal-Kind International donors fund Bam’s community donkey clinics and humane saddle making workshops.
Saying goodbye to an old friend and welcoming 6 new puppies
AKI Partner Organization Helping Hands for Hounds of Honduras said goodbye to Odie on Monday. He was having problems walking, he was incontinent, and he was eating less. On Saturday, he couldn't get up and was crying. On Monday, Pilar brought him to her vet to be euthanized. Back in August 2015, HHHH rescued Odie. He had a huge growth on his leg, which HHHH had removed, and his leg had to be amputated. After he recovered, he was neutered. He spent the last 8 years at the HHHH Sanctuary, a happy tripod, with many other handicapped dogs to play with. By 2020, Odie was 100% blind, but he knew the Sanctuary well, he knew the routine, he remained a happy guy till the end.
Above: Odie in 2020, a100% blind tripod, but happily at home at the HHHH Sanctuary; Odie in 2015 after surgery to remove the huge growth, his leg had to be amputated also; 2 of the 6 new puppies at the HHHH Sanctuary after a bath.
A few weeks ago, the HHHH Sanctuary welcomed 6 3-week old puppies in a desperate state. They had been born to a mama dog whose family paid no attention to (at the best of times). Fellow rescuer, Guillermo (author of the children's book, "Sherry Pilar Thorn, a Dog's Best Friend"), and his son had been working with the family of the mama dog, but before they could get her spayed, she was pregnant and had 8 puppies. The family agreed to let Guillermo take the puppies (along with mama, they were living in mud and filth).
Guillermo kept 2 puppies, the other 6 are at the Sanctuary, and mama will now be spayed. Guillermo and his son will continue to watch over the sweet mama (who the family won’t give up), making sure she’s fed and gets the love she deserves.
Our October newsletter will have tons of news about our 2023 Africa-Based Animal Welfare Organization Grant Program recipients. Their 1st monthly reports are due to us on October 1, and we’re always excited to read about all the good work they’re doing thanks to your kindness and generous donations. With gratitude, 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.