Sterilize to Transform the Lives of Cats & Dogs: Rivadeneira Sterilization Center, Ecuador

Animal-Kind International
Mar 19
3 min read

Animal-Kind International awarded a grant, one of 13 under our 8th annual Animal Welfare Organization Grant Program, to the Rivadeneira Sterilization Center in Ecuador. We also granted them a top-up award (given to five of our 2025 grantees) because of the great work they did on their grant project, Sterilize to Transform Lives. The top-up allowed them to continue sterilizing dogs and cats in remote parts of Ecuador, reaching a total of 86 animals.

From September 2025 to February 2026, the Rivadeneira Sterilization Center visited six communities (Sandalan, Bilován, San Pablo, San Vicente, El Ripio, El Paraíso de los Andes) to raise awareness among 76 people and distribute 375 informational fliers in plazas and markets, communities, and schools about the importance of sterilization and responsible pet ownership.

Luis Miguel Romero, Project Coordinator, took the lead in carrying out these activities and a community member usually joined him.

Importantly, Luis went from house to house and was able to observe the precarious condition of the pets in those homes. He evaluated the health status of the female dogs eligible for sterilization and talked to the guardians about the importance of sterilization. And he signed pets up for the upcoming sterilization campaigns.

Man comforting a a black puppy in a rustic setting with cardboard boxes and plants in Ecuador. — Luis visited homes where he found many pets living in precarious conditions

A dog with collar and chain sits next to a clay wall of a house in Ecuador. — Luis found that most of the dogs were shy and sweet and loved getting the attention he gave

Two dogs rest in shabby dog house made of torn cardboard in Ecuador. — A home visit in Paraiso de los Andes

At many of the homes, Luis found elderly people. Due to Ecuador's economic crisis, young people have migrated, leaving the elderly alone with their animals.

A man sits with an elderly woman in a rustic home deep in conversation in Ecuador. — Luis visited homes with pets, where he found mainly elderly people who welcomed his visit and the conversation

Elderly woman with a walker and a younger person sit on a bench deep in conversation in Ecuador. — Maria & Luis talk about sterilizing her dog....and many other subjects

Elderly woman smiling and gently holding a brown dog in Ecuador. — Sol and her dog

An elderly woman talks to a young man with a clipboard who signs her cat up for spay surgery in Ecuador. — Luis signs up Sra. Gloria's cat for a spay

Luis also visited schools in the area to raise awareness of responsible pet ownership.

Students hug joyfully in a classroom during an animal welfare talk in Ecuador. — At the Garcia Moreno School, Luis and the 6th and 7th graders talked about the importance of caring for their pets. The children shared the special bond they have with their animals.

With the base grant (46 animals) and then with the top-up award (40 animals), the Rivadeneira Sterilization Center sterilized a total of 86 dogs and cats from low-income families in rural areas in the province of Bolívar. Thanks go to Dr. Silvia and her assistant Leidy for performing surgeries. The home visits and neighbors helping their elderly neighbors get their pets to the campaign locations were key to making this project the great success it was.

These are some of the pets and their families who benefited from the Sterilize to Transform Lives project.

A woman holds an orange and white cat with a white and blue stucco church in the background in Ecuador. — Sra. Susana & her cat

A woman in a brown jacket sits next to a dog wrapped in a yellow blanket in Ecuador. — Sterilization day in Bilován

Two smiling children hold a cat wrapped in a jacket in Ecuador. — Sterilization day in Bilován

A woman sits on grass beside a happy dog with trees in the background in Ecuador. — Doña Carmen & her dog await their spay appointment

Smiling boy holds a relaxed cat beside an elderly woman with clouds and a cityscape in the background in Ecuador. — Sra. Yolanda & her cat

Elderly woman smiling gleefully while holding a cat on her lap in Ecuador. — Sra. Morita & her cat

Smiling person sits indoors in a waiting room while holding a black kitten on her lap wrapped in a cloth in Ecuador. — Sra. Teresa & her cat

The Rivadeneira Sterilization Center did all of this in the midst of a tense time in Ecuador. In September and October, the country experienced unrest stemming from an increase in fuel prices. Protests and road blockades prevented the team from reaching San Pablo safely during the last week of September. Also, individuals with political motives tried to take credit for the Sterilization Center's hard work, which made for some uncomfortable situations.

The Sterilization Center handled these tough situations very professionally and neither roadblocks nor politicians put a damper on their efforts.

When they were done, Luis realized that although dismantling the myths and prejudices that people had about sterilization--and sterilizing their pets-- was their first mission, just as important was the experience they had

"Delving into the homes of small towns and sharing life with humble families was an experience that awakened our sensitivity to realities that had remained foreign to us. We encountered men and women facing illness and loneliness in their own homes, with children growing up with their grandparents while their parents seek a future far from home. But we chose not to be mere spectators. We decided to knock on doors, sit patiently next to an elder, listen to their stories with our hearts, and shake their hands with affection. And it was in that genuine encounter where we witnessed the magic: seeing their faces light up when they talked about their animals."

A group of dogs eagerly interacts with a person on a street with colorful houses and mountains and clouds in the background in Ecuador. — Dogs roam the streets in Paraiso de los Andes

Luis and his team also learned that there's still so much to be done. Through the AKI grant, the Rivadeneira Sterilization Center reached deep into rural Ecuador. But to continue --and be effective and efficient--in these remote ares of Ecuador, they hope to acquire their own transportation, a mobile spay/neuter unit.