Twala Trust-Zimbabwe & AKI: We're Facing a Challenging Situation
- Animal-Kind International
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Earlier this month, we received alarming news from AKI Partner Twala Trust:
"Disaster has struck here, quite literally, with a lightning strike to our electricity transformer which has been destroyed. We have been informed by the power company that there is a very long waiting list and limited supply for new transformers - at best we will wait several months for a new one.
This has created a very challenging situation at the Twala Trust Zimbabwe sanctuary.... We have had to switch off 6 of our deep freezers and fridges used to store animal feed, and are now trying to manage with whatever we can collect and keep cold for 24 hours which means constant driving to collect meat, as well as having to turn down meat."
A couple weeks later, Sarah sent good news:
"We made payment from AKI funds for 2 Sunsync invertors and 9 panels, plus installation, and rewiring of the original system....Thank you so much, AKI came to the rescue of this rescue! It's been a horrible time but now we have a long-term sustainable plan in place that will literally transform our operations at Twala."
We're so grateful that we could help Twala in this important way because so many people and their pets rely on Doggy Tuesday and the Doggy Tuesday buffet (funded by the AKI Pet Food Fund):
But here's the problem: In a perfect world, we would have plenty of money for a solar system while still having plenty left over for Doggy Tuesday food and Twala's other needs. But that's not how the world of fundraising works. Now that we've funded the Twala Trust solar system, we need your help to replenish the Twala Trust Pet Food Fund!
How important is our Pet Food Fund? Here's what Sarah told us in a message she sent in March:
"I wanted to thank you for your support through the pet food fund - it is more vital than ever in the current situation here as we are accessing less and less meat for the dogs because of the economic situation, so less donated meat because literally everything now has a value for human use. Without the kibble we would be falling significantly short each week on the Doggy Tuesday Buffet. Thank you for the difference that you and your donors make to the lives of these beautiful dogs and to their owners. With deep appreciation, Sarah"
This is what's at risk if we don't have enough money for Twala Trust's Doggy Tuesday buffet:
Here are a few of the dogs who rely on Doggy Tuesday and Twala Trust for food and vet care:
Spot is only 7 months old but has had a very difficult start to his life. He came to Twala with parvovirus and was suffering from severe malnutrition. He had a very bad case of rickets which had damaged all the ligaments in his paws. He's in for a long rehabilitation at Twala. But we're grateful that his owners asked for help and Twala could help him. With good food, calcium supplements, gentle exercise and lots of love, plus lifetime care from Doggy Tuesday, once he returns home, we hope he will live the long and happy life he deserves:
Tiger is a little Doggy Tuesday regular who is 8 years old. She has mammary cancer which Twala removed. She then recuperated at Twala's clinic for a few weeks. With this surgery, Tiger will hopefully have many more happy years.
Iris showed up at Twala's Doggy Tuesday with a ruptured eye. She needed complicated surgery to remove the eye and Twala was able to provide what she needed:
Beautiful Bingo had a bite wound and was treated at Twala. Here he is ready to go home after spending some time at Twala recovering from the wound:
You may remember Gogo Rhoda and her dog Danger (their story is here). Twala met them on a community visit last year and told Gogo Rhoda about Doggy Tuesday, where she could get free dog food and vet care for Danger. She and Danger haven't missed a single week since. Recently, Gogo Rhoda brought Danger to Twala to be neutered. They are each other's sole companion and are devoted to each other:
Twelve-year old Mbira and her friend Pepsi were recently at Twala for their annual rabies vaccinations. Twala removed a mammary tumor from Mbira last year and she's doing great--and doesn't she look beautiful?!
This group of dogs obviously love their Forpets (provided via our AKI Pet Food Fund). Their owners live about 12 km away from Twala, so it's too far for the older owners to walk. Instead, Benji, a young man, gathers up all the dogs and walks them to Twala himself, every single week. This is likely the only proper meal these dogs get - most of them are underweight, but at least they have this:
These are only a few of the ~600 dogs who attend Doggy Tuesday every week.
The good news is that we've been able to respond to Twala's immediate and priority need (a solar system), while ensuring the Doggy Tuesday Pet Food Fund continues to provide weekly dog food. The not-so-good news is that this "perfect world" situation--as we said--is not the way the world of fundraising works, and in these times of uncertainty, we are finding the world less and less perfect and more and more uncertain.
ALL OF US ARE SO GRATEFUL FOR YOUR KIND SUPPORT!