Kindness to Animals has no Boundaries November 2022 Dear Animal-Kind Friends,
(Live links have been removed, but you can always go to our AKI Blog page or the individual Partner Organization page to read more)
Giving Tuesday (November 29 this year) is a day set aside to encourage support of your favorite non-profit organizations. For us, it’s not just one day, but a year-round effort (every day is Giving Tuesday!) As all of us animal welfare advocates know, the work never ends, the need for support never stops, it’s not just about Giving Tuesday! There’s always pet food to buy, staff to pay, spay/neuters to do, vet care to be provided, advocacy campaigns to run.
And after all, that is our mission, to raise funds for and visibility of effective, local animal welfare organizations in resource-poor countries—so that they can continue their lifesaving work. And thanks to your support in 2022, our Partners and Grant Recipients have helped so many cats, dogs, donkeys, and horses.
I always envisioned AKI as a trustworthy go-to place for those who want to support effective and local animal protection efforts in poor countries. Interestingly, to accomplish our mission, we’ve added a role I hadn’t anticipated. Over the last few years, we have become a got-to source for finding legitimate organizations.
More and more people come to us asking about “animal rescue” posts they’ve seen on social media, whether these are “for real.” Of course some are, but many are imposters, who have found that posing as an animal rescuer is a lucrative way to make money from unsuspecting, kindhearted donors.
We’re concerned about the fakes, of course because we don’t want your generosity wasted, but also because donations to social media imposters take away from donations that could be effectively used by legitimate organizations. While we can’t investigate every social media poster, there are some clues to look for, and if you’re uncertain, feel free to get in touch with us for some of these.
Partner & Grantee Updates
The AKI Blog is where you can find out how your donations are used by our Partner Organizations (animal welfare organizations that receive ongoing support, based on our partnership agreement) and our Africa-Based Animal Welfare Organization Grant Recipients (organizations that receive support based on a proposal for a project lasting up to 6 months. 2022 was the 5th year we held our grant competition.) These are our November AKI Blog articles:
You came through for Uganda SPCA - Constructing the new shelter and running two shelters depleted the USPCA’s budget. We asked for your help and you gave it. Donations to AKI, received in October, have been sent to AKI Partner Organization, Uganda SPCA, so they can spay/neuter the ~50 cats and dogs at The Haven awaiting sterilization (due to lack of funds, the USPCA had fallen behind in s/n), and to cover operating costs at the “old” Haven, e.g., rent, salaries, shelter utilities, pet food.
One of the many beneficiaries of your generosity is Survivor, who was half dead in Bwaise, a “slum” area in Kampala, when rescued (left with Haven manager Alex). Alex didn’t know if he’d make it back to the shelter in time to save her. Alex told us, “Without food, water and medical intervention, this poor girl would not be here by now, as she was in so much pain. While attending to her, we discovered she also had some problem with the legs, but a couple of days later she started walking well.”
Within a couple of weeks, she was fully recovered and joined the main shelter population (below right). These are the kind of conditions and situations (see below left, where Survivor was found) that the USPCA deals with every day, sometimes several times a day. And these are the types of rescues that your donations have made possible.
Zambezi Working Donkey: Community Education Project - One of our Africa-Based Animal Welfare Organization Grant Recipients, ZWD is continuing the work started with their 2020 AKI grant to equip Community Livestock Officers to care and advocate for Zambia’s donkeys. The CLO concept spreads ZWD’s work far beyond their immediate area of influence.
AKI Grant Supports Twala Trust (Zimbabwe)-Doggy Tuesdays - Doggy Tuesday, started in 2014 with 4 dogs attending the 1st clinic, now sees about 600 dogs (and a few cats) every week. AKI’s grant to Twala Trust pays for four months of dog food for Doggy Tuesday plus food to supplement the dog food provided at their homes.
The Six Freedoms-Ghana: AKI’s grant is helping neglected horses - The Six Freedoms works with the horse community to improve the care of Ghana’s horses, many of whom suffer mental and physical abuse due to lack of knowledge of proper care. The Six Freedoms also uses a variety of artistic forms (dance, photography, painting, theater) and promotes scientific research to create a bridge from the wider community to Ghana’s horse community (below, horses and caretakers from the Ghana police stables will participate in an art, cultural, and horse training event organized by The Six Freedoms). AKI’s grant to The Six Freedoms supports the ongoing care of their rescued horses and awareness raising and training of the horse caretaker community.
You rescued the rescuer, Sauvons nos Animaux
You also answered our call to support our Partner Organization Sauvons nos Animaux’s dog and cat food fund. The only shelter in the huge country of the Democratic Republic of Congo, SnA has fallen on particularly hard times of late; due to issues far beyond their control - inflation, the war in Ukraine, and covid, they found that donations were only trickling in. Unable to feed, spay/neuter, and provide other needed vet care for their 200 cats and dogs, AKI donors came to their rescue when SnA became a Partner Organization in January 2022. But still, our support left big gaps.
After visiting the SnA shelter last month, I knew AKI had to do more and thanks to you, we are. We’ve created a permanent fund for SnA food, the Shirlee Christensen Memorial Pet Food Fund.
And we’re helping SnA raise money for staff salaries. No shelter worker should have to forego a salary: Making sure that shelter workers are fairly paid helps establish animal caregivers as a worthy profession, something to be proud of. And of course, we all feel a bit more motivated when we’re appreciated, and in part that comes from being paid for what we do. Especially in Africa, every worker supports several extended family members. For the upcoming holiday and for 2023, we’re not only raising money for food for SnA cats and dogs, but we also hope to help SnA pay salaries-and contribute to other SnA priorities. (Above, Paterne Bushunju, founder/director, with an SnA dog)
From Paterne: “We want to share with you the story of our incredible dog Hullys [photo right]. When she arrived, she had just skin and bones without fur, unable to stand or walk. We really thought she wouldn't make it. During Animal-Kind International visit to the shelter, Karen Menczer says she would do her best to get her back to health and little by little a month later this is what she became, she gained weight, her hair is slowly growing back, and she is open to human beings. Now she's a big girl full of life who just wants love, food and a sunny place to relax.” A $1000 match has been offered for SnA’s Pet Food Fund and we’ve so far raised $835. We have 1 more month to raise the full $1000 and earn the matching donation.
Marian H, an AKI supporter, said it best: “I do so agree with you about this organisation [Sauvons nos Animaux] - it is a movement and that's what we need, everywhere. Normalising a love and respect for our fellow creatures. Making them very visible in a positive way.”
And There’s More AKI News…
Our Partner Organization, Have a Heart-Namibia uses AKI funds for the AKI-HaH Emergency Fund and their Lifetime Care Program. In 2022, the AKI-HaH Emergency Fund treated 50 dogs and 32 cats. The HaH Lifetime Care Program gave booster shots and parasite preventative to 250 dogs and 26 cats. HaH has used all AKI funds raised during 2022 (see the HaH-Namibia page for the 2022 pie chart, showing how HaH used AKI funds in 2022).
We’re now hoping to replenish the Emergency Fund and to continue supporting the Lifetime Care Program, both of which help ensure that pets who are spayed or neutered live long, healthy lives.
Our Partner Organization, Helping Hands for Hounds of Honduras recently lost one of their old time residents. As a hospice/old age facility for cats and dogs, they see a lot of loss, but it never gets easier. This month, we said goodbye to Frode (picture below), rescued by Karen A. from the streets of Tegucigalpa in 2017, at first it was touch and go for poor Frode. But he thrived at the HHHH Sanctuary and enjoyed his life there until his last week, when he could no longer get up and move about on his own.
Our Partner Organization, Liberia Animal Welfare & Conservation Society is “grateful to AKI and the wonderful supporters for the continued support towards the work we do in Liberia for animal health and welfare improvement. AKI funds have helped us to travel on deplorable roads [see photo left] to reach the various remote communities where animals depend on us for general healthcare. Our Animal Healthcare Officer travels daily in remote communities and provides the needed services to animals [see photo below] along with animal welfare education for the animal owners. These services are only possible as a result of AKI funds. AKI support also keeps our mini clinic in Voinjama actively open to the public for free care for their pets. These services have greatly helped to change the attitudes and behaviors of people towards animals and at the same made many animals healthy and happy.”
The 2022 pie chart for our Partner Organization, Save Animals-Armenia, is available on our website. Our pie charts show you -at a glance- how AKI Partners use your donations.
During the holiday season (and beyond), we thank you for designating Animal-Kind International as the recipient of your AmazonSmile purchases. As I’m sure you know by now, using AmazonSmile is no different from using Amazon—you won’t notice a difference, but we will! At no cost to you, the AmazonSmile Foundation donates 0.5% of the purchase price from your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the designated charitable organization of your choice. By designating Animal-Kind International for your purchases, our support goes much further!
To learn more about Animal-Kind International, you can always get in touch with me, but you can also look to these neutral platforms to check out our ratings and reviews:
Great NonProfits - Read our 162 five star reviews, https://greatnonprofits.org/org/animal-kind-international?search=animal-kind
Charity Navigator - We’re a 4-star charity
Candid (Guidestar) - We’ve obtained Platinum Transparency
For a donation of $15 or more to Animal-Kind International, you can request a Pet Portrait. Donate $25 or more to Animal-Kind International and-at your request- you will get your own ONE OF A KIND DIGITAL WATERCOLOR of your favorite pet. No two are the same, guaranteed. Click on the photo below or click here to see the many Pet Portrait examples, for instructions to request yours, and to donate.
We wish you a holiday season full of joy and kindness, and as always, we are: Very Gratefully Yours, Karen Menczer, Founder/Director & the Animal-Kind International Board AKI has Partner Organizations in Uganda (2 partners), Namibia (2 partners), 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 2022 grantees work in: Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa (3 grantees), Zambia, and Zimbabwe. 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 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 Africa-Based Animal Welfare Organization Grant Program.
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