Thanks to a generous and kind-hearted supporter, two additional animal welfare organizations have a chance to be awarded grants under AKI's Africa-Based Animal Welfare Organization Grant Program. An AKI supporter will donate US$2000 for a grant IF we can get a $2000 match for an additional grant by August 1!
There are so few opportunities for animal welfare organizations outside the US and Canada to obtain grants. AKI's Africa-Based Animal Welfare Organization Grant Program is the only one of its kind-no other international organization targets their grant program specifically to Africa-based animal welfare organizations.
And the need in Africa is great. With about 28 hours left to receive proposals before our July 15 deadline, we've received 43 proposals! (And I know of several more that will be arriving during the final hours.) For our 1st and 2nd Africa-Based Animal Welfare Organization Grant Programs (2018 and 2019), we awarded 8 grants each year. Given the economic downturn, we've been concerned that we wouldn't be able to meet that number this year....but this matching opportunity gives us hope!
We have just 2 weeks to meet our match! Please help us raise $2000 by August 1 (this is the very 1st opportunity for a matching donation that we've ever received!)
DONATE FOR AN AKI GRANT We'll be announcing grant winners just after the 1st week of August.
Above: Giving is Living, South Africa was a recipient of AKI's 2019 Africa-Based Animal Welfare Organization Grant Program. With their grant, they built fenced yards so that 15 dogs could be unchained and they put up 2 running lines so another 2 dogs wouldn't have to live their lives on fixed chains. They worked with other partners to arrange for spay/neuter of all the unchained dogs. The 4 dogs pictured above lived on chains since they were puppies, over 3 years! You can see their joy when they were released from their chained-up lives. (Read more about the Giving is Living's grant in this Progress Report to AKI.)
The AKI website/grant program page has information about AKI's Africa-Based Animal Welfare Organization Grant Program from 2018 to present.
We've continued to help AKI-supported organizations during the covid-19 pandemic.
As I was writing the June newsletter, Namibia's mobile clinic was in Katutura holding a 2-day spay/neuter clinic, the 1st in over 4 years. Erika (our AKI liaison in Namibia) arranged the 2-day clinic, where 30 cats and 39 dogs were sterilized! So many owners showed up with their pets, many had to be turned away. It's so sad when people are trying to care for their pets, but the services just aren't available. We're hoping to send funds to Erika/Namibia for another spay/neuter clinic before the year is over.
Read this AKI Blog post for a full report on the Katutura spay/neuter clinic and the work of AKI Partner, Katutura Pet Care Project.
The covid-19 relief disbursement that we recently sent to our Partner Kingston Community Animal Welfare is being used to get dogs and cats sterilized.Deborah is focusing on the many new dogs and cats she's finding, recently dumped on the streets during lockdown. So many of the newly dumped are in this condition (but with Deborah's quick work, they will never reproduce again!):
Thanks to your support, we've been helping our Partner Organization, Uganda Society for the Protection & Care of Animals, as they saw their donations from local supporters decrease during the pandemic. This AKI Blog post (AKI Donors Support the Uganda SPCA During the Covid-19 Pandemic) gives you a picture of just some of the ways we've supported the USPCA (Haven rent, staff salaries, transport for rescues, Haven utilities, and more).
Of course, when you have 300 cats and dogs at your shelter, as The Haven does, the needs never end. And we haven't lost sight of the greatest need --a larger shelter. Our fundraising for Uganda SPCA land purchase continues...slowly, but surely. We won't give up until we see USPCA Haven dogs running free and USPCA Haven cats living in a quiet, stress-free environment.
Haven Shelter Manager Alex Ochieng sent this certificate and wrote, "On behalf of the Uganda SPCA team, I would like to thank you for your unwavering support and compassion which ensures the on-going welfare of animals at the Uganda SPCA shelter." Certainly this certificate is for you, our donors, too!:
Cats Getting the Attention and Love they Deserve
Two AKI Blogs posts this month are about cats:
C'est la Vie at Chats du Quercy: This is Part 2 of a June post on the AKI Blog about the cat rescue organization, Chats du Quercy, and the situation for cats in France. Part 2 focuses on what Chats du Quercy is doing to help abandoned cats in France.
Uganda Society for the Protection & Care of Animals Loves their Cats!: As of July 13, 58 cats were residing at the USPCA Haven. We feature many of them in this AKI Blog post.
Mask Fundraiser!
We are forever grateful to Stacey, who has been sewing and sending out covid-19 masks for a US$25 donation/mask to AKI-she's not only raising money for AKI, she's protecting our supporters! So far, Stacey has filled 31 requests for masks and she still has enough material for a few more. If you'd like one (dog faces, cat faces, pawprints, owls), please send me a message.
Kindness to Animals has no Boundaries
Thank you for being here for us, not only with monetary support, but with moral and emotional support during these trying times. Thank you for showing love and caring to our AKI-supported organizations-so many of you have asked me how our organizations, their staff, their animals are doing. It means the world to us and our Partners. Thank you for remembering the animals in countries where there are still too few supporters to the cause of animal welfare.
AKI donors support our 10 Partner Organizations in Uganda (2 partners), Tanzania, South Sudan, Namibia, Liberia, Ghana, Armenia, Jamaica, and Honduras; and AKI's Grant Program for Africa-Based Animal Welfare Organizations (2019 grant recipients are located in: Zimbabwe, Zambia, Uganda, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Mozambique, and South Africa. And very soon we will be announcing our 2020 grant recipients.)
With Gratitude,
Karen Menczer, Founder & Director
& the AKI Board