How children
from Khalsa Montessori School in Arizona
have helped dogs in Bosnia & Herzegovina
February 3, 2013 - Last Christmas we had received an email from Khalsa Montessori School in Arizona - an email that put the BIGGEST smile on our faces, a smile that went straight to our hearts.
We were told that 4th, 5th and 6th graders had organized a fundraiser and that they wanted to give the raised money to Occupy for Animals to help animals in need.
We were absolutely blown away. What a wonderful Christmas surprise! The thought of these precious children raising money to help animals in trouble gives us such hope.
When we asked one of the teachers how it comes that a school in Arizona donates money to a charity in Europe, the teacher responded:
"This fundraiser is a part of our curriculum - every year we ask the students to research charities that are working in our "continent of focus." (This year we are studying Europe.) The students then give presentations to one another about the charities they have studied. The whole group then votes to decide which charity to support. This year several students put together a very moving PowerPoint about your work and the Upper Elementary voted almost unanimously for "Occupy for Animals."
We also wanted to have their reasons, in their own words, on why they decided that the money should go to Occupy for Animals, to help the animals...
Given that Occupy for Animals is not directly involved in rescues, sterilization campaigns, adoptions etc... we support other organisations and volunteers working on the ground and who help animals in numerous ways, by giving them the money that we have received via donations and that we do not need to pay for our own fees such as websites, office equipment, fees related to sending petitions all over the world, etc...
Since the topic of the children's fundraiser was "Europe" we decided that the entire money raised by the children from Khalsa Montessori School should go towards helping homeless animals, because homeless dogs and cats are one of the most visible animal welfare issues in Europe.
While literally ALL of these unfortunate animals need help, and while ALL shelters in Europe, especially those in South and Eastern Europe need financial help, we had to chose ONE project to support and we decided that the children's money should be used to help the 650 dogs at the Tuzla-shelter in Bosnia & Herzegovina.
About the Tuzla-shelter
written by Amila Citakovic
The dog shelter in Tuzla has existed for over 12 years. Capacity outgrowth followed very fast, due to lack of inefficient system and government support for animal welfare. Sooner than expected, it became a place of cold, hunger and diseases, with over 600 dogs living as prisoners. The shelter management at that time could not find a way to deal with the upcoming problems.
In the winter of 2011-12 local activists became involved in shelter life and started volunteering. They spread a word about this sad place and asked people to help these 600 unwanted souls.
Not so long after this group of dedicated girls was formed, in May 2012, a Danish animal rights activist, Marianne Sondergaard, founded a group "Marianne`s Dog Food Bank" on Facebook, trying to help with food, at least a little. Up to that point, shelter dogs ate only chicken feet and heads, and many deaths occurred in the past due to malnutrition and damage to the dogs' intestines.
The group kept growing, and members are people who really want to make a difference. Soon, there was nutritious food for the dogs 4 times a week, a lot of blankets and medicines on the way to Tuzla...
Volunteers formed a steady group and the cooperation with Marianne`s Dog Food Bank simply blossomed, giving positive results in many aspects, changing lives in the shelter.
MDFB started fund-raising projects for new dog houses, that, concluding with today resulted in over 100 brand new isolated houses, to make the harsh winters more bearable for the dogs. Trucks full of straw kept on coming, cages for shelter quarantine followed, and day by day things were improving.
Unfortunately, there were many times when volunteers and MDFB were not able to cooperate with the existing shelter management. Realizing that there should be no reason to stop all these united people in their noble mission, volunteers founded their own local organization "Nirina", and decided to take over the shelter. The city government, perceiving how promising this initiative was, supported them. The local vet station, founded by the government of Tuzla, engaged in full capacity, admitting shelter dogs whenever needed.
Since December 2012, "Nirina" is officially in charge of the shelter and 600 lives.
At this point, MDFB feeds the whole shelter maintaining "Virtual adoptions" project , meaning that dogs can be virtually adopted and named for 14 euro per month, and each VA donation goes to the food fund. At the moment there is around 200 VA dogs, and 400 of them still waiting for their VA parents.
Neri`s Fund was established to cherish the memory of a sweet boy that passed away, and to ensure that there are always available funds for urgent, lifesaving treatments in the vet clinic.
Hope`s Legacy was established as a memory of a beautiful little girl who was so close to a better life out of the shelter, but who died of parasitosis and is a long term project for vaccinating and de-worming the entire shelter population.
The house project is always welcoming donations for a new house, since there are so many of them that don`t even give a shade anymore.
This is a story about individuals believing and making a difference. This is a story about their 600 furry friends being happier and safer each day. This is a story about a town, in which dogs eventually WILL get a decent life.
In the winter of 2011-12 local activists became involved in shelter life and started volunteering. They spread a word about this sad place and asked people to help these 600 unwanted souls.
Not so long after this group of dedicated girls was formed, in May 2012, a Danish animal rights activist, Marianne Sondergaard, founded a group "Marianne`s Dog Food Bank" on Facebook, trying to help with food, at least a little. Up to that point, shelter dogs ate only chicken feet and heads, and many deaths occurred in the past due to malnutrition and damage to the dogs' intestines.
The group kept growing, and members are people who really want to make a difference. Soon, there was nutritious food for the dogs 4 times a week, a lot of blankets and medicines on the way to Tuzla...
Volunteers formed a steady group and the cooperation with Marianne`s Dog Food Bank simply blossomed, giving positive results in many aspects, changing lives in the shelter.
MDFB started fund-raising projects for new dog houses, that, concluding with today resulted in over 100 brand new isolated houses, to make the harsh winters more bearable for the dogs. Trucks full of straw kept on coming, cages for shelter quarantine followed, and day by day things were improving.
Unfortunately, there were many times when volunteers and MDFB were not able to cooperate with the existing shelter management. Realizing that there should be no reason to stop all these united people in their noble mission, volunteers founded their own local organization "Nirina", and decided to take over the shelter. The city government, perceiving how promising this initiative was, supported them. The local vet station, founded by the government of Tuzla, engaged in full capacity, admitting shelter dogs whenever needed.
Since December 2012, "Nirina" is officially in charge of the shelter and 600 lives.
At this point, MDFB feeds the whole shelter maintaining "Virtual adoptions" project , meaning that dogs can be virtually adopted and named for 14 euro per month, and each VA donation goes to the food fund. At the moment there is around 200 VA dogs, and 400 of them still waiting for their VA parents.
Neri`s Fund was established to cherish the memory of a sweet boy that passed away, and to ensure that there are always available funds for urgent, lifesaving treatments in the vet clinic.
Hope`s Legacy was established as a memory of a beautiful little girl who was so close to a better life out of the shelter, but who died of parasitosis and is a long term project for vaccinating and de-worming the entire shelter population.
The house project is always welcoming donations for a new house, since there are so many of them that don`t even give a shade anymore.
This is a story about individuals believing and making a difference. This is a story about their 600 furry friends being happier and safer each day. This is a story about a town, in which dogs eventually WILL get a decent life.
The poisonous mud...
During the harsh winters,
the dogs are literally drowning in mud!
The shelter is built on an old waste ground, and the mud is poisonous. The dog's paws are filled with fungus, and wounds get infected which for the small dogs it’s often fatal.
Marianne's Dog Food Bank is currently raising funds to have the terrain drained and cemented, to keep the dogs from getting sick, and they hope that they can get this work done in the spring.
But for now, the only places where the dogs are not in the mud are their dog houses and wooden pallets, and there are far too few for the 650 dogs.
With the money raised by the "American Sweethearts" we have ordered - via Marianne's Dog Food Bank - 22 dog houses, including small pallets to stand on, and 15 custom made large wooden pallets, to help the dogs survive the winter and the mud, and to soften the harsh conditions they live under.
In response to this generous donation, Marianne Søndergaard wrote:
“I’m so happy and humbled that you chose our shelter to benefit from this great gift. On behalf of the dogs that are so dear to us all, I thank you from the bottom of my heart! You are a torch of light in a dark time, when not many seem to care much for the animals. THANK YOU!”
and:
The dog houses were built locally, and carry the names of children who made this possible and their school. The houses and pallets were greeted by wagging-tails and in their name we thank “Khalsa Montessori children” and Occupy for Animals for choosing these dogs for this wonderful present.
Your school and you children are an example for all of us and inspiration in our endless struggle – together with the dedicated shelter workers and NIRINA (the local animal welfare organziation who runs the shelter) – for making this shelter a better home for animals.
The making of...
Enjoying their new houses...
Our most heartfelt thanks
for this generous donation and your trust in us, go to:
Isaac
Adriana
Michael
Ellie
Florie
Isaac
Erin
Scarlett
Cristian
Sam
Martina
Joey
Riley
Sam
Miranda
Jacob
Rorie
Stryder
Sienna
Chacho
Charles
Anna
Mac
Emma
Tarquin
Anna
Wesley
Maya
Jack
Ash
Troy
Oshen
Luna
Kyra
Willow
Andree
Joseph
Tristan
Margaret
Maya
Karime
Taha
McKenzie
Cherish
Keegan
Alex
Sophia
Maya
Shayne
Lauren
Amelia
Abigail
Devyn
Isabelle
Elizabeth
Joshua
Ben
Stefan
Kestral
Ava
Nick
Carmina
Jeff
Lucy
Belisa
Leah
Laurel
Jupiter
Keenan
Cole
Ethan
Brooke
Izzie
and their teachers at Khalsa Montessori School, Arizona
Adriana
Michael
Ellie
Florie
Isaac
Erin
Scarlett
Cristian
Sam
Martina
Joey
Riley
Sam
Miranda
Jacob
Rorie
Stryder
Sienna
Chacho
Charles
Anna
Mac
Emma
Tarquin
Anna
Wesley
Maya
Jack
Ash
Troy
Oshen
Luna
Kyra
Willow
Andree
Joseph
Tristan
Margaret
Maya
Karime
Taha
McKenzie
Cherish
Keegan
Alex
Sophia
Maya
Shayne
Lauren
Amelia
Abigail
Devyn
Isabelle
Elizabeth
Joshua
Ben
Stefan
Kestral
Ava
Nick
Carmina
Jeff
Lucy
Belisa
Leah
Laurel
Jupiter
Keenan
Cole
Ethan
Brooke
Izzie
and their teachers at Khalsa Montessori School, Arizona