Four World Animal Day grant winners have been chosen to split this year’s grant!
We have some exciting news!
There are FOUR winners for this year’s World Animal Day grant, and we are delighted to share them, and their proposed projects, with you!
Every year, Naturewatch Foundation funds the World Animal Day grant, a competitive annual grant open only to our World Animal Day ambassadors, who you can read about by visiting the ambassador tab.
The grant is worth £10,000 and this year it will be split between four deserving winners, in all parts of the world.
Asia – Pakistan
Special Animals and Veterinary Emergency Relief Fund (SAVERS)
SAVERS is a student-led registered society working in the University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences in Pakistan.
The project proposed by SAVERS aims to vaccinate between 100-250 stray cats and dogs against rabies. Both veterinary students and qualified veterinary professionals will be involved, providing an opportunity for students to participate in an initiative that will protect animals from a fatal disease that also poses a high risk of being transferred to humans.
This vaccination scheme will also contribute directly to the aim of ending human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030, set by the World Health Organisation, World Organisation for Animal Health, and the Global Alliance for Rabies Control.
SAVERS hope this project will set an example of the action that needs to be taken by other animal welfare organisations throughout Pakistan.
Africa – Rwanda
Rwanda Animal Welfare Organisation (RAWO)
RAWO have also proposed a rabies project, which is critically needed in Rwanda, due to a huge 78% of human hospitalisations being caused by dog bites.
Sadly, one of the main reasons for this is the high number of strays and continued abandonment of owned dogs due to a lack of education.
RAWO is aiming to deliver mass vaccinations to the stray dog population, alongside community education and awareness programmes. The grant money will be used to cover the vaccination costs of 800 dogs, with RAWO also providing education to 2,000 children, in primary schools throughout the Musanze District, about providing care to dogs, dog welfare, and the Five Freedoms. In addition to this, 800 educational leaflets on responsible dog care will be distributed amongst existing dog owners, containing essential information on how to properly care for a dog.
It is expected that this project will take three months to complete, and regions with the highest number of rabies cases will be targeted, such as Nyange, Kinigi, Musanze, and Shingiro.
North America – Jamaica
Montego Bay Animal Haven
This project involves the delivery of a one-day clinic in a designated inner-city area, delivering spay and neuter services, along with wellness services including free and low-cost examinations and vaccinations to animals in need.
Montego Bay Animal Haven has provided similar clinics in the past, which has formed part of their efforts to reduce the overpopulation of street animals, and to help owners to meet the welfare needs of their pets.
The clinic aims to neuter five stray animals, and deliver wellness checks to at least 30 others.
Europe – Bosnia and Herzegovina
WagWag
WagWag are planning to use their sum of the grant money to build a ‘Cat Hotel’ in Banja Luka that will provide a safe and warm shelter for 20-30 stray cats living on the streets. Whilst there is some support and services provided for stray dogs throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, the provisions for stray cats are more limited, despite there being hundreds in need.
The cat hotel will be installed with information boards explaining the need for the project, and will be visited by volunteers who will maintain the cleanliness of the hotel, and provide food to the cats residing there.
Winters are tough for animals living on the street, and we hope that this project will provide safety to animals that would otherwise be vulnerable to cold weather conditions.
The grant money has been split between these ambassadors, with projects set to commence in the coming months. Updates about the grant winners and their projects will be available both here, and on the Naturewatch Foundation website.
We hope that you are as excited as we are about these four deserving winners and their projects that aim to help dogs and cats in all four corners of the world.
Whilst you’re here, we’d love for you to consider getting involved with World Animal Day this year! There are lots of ways you can do so, and you can visit the resources tab to find some ideas to get you started.