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"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." - Nelson Mandela
The great majority of SA companion animal welfare organisations are involved in rescue and rehoming. A small minority focus on mass sterilisation, and an even smaller minority invest in the future of animal welfare by conducting education campaigns so that children and youth have the opportunity to learn about animal care.
If we are serious about sustainable change in the way animals are treated in South Africa, we need to play an active role in educating people in every community, and especially the poorer members. Every person you educate has the potential of becoming a responsible animal custodian.
This is how this initiative will work:
A booklet has been compiled entitled, “Your Best Friend – what you need to know” in conjunction with the SAVA and various Veterinary Professionals. The SAVA Community Veterinary Clinics have taken it upon themselves to drive this project and they agreed to allow me to make the booklets, which have been translated into Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa, Sesotho and Setswana, available at the Hopeful Foundation for download.
There are a number of ways this initiative can be supported:
Make a Donation to the Hopeful Foundation and mark it for this initiative by adding the letters EDU in the beneficiary statement description. Then send us a notification so that we can thank you and let you know when and where your donation was utilised. (Bank details below)
Speak to your boss or any Corporate, ask them to sponsor the printing of a number of booklets. We will add their logo in the booklet as well as add a sponsor page at the end of the booklet. Get together with a number of friends to give them away in a community near you. Liaise with an animal welfare organisation close to you to coordinate areas and logistics.
Contact Derek at derekdut@companions.org.za and tell me which booklet you want.
If you are a printer who'd like to sponsor some printing or offer a discount. I'd like to hear from you.
Thanks to Hopeful Foundation supporter Andrew Robinson of Stable Brands (http://www.stablebrands.co.za/), we received 250 Zulu and 250 English booklets. Mary Kwembu of ALL-IN-ONE rescue in Diepsloot (https://www.allinoneanimalrescue.com/) fetched them from the printer on Friday Dec 17 and started giving them to dog owners in Diepsloot on the weekend.
Many dog owners who receive food for their dogs from Mary also received booklets that will teach them how to care for their animals. This is a good start, but there is a lot more to be done; we hope to distribute many more and involve other animal welfare organisations in the area and in other townships.
Hopeful Foundation bank details:
Capitec Bank
Account number 141 689 6498
Branch Code 470010
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