Naturewatch Foundation
Naturewatch Foundation - Advancing Animal Welfare
We are excited to share the latest World Animal Day grant winners with you!
This year, the grant has been divided between two deserving organisations: Ocean Acres Animal Sanctuary in Barbados and the Sudanese Animal Care and Environmental Protection Organisation in Sudan.
As you may know, the World Animal Day grant is sponsored by Naturewatch Foundation and is awarded to one, or a couple, of World Animal Day ambassadors annually to support animal welfare projects.
It can be very challenging to pick our winner/s when we have so many strong applications every year and this year was no different.
The 2024 World Animal Day grant was worth £10,000, an increase that we made last year to support animal welfare projects on a greater level amidst global cost increases and we are looking forward to seeing this money be put to use!
Main grant
This year’s main winner is Ocean Acres Animal Sanctuary, dedicated to rescuing and rehoming abused and abandoned dogs and cats in Barbados.
The organisation also strives to understand and address what is causing the animal neglect and abuse that they see regularly, running children’s clubs and community outreach programmes that aim to help people understand and care for their animals better.
Ocean Acres Animal Sanctuary have submitted an ambitious and exciting proposal that encompasses all areas of their work that they think will improve animal welfare directly within, Messiah Street, St. John, an area that currently has very high areas of animal neglect and abuse. Sadly, the animals there are often skeletal, injured and suffering from high parasite infections. Ocean Acres would like to deliver care to those animals, whilst also instilling compassion in people within the community so that the cycles of neglect and abuse do not continue.
There is a very high number of strays within the area too that the organisation would like to help and address.
We have awarded them with £8718, which will be split between:
- Reducing the stray population through running monthly spay and neuter sessions.
- Providing rescue and rehabilitation services to animals who need it, ensuring that the animals receive the care they need right up until they are adopted.
- Running community workshops and educational sessions on understanding animals and providing care.
Ocean Acres hopes that the carefully planned format of this project will be something that can be rolled out to other low-welfare areas too, meaning that the World Animal Day grant will be covering a project that may have an even wider-reaching positive impact!
We look forward to hearing about the animals that the help and the educational projects that they deliver!
Mini-grant
We have also awarded a mini-grant, of £1,500 to the Sudanese Animal Care and Environmental Protection Organisation, who hope to use the winnings for a vaccination and education project in Sudan.
Sadly, as is often the case during wars and conflict globally, animal welfare has suffered due to the civil war in Sudan. Our World Animal Day ambassador, Mustafa, reports that the condition of most animals has worsened due to many veterinary centres being closed in warzones and those with animals being forced to flee to the North Kordofan state, which has increased pressure on the animal care services there.
The project aims to vaccinate donkeys, horses and dogs who have been removed from warzones and who have not had access to this preventative care. The organisation would also like to educate animal carers and empower them to be able to provide the best care possible, so that with some guidance, they may be able to form an animal welfare committee and provide support to others with animals.
The World Animal Day grant isn’t possible without you
We are so grateful to have the support of our World Animal Day ambassadors, and it is wonderful to be able to offer the World Animal Day grant to enable their vital animal welfare projects.
And we would not be able to provide that vital support without YOU! By supporting Naturewatch Foundation, you enable us to run the World Animal Day grant scheme and help animals globally.
We, and the animals, thank you, and we look forward to sharing updates with you from Barbados and Sudan!
Get involved on World Animal Day this year!
To find out more about World Animal Day, our fantastic team of voluntary ambassadors and how you can make a difference for animals on October 4, please visit the website.
The post 2024 World Animal Day grant awarded to two outstanding charity projects! first appeared on Naturewatch Foundation and is written by Morwenna.