Dear AKI Friends,

With charities clamoring for your donations and the holiday season making you even more judicious about where you contribute, I was thinking of how AKI is unique and a great choice for your giving.

First, you love animals and you want your dollars to go directly to helping them. When you donate to AKI, every penny of your contribution goes to AKI partner organizations; AKI takes 0% for overhead.

Second, your support fills a special gap in giving because our partner organizations, operating in under-served locations, have few options to raise money. Without your help, they have no place else to turn. No TV personality asks you for food donations for animal shelters in Armenia, Bosnia, Uganda, or Malawi. No famous musicians sing songs about street dogs and cats in Honduras, Jamaica, and Ghana. Stars don’t adorn billboards asking for donations to Namibia’s rural SPCAs, Tanzania’s Animal Welfare Society’s animal welfare campaigns, or South Sudan’s humane education programs.

AKI connects compassionate individuals to dedicated animal welfare advocates worldwide. Donations to AKI have a direct impact on the lives of animals.

So as you make critical choices for your charitable giving at the end of 2011 and in the new year, please choose AKI because of our past accomplishments and to help us do even more in 2012. Thank you very much for your past support! Animals live because you give.

Click here for a range of donation options and to DONATE NOW: http://www.animal-kind.org/supportus.html

What have AKI's partner organizations done with your donations?

• The Lilongwe SPCA (Malawi) constructed quarantine holding kennels at their new facility (photo below); the Uganda SPCA repaired fencing at their Haven animal shelter; Save the Animals-Armenia bought roofing material to repair dog houses; and Helping Hands for Hounds of Honduras placed cement in the sanctuary yard and fixed fences.



• Namibia rural SPCAs bought food, blankets, and other shelter supplies, and covered vet costs; Save the Animals-Armenia provided that extra bit of food for their dogs during bitterly cold winters; and Helping Hands for Hounds of Honduras bought food and medicines for the dogs and cats at their sanctuary.

• The Uganda SPCA sterilized dogs at an orphanage and at a rose farm in the Entebbe area; Helping Hands for Hounds of Honduras spayed/neutered 20 dogs and cats; the Lilongwe SPCA covered spay/neuter and other veterinary care for animals during their community vet clinics; and Tanzania Animal Welfare Society bought dog food and paid for rabies vaccinations during their community veterinary clinics.

• Kingston Community Animal Welfare bought food and vaccines and de-wormed and spayed/neutered street dogs and cats.

• Bosnia Animal Foundation bought vaccinations for puppies that saved them from contracting parvo and distemper, rampant among puppies in Sarajevo.

• The Uganda SPCA paid for an animal caretaker who provides intensive dog and cat care for animals needing special attention.

Want to amplify your giving? Here are creative activities other AKI supporters have done to strengthen their link with our partner organizations:

• The Stop Injustice and Cruelty Club wrapped holiday gifts at a local store to raise money for Kingston Community Animal Welfare (photo below); as the SICC President said to us, "I know everyone in the club loves the pictures you send and feeling like we have a personal friendship with where we donate our money."


• Ali and Barclay visited Jamaica and brought medicine for Kingston Community Animal Welfare.  Also, they are spreading the word among their friends raising additional money for Deborah's work with street dogs and cats.

• Beckie is raising money the Uganda SPCA with pledges for the Spartan Race (which includes flames, barbed wire, mud, and ice!!).  She also plans to visit the USPCA early in 2012.

• Nicole and Robyn hosted yard sales and donated the proceeds to AKI.

• Some donors sign up for monthly pledges so we know we can count on consistent funding for AKI partner organization projects.

• Volunteers help write proposals for our partner organizations, write articles and blogs about AKI, and help develop humane education material.

• Contributors use GoodSearch, GoodShop, and GoodDining so as they go about their daily lives they positively impact animals' lives.

Want to target your giving? With AKI you can specify where your contributions will go:

• Myra designated her donations for Save the Animals-Armenia and has a front row seat as SA-A repairs the roofs of their dog houses (photo below).



• Camp Doglando is planning fundraisers so that some of the camp kids can visit Honduras, donate, and help out at Pilar’s sanctuary.

• Sarah’s support to Uganda SPCA covers one animal caretaker’s salary and has repaired the shelter’s fencing.

• John’s support has spayed about 20 dogs at the Entebbe area orphanage and at the rose farm.

Why should you donate to AKI?

If you care about animals, no matter where they live, your donations to AKI go a long way in improving the lives of animals and fill gaps in funding that no one else will fill. Please consider donating to AKI today.  Read more about AKI here:
http://www.animal-kind.org/

AKI & our partner organizations wish all of you the best in 2012, and with your help we will continue to do our best for the animals.  Thank you very much for your continued support!

Karen Menczer, Director
&
the AKI Board