Feed 120 abandoned animals in Cartagena for 1 year

Hello friends!

Yeees, we did it! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Thanks to you, 150 rescued animals in Cartagena are eating today bigger and healthier portions. Certainly they must think some angels came down and helped them. Not entirely wrong…

Indeed, it is simply amazing what a couple of clicks can achieve, isn’t it? We have reached and exceeded our fundraising goal in just two months! We finished with USD$7,414 that will help us feed all our rescued animals for one year. I can only say that 158 souls from around the world came together as donors for a noble cause. I personally know many of these donors, some of whom I met during the project. Other were anonymous donors. And others were friends of friends. We got donations from as far as New Zeeland, London, Brussels, Paris, Houston, Lima, and Washington, D.C. I just hope all of you can read this message full of love and gratitude.

The whole process from the beginning of the project until the purchase of food has been wonderful, but of course it’s the sentiment behind every donation that means the most to us. We would also like to thank Global Giving for the great opportunity! In over 16 years of work, this was our first fundraising through internet (yes, we are not exactly very modern) but we received tremendous support and it turned out just perfect.

Here is a little update since the last report:

• When we started this project three months ago, we had 120 rescued animals in FRAD. Today, we have nearly 150 animals and probably this number will grow as we can help more animals with the resources we raise, invest, and save thanks to you.

• In June we rescued a horse for the first time in 16 years, this poor baby was forced, like many, to pull large and heavy loads throughout the city, with beats, whipping, extreme weather conditions, stress, fear, and  practically no food or water. Just an object. Unfortunately even though we did our best to aid him, he couldn’t make it, but I tell you this story just for you to know the reality of horses and donkeys in Cartagena, the animals that suffer the MOST. Let everybody know!

• Some sad stories, but we have a bunch of happy recoveries too. Please meet Lupita at the end of the report, this cute puppy was thrown on an avenue in Cartagena, with a really sick eye. We had to extract it, but as you can see, she is now perfectly healthy and so happy lay down on a pack of 88 pounds of food, just for her.

• BIG NEWS! In June we sent 3 photos to Global Giving to participate in the Photo Contest 2013. This week we reported that the judges chose two of those photos featuring our dog friends Bimbi and Kora. We are very excited about this contest and we invite you to vote for our photos to win $1,000 we want to invest in a big spay/neuter campaign. Voting takes place from July 15 until July 31. Links for voting: http://goo.gl/QfZM7 and http://goo.gl/M8ETI. You have to confirm your vote by e-mail so it can be registered. If you have more than 1 e-mail account, vote with each one of them! Please tell all your friends to vote too, is simple and very fast!

• On June 28 we received the first disbursement of $6,153 from Global Giving and here is what we did: We purchased 8,910 pounds of dog food, 2,295 pounds of cat food and 792 pounds of donkey food. This means 9 months of fully secured food! Wait…if you were asking about the turtles, be happy for them because they were adopted on May by a really good family, just the kind of endings we want for all! (Please take a look at the attached document with further details about the investment).

It is important for you to know that although we paid all the food, we will be receiving it in parts during the 12 months, as we have no space to keep it and we must also prevent damage or expires. Do not hesitate to ask anything you want about the project or even comment (there’s a space below) if you like to share something with us. We’ll be more than happy to read you. We love feedback!

By August we expect to receive the second disbursement and finally secure a full year of food. We are so excited!

All said, so, what now?

One of our most urgent needs right now is derived from the weather. In Colombia, the winter seasons are terrible for most people, and animals are affected too. We have done everything in our hands to keep them safe, but the rain and wind are very heavy. In addition, we are located in a house that floods and you can imagine the rest... To this end, we are launching a new project to buy pet houses as well as to install an awning in our shelter. We invite you to read this new project that will continue to help rescued animals http://goo.gl/gZCwNq Please spread the word and consider becoming a permanent donor through GlobalGiving!

A little story before I go. During the project, several people were saying they wanted to donate, but could only give $10 or $15 dollars. I told them that $10 can feed 50 rescued dogs for 1 day. 50? Yes, it seems incredible? Well…many times, we can’t imagine all the great changes we can generate by small initiatives. In other words, "Whoever saves one life saves the world entire". You have saved 150 lives and at least 50 new more that we can help because of your donations. What could be better than that?

As I can’t express in words all our gratitude for you, I hope these photos make you smile and feel proud of what you helped accomplish to improve the world. I also hope that all great things you have done for these rescued animals return to you in blessings multiplied by 1000000!

Smiles really can cross borders. Big hug from Colombia!

Links:

• Frad website
• Facebook page for FRAD

• Money investment (XLSX)