How to Help Innocent Animals in War Zones
War zones put animals in grave danger. From abandoned pets to working donkeys and farm animals, the impact of conflict doesn’t stop with people. Many animals end up hungry, scared, or injured, facing a fight for survival in harsh conditions. But there are simple ways to help:
If you wish to donate anonymously to below charities, set up an account at Charities Aid Foundation. Make one-off donations or set up giving accounts (for business, Gift Aid is taken care of).
Nowzad: Helping Animals in Afghanistan & Ukraine
Nowzad is a wonderful charity that’s well worth supporting. As it does amazing work to help animals abroad (often caught up in war). And funds have gone down due to austerity, but they are in great need of financial donations, to help them continue the important work they do.
First, a little history. The charity was founded by a former Royal Marine Sergeant serving in Afghanistan, who was appalled to see how many animals were suffering. He rescued and befriended a dog involved in organised dog-fighting and named him ‘Nowzad’ – his first ever name.
Originally formed to rescue stray cats and dogs in the country, today it has a bigger mission of helping animals caught up in war, the forgotten victims often of world events.
In Afghanistan (where donkeys and horses are main form of transport), volunteers educate local people on how to care for their animals, and provide advice and veterinary care. Nowzad has also recently opened the country’s first sanctuary for horses and donkeys, for older and retired or ill animals.
Here they receive loving care, good food and veterinary care, on the outskirts of Kabul. Here is what your donations pay for:
- £1 – a kilo of bran
- £8 – a monthly hoof trim!
- £20 – an insulated winter coat
- £30 – a month’s fuel supply for the sanctuary
- £50 – a month’s water supply
- £80 – a month’s hay supply (tasty if you’re an equine!)
The charity also has a sanctuary for dogs and cats in Afghanistan, where local people can find free advice and vet care. Plus vaccinations and spaying/neutering services (important to prevent over-population, which often leads to pets living on the streets).
The veterinary team also humanely capture and peacefully put to sleep any local dogs with rabies (presently no cure) so they are not killed by others, in less humane ways.
Nowzad is also working closely with heroic volunteers at animal shelters in Ukraine, which have obviously seen a huge uptake in residents, since the invasion a few years ago.
Help to Save the Afghanistan Shelter
Recently (due to road construction and building high-rise buildings in Kabul, others have decided to bulldoze the Nowzad sanctuaries. So the charity is urgently raising funds to rent new land and build a new stable sanctuary, to continue its vital work.
It also has to safely move each resident to the new sanctuary. The charity needs to raise £100K, to be safe.
Easy ways to Support Nowzad Charity
- Make it your page at easyfundraising. Then any time you buy something at participating retailers, the charity gets a cut, at no cost to you.
- Leave a legacy in your Will, to help animals after you’ve gone.
- Donate your scrap car (including the USA).
- For special occasions, save a tree and send an e-card to help.
- Bideford (Devon) has a retail charity shop, to raise funds.
- The Nowzad trolley coin fits supermarket trolleys to save you fiddling around for a £1 coin.
War Paws (helping the forgotten victims of war)
War Paws also provides resources and rescue for animals in war zones. It tries to remove animals caught up in conflict, but also educate local populations on animal welfare.
Mostly working with dogs and cats, it works anywhere, but mostly in Syria and Afghanistan. It also supports serving soldiers and contractors in war zones and areas of civil conflict, by reuniting them in home countries, with dogs and cats they bonded with, on tours of duties.
It also helps to humanely reduce stray dog populations through trap-neuter-release programs, and providing medicine to help prevent rabies.
- Make it your page at easyfundraising. Then any time you buy something at participating retailers, the charity gets a cut, at no cost to you (loyalty points are not affected).
- You can help by recycling used ink cartridges, old jewellery (even broken) and used stamps.
- Donate by sending an e-card instead of a tree card.
Helping Donkeys in the Middle East
Safe Haven for Donkeys helps donkeys living on the border in the Middle East, obviously something of extreme concern at present. Donkeys and horses are the main form of transport for many, and often worked on little food or rest. Read more on helping donkey friends.
This charity has just set up a project in Egypt to help donkeys who work in intense heat to move bricks to kilns (used to build houses). Many have untreated wounds, fly infestations and overgrown hooves. The animals are treated both on-site and at mobile clinics.
- Make it your page at easyfundraising. Then any time you buy something at participating retailers, the charity gets a cut, at no cost to you (loyalty points are not affected).
- Playing their Weather Lottery (instead of the national one) is good to earn them extra funds.
- You can also scrap your old car, and monies raised from metal will benefit this wonderful cause.
- Lucy’s UK Donkey Foundation also gives grants, to help working animals in the Holy Land. Again, make it your page at easyfundraising.
How to Help Animals in Ukraine
The war in Ukraine has also affected many animals, not just humans. 25% of profits from this print by Red and Howling are donated to animal rescue causes worldwide.
Good Good Good is an American newspaper with a super post on how we can help (the end of the post includes animal shelters to help).
