Pets in Paraguay need food & care!
Help me help some dogs and cats in Paraguay!
(the country where nobody cares... )
We try, but we can't feed them all... (Flocki the dog has to wait until the cats are finished with their rice...)
Hi, I am Martin, called "Martin the Wanderer" (Martin Hoffmann is the name in my passport).
Brief background info so you know where I'm coming from when I ask you to part with some of your cash... 
Me, cuddling with one of our own dogs, which seems to be quite happy. Help me make a few neglected dogs and cats from our neighborhood happy as well!
I was born in Germany 47 years ago, and the past couple years I have lived in Paraguay. I live a very simple "drop out" life, close to nature, very modest (I have/need very little and can get along with 200 bucks / month, everything included...), I write books, do self-development work, and play with plants and animals...
Originally I planned to start an ecovillage/reforestation/community project here - but those plans did not materialize. Well, different story.
But one of the reasons was the same as the one for this campaign: Paraguay is a country not many care about (well, Monsanto and other agro-giants do, in their own special way...), and the level of awareness among the locals (or most expats, for that matter) is not very high.
Most are busy getting along (it is a very poor country, for most of the citizens here), the rest is busy changing a rather relaxed country into another sweatshop for international corporations- Paraguay wants its share of consumerism, destroyed nature (96% of Paraguays forests are GONE), pesticides and stressssssss...
Well, that is ok with me. 
A rusty bucket is no home. One of the kitten we have to find new homes for!
What is not ok with me is that no-f***ing-body cares about animals. Animals are "things". Dogs are kept free, but are usually underfed and very shy because they do not know any love, just beatings. Cats - if any - are left to themselves. In general animals are treated here like nobody ever discovered that they are just as aware and feeling beings as we are...
OK - enough background story. ;-)
Here is the current situation and what I intend to do (and you could help me do it):
Our neighbor, friend and landlord is an old ex-monk who spent many years in the jungle living with the remaining indigenous people in the north of Paraguay. He has very little money, a big heart, can not say "no" and loves animals in his own way. He has 3 dogs (one of them, Angy, is quite sick at the moment, another, Flocki, is most likely pregnant... ), several cats (three of them have kitten right now), and my friend and I have two more dogs (and had a cat - but Harik the Tomcat went on the long journey a few weeks ago....).
[[[You gotta be kidding me - the image that used to be here was removed. "Images used on GoFundMe must be suitable for all audiences and cannot contain blood or other graphic content. " The image of the wounded cat was too much for eyes that watch the news every day... - please refer to our Facebook page that I linked in the first update - the little guy is quite adorable and is holding up well despite of his nasty leg wound and the unwillingness of the world to look at suffering... he still needs to see a vet though, censorship or not ]]]
The pets are not starving, but get an unbalanced diet (mostly rice and manioca), they are not sterilized (and the pups/kitten - as cute as they are - add to the problem). There is no money to go to the vet if someone is seriously ill, and no money for vaccines or sterilization. We have purchased hormonal injections from our own funds, but those are not very healthy in the long run and only a temporary solution.
I ask you to help me out with a few - or a few more - bucks so we can (btw sorry for the Euros - since my official address and bank account are in Germany, gofundme forces me to use Euro...):
- get Angy to a vet so her skin problem is properly diagnosed and treated (around 25€, could be more, depends on what meds are needed)
- have all 5 dogs and the 5 adult cats properly sterilized/neutered (250-300€, around 30€ per animal, maybe we can strike a deal with the vet if he has to come here only once to do them all...)
- stock up a bit on meds for self-treatment (not many vets here, and if something happens, you have to inject those antibiotics yourself... 50€ incl. tools/syringes, etc.)
- get those guys fed a bit better. We would purchase additional food once a week and share it with our old friend (20-??€/week - no direct financial support, sugar cane booze is cheap, but still not in our intention...;-) )
- find new homes for the kitten (bit of advertizing, fuel/time/driving around, if necessary drop kitten and donation at shelter... ~50€)
"Stretch goals"
If there are more donations than we immediately need for these things, I will use it to support one of the very few local shelter/volunteer groups ("Villarrica Protector" not far from here, you can google them, they are one of the more honest ones here and genuinely care).
If you really surprise me with your generosity (3k or more), I will take 2-3 months off my regular work and dedicate more time to helping some other poor creatures around here - there are plenty... 
Yes, they look cute. But they are only well fed because we feed them - and their future is less than uncertain. You can help change that!
What is in for you?
1. Basically "just" that warm fuzzy feeling in your heart, knowing a few neglected animals are happier now and have good health and a full belly.
2. Of course I will set up a facebook page and post regular updates there with pics and some low-res videos (my cam is crap, lol) so you can see what your money has been used for and how our zoo here is doing.
Update: the page is online. Like/Subscribe for latest developments.
Facebook Fanpage for Paraguay Pet Fundraiser
3. If you donate 10€ or more I will use my insane Photoshop skillz to conjure up a stunning desktop background image (or two) using images of our animals here that you helped, so you get a personal reminder for your desktop/laptop/mobile
4. If you donate 50€ or more I will mention you in a YouTube video about this campaign and include a link to your website/blog (if you want, I respect your privacy ofc)
"If you help me - I will make more funny poses for you!"
Of course you can donate any amount you wish - the two "bonus levels" are just there to show you I really appreciate your contributions and would like to give something symbolic back!
In case you have trouble with Stripe payments - leave a comment, there are other ways (European bank transfer, PP, etc.) and I will list your "offline" donation here manually.
...and if you have ANY questions (regarding the campaign ;-) ) - please don't be shy and use the comment section below!
I am a real person and you will get straight answers.
