Swazi Puppy Project

Support the efforts to teach youth about animal welfare in Nkhungwini, a community in rural Swaziland, and help me bring 2 pups to the US.

Here in southern Swaziland , our unspayed female, herself a stray we took in, inevitably had 6 pups. It was not within myself or my Swazi family, the Shabangus, to not care for them, especially as the family lost 3 dogs and 7 pups in quick succession to preventable causes. My volunteer stipend is not nearly enough to cover costs of feeding, inoculations, spaying, neutering, transport costs, and incidentals required to keep puppies and mother healthy. My Swazi family struggles to feed themselves and OVCs they, like most homesteads here, have taken in; children orphaned as a result of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.*

Picture of my bosisi  (sisters) and bobhuti (brothers) and their pal Philsiwe (2nd from L) coloring on my porch amongst pups as usual. Best smiles ever around here:

Caring for pups presents a great opportunity to teach animal welfare and the companionship dogs, mostly treated as livestock here, can give.  They are also a vehicle for teaching empathy which can be absent in a largely emotionally repressed population. Lack of education leaves dogs chained, cruelly disciplined and lacking adequate nutrition and health needs, and creates a culture of fear. It's wonderful to see the joy pups bring in classrooms and the community to children and adults, who’ve learned, for good reason, to be fearful of dogs, and now see healthy, friendly ones they can play with.  
Our 'fresh' dogs as they are called never fail to invite questions of care from other dog owners in the community. These conversations often offer a non-intrusive way to initiate personal health discussions. 

It’s shown that children who care for pets show a boost in self-esteem and grades; greatly needed for Swazi youth,  particularly young women growing up in the oppression surrounded by a male dominated society. My sisi (sister in SiSwati), Putju, has shown great interest and aptitude in caring for the pups. I've seen her confidence grow since we’ve had the pups, and enlisted her as a primary care-giver. She went from failing in school, reluctant to discussing schoolwork with me, to proudly showing  passing grades, and applying herself to schoolwork.  And it is abundantly clear the pups trust and adore her. 

Washington Post article expanding on benefits of children raising pets
Putju demonstrating her tick-removal prowess:

...enjoying Spot/GreyBoy's company by the river.
 
[Nhlanhla, who already built a sweet dog house in anticipation, will be delivered his pup, Snoopy, along with food, dewormer, flea and tick powder, a collar and leash, once she's spayed.]DONE (See pUpdates)!!

Thabiso holding his favorite pup, 'Danger.'  Snoopy's in the back. (Rest in peace Danger boy(another sad pUpdate) 

The biggest financial challenge is transporting 2 dogs I'm rescuing  (Pompi and GreyBoyAllStar) to continue to care for (furever) to the US:  about $1000 per dog, including microchips, transporting to Johannesburg, and boarding.

Funds will also support:
-5in1 Inoculations for our dogs plus those of community members:   $7 per dog
-Transport fees to get rabies shots (provided for free from the Swazi government)
Transport is a MAJOR challenge:
-RT to nearest town (Nhlangano) $3
-cab or car hire $15-30/per trip (dogs are too big for public transport, and for smaller dogs it's still limited, and no crates); I'm trying to arrange to cover costs for vet visit to community 
-Dog food: ours eat about 4kg a day, and I regularly supply neighbors who normally feed dogs solely 'pap' a traditional corn meal porridge (i.e. INadequate). I will also leave a supply when I leave:   $8-10/8kg
-Spaying and neutering our dogs-DONE! (see a few pUpdates)and supporting neighbors' who normally do not have access or prioritize this to do so:  sliding scale = $20 per dog (again, transport's the killer)
-Dewormer:  $3-7 which I give out to community members as dogs are rarely if ever dewormed
-Flea and tick powder $2-7 ($7 for a Big container)

Pompi getting her 5in1 booster from Dr. Simelane, a gov't vet in Nhlangano who's been incredibly helpful. 

Thanks for visiting! We appreciate any support.
You can also donate to SAWS, Swaziland Animal Welfare Society, who have been extremely helpful and are doing great work here. http://www.swaziplace.com/saws/  as well as  www.antivenomswazi.org ‌, also amazing. 

Siyabonga kakhulu! ❤️
["We thank you very much"]


*Swaziland has the world’s highest adult HIV/AIDS prevalence rate at approximately 31% (persons aged 15-49 years) and one of the lowest life expectancy rates, approximately 39 years. Within the next 5 years, it is expected that 10% of the child population will be orphaned as a result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.