Hi, my name is Bianca. Many of my friends know me for my passion towards animals and their cause. This month is my birthday and there is nothing that I want more than to help animals in need, and I hope that you can help me! This would be my best birthday present yet, and one I would be truly grateful for!

The idea came to me, after my holiday last month, when I was in Bali and on the island of Nusa Penida. For most people, this would be a relaxing and enjoyable holiday however, for me (and other animal lovers), it could be challenging and emotional. Before the pandemic, the population of stray dogs in Bali reached over 500,000, and since the start of the pandemic, there are now twice to triple the typical number of pets being dumped on the streets.

I will try to make this story short…On my trip to the small island of Nusa Penida, with my friend Marianne Graber, we encountered many dogs in very bad conditions, however there was one that broke our hearts! She was a few months old puppy, and to be honest, I tried to ignore her the first night I saw her, because it just made me really sad. She was skinny with terrible mange (a skin disease). The mange was so severe that she couldn’t stop scratching herself, affecting her ability to walk! Regardless of her hunger and severe itch, she would start wagging her tail and showing love to anyone that would pay attention to her! The second night I saw her, she didn’t “accept” being ignored by me, so she followed us to the front of our accommodation and sat by our feet. She continued to follow us to our room, until I burst into tears, not knowing what to do. She wanted us to see her, as a cry for help. Later that night, she disappeared. I ended up going out into the dark street, trying to find her, in my pyjamas. I searched forever and eventually found her. I gave her some rice. Our bond had formed. That night, Mari and I started our long research into NGOs, within Bali, that could help us. After speaking to a list of people, I had nothing, because all of them were full, and not able to help.

To cut a long story short, on our last day on the island, after speaking to so many people and almost giving up with no hope, we went to our last possible miracle, and a miracle did happen! We managed to find a unique and beautiful Balinese woman named, Cindy. Cindy shared the same passion for animals as us, and even though she had too many animals, after a long and emotional conversation, she decided to take Crystal in! (She was named after the place where we found her). Cindy has been giving Crystal treatment, food, and shelter, with our support and the local vet. She will continue to take care of Crystal, until we can find a suitable place for her. As much as I would love to bring her to Australia, it is one of the (if not the most) strictest countries to bring animals into, especially from Indonesia. It would be an almost impossible mission and with endless money (more than $10k).

During this search for help, I came across another beautiful soul, Jacquie, who provided me support and guidance throughout this journey to help Crystal. Jacquie runs the only NGO in Nusa Penida, called “Paws of Nusa Penida” and their focus is on the sterilization of both cats and dogs.

With this fundraiser, Mary and I would like to help Crystal with the costs of her treatments, until we can find her, her forever home! I would also like to support the “Paws of Nusa Penida” ( https://www.pawsofnusapenida.com/ ), because sterilisation is the only way to start to reduce the numbers of these animals, to a level whereby every dog and cat can and will have a home with someone who will look after and love them. Besides this program, Jacquie also educates the local community and rescues animals (when possible), giving them food and shelter.

All this work is done by people who have so much love for animals, however, it is very hard to get funds to help support this type of work.

Just to give you an idea, it costs around AUD$30 to sterilise a cat or dog. Jacquie and her NGO have a goal to sterilise 4 animals a day, 6 days a week. To reach this goal, the overall monthly cost would be around AUD$1500. This will cover both surgical costs and materials.

As my birthday present this year, I am asking you to please help me to help these animals in need! Together we can make a difference in some lives, like Crystal!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting this cause!

Lots of love!!

Bi