Mariam Shekiladze, founder of Zero Strays Georgia, is an animal rights activist from Zugdidi, Georgia — a region where stray cats and dogs are severely overpopulated and face hunger, car crashes, abuse, and harsh weather year-round. Since 2015, she has given nearly every spare hour and hard-earned Lari to this work, helping neuter thousands of animals and find homes for hundreds.

This past year has been especially hard for our small, volunteer-led team. Alongside rescue work, we’ve also been part of Georgia’s daily, uninterrupted protests — now over a year long. With mass arrests, heavy fines, and new repressive laws, most local fundraising has shifted toward supporting those targeted by the regime. That has left even fewer resources for animals, and even less time to raise funds.

Today, Zero Strays Georgia is barely staying afloat. We care for more than 60 dogs in paid foster homes, manage constant medical emergencies in Zugdidi, and carry out weekly neutering. Costs far outweigh donations, and we’re at real risk of closing down.

So this year, we’re marking Mariam’s birthday on December 26th by asking for support — to give our team a little breathing room and help us keep going.

As always, every expense is listed on our website at ZeroStraysGeorgia.org and in our monthly transparency reports.

Don't forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook to see who you helped.