Hi, my name is Iva, and I'm a Canadian woman who has been living in Guatemala for the last 10 years. I originally came here to help families who were living in poverty, to help with food, medicine, and anything else their children needed just to get by.

What I didn’t expect was to be confronted by the heartbreaking reality of the street dogs. In my town, Panajachel and the surrounding small villages, the street dog population is completely out of control. There are no shelters. There are only a handful of foster homes, and they are always full. When dogs are hit by cars, suffer from mange, get sick, or need surgery, there is often nowhere for them to go afterward. No safe place to recover. Too often, dogs are released back onto the streets too soon, or they are left to suffer.

Some have already died simply because there was nowhere safe for them to recover.

After years of witnessing this again and again, I realized the problem isn’t a lack of compassion because there are plenty of loving souls here; it’s a lack of space. There is nowhere for these dogs to go when they need help the most. That is what I am trying to change.

We run low-cost spay and neuter clinics every month in villages around the lake, but it's not enough to control the street dog population. The situation here is critical and heartbreaking, and it's time that something is done about it.

My goal is to purchase a piece of land here in Guatemala and build a dog sanctuary. A safe place where injured and sick street dogs can recover after surgery. A place where they can heal instead of dying on the roadside. A place where they are protected, cared for, and given a real chance to survive.

What the funds are used for

I'm basically starting at 0 with nothing but hope, prayers, optimism and a ton of faith. I've seen far too many dogs suffer on the streets, and I can't just sit back and continue to watch this happen.

This fundraiser is about securing that land and creating a sanctuary that simply does not exist here right now. One that will save lives that are currently being lost for no other reason than there is nowhere for them to go.

Thank you for reading, for caring, and for helping me turn this into something real. Every share, every donation, and every bit of support brings us closer to giving these dogs the safety they desperately need.

with so much love

xo iva xo