Help the Beni Khiar Animal Refuge build a well

Co-organized

Rachel Drapeur and Heather Stevens are organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

Hello!

My name is Rachel and I’m fundraising for the Beni Khiar Animal Refuge in Nabeul, Tunisia which provides care to over 100 animals. My friend June, who is a professional pet groomer, has been involved with the refuge since 2022. I visited with two friends - Faith and Heather - in July 2024.

We have seen first hand the commitment, hard work, and sacrifice from the founder and owner Kaouther Ben Jannet, a Tunisian lady with 25 years of animal rescue experience.

June lives on-site at the refuge and contributes pro bono grooming, rehabilitation, training and socialisation to its residents. We are fundraising to renovate a small well at the refuge.

THE SITUATION: The refuge was established in 2016 in the countryside of Beni Khiar, Nabeul Governorate on Kaouther’s family land. It started with one well that was found to only yield salty poor-quality water suitable for certain cleaning and keeping outdoor animal housing cool in summer. A second deeper well was then constructed and serves as the primary well is the one that we are fundraising to renovate. This well is often dry, and fresh filtered water must be purchased from a neighbourhood truck to meet the animals’ daily needs, at considerable cost. Extending and deepening the existing well to reach a large underground river source (already identified and passing through the land) would provide long-term access to sustainable quality water for the animals for drinking and washing. It would greatly help the refuge to maintain high hygiene and sanitation standards for its animals, staff and volunteers.

Animal shelters in Tunisia do not receive support from the government. The preferred method of animal population control is to either shoot or to poison dogs and cats. The concept of pet ownership is nascent, along with public understanding of the benefits of sterilisation for humane animal population control and public and animal health. The refuge prioritises intake of older and/or special needs animals, but has the added burden of assisting kittens and puppy orphans and litters dumped by members of the public on the refuge doorstep.

OUR LONG-TERM VISION is an animal refuge that can:
1. Promote animal welfare and encourage responsible pet ownership through practical ways to support both movements. In time, host information and skills workshops on safe animal handling and petowner grooming.
2. Increasingly generate its own income, for self-sufficiency as this is important to both Kaouther and myself. Kaouther had the foresight to equip the refuge with dog boarding facilities when the refuge was constructed in 2015/16 and construction will soon be completed on a cattery to house residents and for boarding.
3. In time, pilot initiatives at the refuge to facilitate broader skills and livelihood opportunities for people in the surrounding countryside and town communities. Including cooking and permaculture workshops and ways to earn income with a responsible petcare skillset (i.e. petsitting, dog walking and foundational cat and dog grooming).

All funding received from this fundraiser will go to paying for the labour, equipment and material costs of the well. Kaouther is a seasoned Tunisian animal rescuer and hands-on founder who doesn’t shirk from the same work asked of her staff and volunteers. Living on-site, I can vouch for the love, attention and care that she gives to each animal.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS: We are both people who are conscious and careful with resource management in general. June and Kaouther have lived in water-scarce settings affected by climate crisis and would only partner with parties whose values align with theirs in this respect and organisations that apply responsible natural resource management. I am personally responsible for being accountable for what GoFundMe funding is received and how it is disbursed, including proper record keeping and reporting.