News
Egypt, Cairo: ESMA to buy their own land!
September 22, 2008, 11:52PM MT
By Sharon St. Joan
A secure place for the animals
A secure place for the animals
When a few of us from Best Friends were in Cairo for the MENAW Conference in December 2007, we had the pleasure of visiting ESMA (Egyptian Society for Mercy to Animals) and meeting the animals there. The dogs had lots of room to run and play and were showered with attention and affection, but they really needed a secure place, not a place that was rented from month to month.
As you may remember reading on the community International Friends, Mona Khalil and Kristen Stilt, two of the founders of ESMA, visited Best Friends a couple of years ago.
As mentioned in their original appeal, funds were needed so that ESMA could purchase their own land--which would make all the difference in terms of security and well-being for the dogs and cats there--and for the working donkeys and horses that they'd then be able to care for as well.
Since this was written in August, lots has happened! The land purchase is going ahead! If you missed your chance to donate then, funds are still needed, so it's not too late to help.
The original appeal, as posted on ESMA's website is below, following Kristen's latest update. …Sharon St Joan, Best Friends Network
Latest Update
By Kristen Stilt, ESMA
Thank you so much for your responses to our land purchase campaign. Due to caring and generous people like you, we managed to raise the required 20% down payment towards the purchase of the land that will house our permanent shelter and clinic.
With a total purchase price of $85,000, we are now working on putting together the financing for the balance.
If you were not able to give when we first sent the Special Appeal, we still desperately need your donation. The more we can put into the down payment, the less we have to finance and the better our financing terms will be. Credit is becoming more difficult to obtain by the day for reasons you all well know, and as a non-profit we have little in the way of collateral.
The appeal is on our website--http://www.esmaegypt.org/Special_Appeal.html--along with pictures of the current shelter and of the land we want to buy. We would be so grateful if you would join us in this historic event for the animals of Egypt and their human care takers.
We will most definitely keep you posted on developments.
With many thanks from the animals and humans of ESMA,
Original Appeal
Reprinted, with permission, from http://www.esmaegypt.org/Special_Appeal.html--along
ESMA, The Egyptian Society for Mercy to Animals, asks you to join us achieve a historic event for the cause of animal welfare in Egypt. We are beginning a campaign to purchase our very own acre of land, and we would be the first shelter in Cairo to do so.
Thanks to the generosity of a special donor we have a chance to buy our own land on which to build our permanent shelter and clinic to provide desperately needed care for dogs, cats, work and farm animals. Our donor, Olive Walker, has pledged $9,000 of the $18,000 minimum deposit required, if our supporters can match the remaining 50%. The one acre plot is located in a peaceful green area on the outskirts of Cairo, just 20 minutes from Mohandeseen. The work we can do for the animals will expand exponentially on our own land, where we can build the shelter and clinic these desperate animals need and deserve.?
Our aim and dream is to build this shelter, not just to house and care for the animals as we currently do in our rented facility (179 dogs and 123 cats), but also to incorporate a free clinic for the working animals belonging to the poor people of the local community who rely on them to make a living. We will also have space for donkeys and horses, and for those of you who live in or have ever visited Egypt you will know that these poor working animals are almost always overworked and overloaded, often resulting in painful wounds - and worse - and going untreated, due to the lack of free and/or affordable clinics.
Currently, ESMA, like every other companion animal shelter in Cairo, operates on rented land. This creates a terrible amount of uncertainty for us and the dogs and cats for whom we presently care. Some of the drawbacks are:
…If neighbors complain about the noise, we could face eviction.
…Constant threat of our rent being raised, since this is something the landlord can do easily with every rental term renewal.
…We cannot justify a high quality clinic on the rented land because we would lose it at the end of the lease term. ?
…Lack of long term stability ?
…Severe overcrowding in our current location: the new land is more than double the size. Nevertheless, we currently still admit all critical cases. ?
Because we aim to be self sufficient one day, we also plan to:
…Incorporate boarding facilities to help us cover our monthly expenses (currently $6,000 per month) ?
…Build a small living area for visiting vets and volunteers, for rent ?
…Establish a gift shop on the premises with the proceeds going right back to our shelter
Please help! Even a small donation will make a tremendous difference.
Be a part of a historic Egyptian Animal Welfare event and help ease the suffering of thousands of animals in dire need of our assistance and compassion.
We will honor $100 donors on a special "DONOR'S WALL" in the new shelter. Donors of $500 or above, will be honored with their name on a plaque on one of the kennels and receive a photo. Ms. Olive Walker will MATCH the $9,000 raised with your help and we will finally be able to purchase the land!!!
Help us make our dream become a reality!
?Thank you from all of us at ESMA - Egyptian Society for Mercy to Animals. ?Mona Khalil, Andrea Adler, Kristen Stilt, Susie Nasser, Bahra Fahmy and Noha El -Sharkawi.
How you can help
To reach ESMA's website, where you may see more photos and donate with a PayPal button, please go to:
http://www.esmaegypt.org/Special_Appeal.html
Photo: ESMA