Even freezing winter temperatures of 0 degrees did not stop the little acitivists with their sales booth
“I learned that you are never too small to make a difference.” Greta Thunberg
Anna, Finja, Iara and Kyran were among the youngest visitors of the Animalma anniversary in October 2022.
The four young animal rights activists were so inspired after the event that they started crafting the very next day and sold their creations in their neighbourhood.
Their handmade items – from bracelets to notebooks to plush bananas – were very well received and so they were able to collect an amount of CHF 300 in donations, which they handed over to me personally shortly before my trip to Bolivia.
With the proceeds, I was able to buy milk powder, vitamin supplements and nappies for the primate babies of Senda Verde, which the orphans urgently need and represent a major cost for the refuge.
And the Senda Verde staff were very touched when I told them the story behind this very special donation.
Thank you so much dear Anna, Finja, Iara and Kyran for your wonderful, inspiring commitment to help wildlife in Bolivia!
The green mountains of the Yungas region – down in the valley lays the refuge.The bridge leads into the shelter…Capi das CapybaraSilala, a heavily traumatised spider monkey, who could not have been integrated into the existing monkey troop so far.View towards the capuchin area…Without Carla, “Project Dron”…
Senda Verde from aboveCubaiScared by wildlife trafficking……but at least with a partner.Carla: veterinary, animal activist and wonderful friend.…would not have been finished so quickly and nicely!
The Emergency fund…
…is filling the food prep room……and feeds the animals of Senda Verde.
The Emergency fund was triggered by policital tensions in 2019 and just kept going feeding the 900+ animals of Senda Verde during the Corona crisis.
Animalma keeps fundraising for food supplies until tourism in Bolivia is back to normal.
It is the 18th of May 2020 today – day 55 of the Bolivian lockdown…
…Senda Verde is still closed to the public and can not welcome visitors nor volunteers. They still rely completely on donations from all over the world to take care of the animals living at the refuge.
This is why we are very happy today to be able to send another CHF 737.- in donations to our shelter, making our campaign total climb up to CHF 11’681.-.
Handmade animal welfare
Today’s money transfer has been made possible by the following direct donations and handicrafts:
CHF 300.- in donations… Thank you Carmen and Roberto, Sylvia and Corinne!
CHF 120.- from 3 of our handmade sock monkeys.
CHF 317.- from the sale of various bracelets. Thank you Jeannine for your amazing, creative support and thanks to everyone who shopped with us!
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CHF 3’370.- is the fantastic total of our fundraising campaign, CHF 3’305.44 after the deduction of all transaction fees
Thanks to two major donations and many small ones – being just as essential – our Emergency fund has risen to this beautiful amount.
Thank you ALL so much for supporting our campaign!
Feeding the 835 animals living at Senda Verde costs CHF 800.- per day. About a quarter is covered by direct donations of edibles from the Bolivian community. CHF 500.- have to be covered by the refuge.
Let’s push our campaign again so we can reach a total of CHF 3’500.- to feed all the animals at the shelter for a whole week!
Become part of the miracle by sharing this post or donating here:
Instead of paying part of a dinner, we can use CHF 40.- to cover the bank transaction fees to Bolivia (one transaction costs CHF 20.-). Thank you Andi!
Instead of paying the full singing lesson, CHF 50.- of it were donated into our emergency fund. Gracias Laura!
How hectic it has been over the last weeks and months in Bolivia – the home of my heart! I am writing to you in order to process the policital situation as well as giving you an update on the animals of Senda Verde and the ones that have been hit by the recent fires.
Politics is always a complex topic, especially in a faraway country. Usually I do not care about it that much, but in Bolivia’s case it is a totally different story. Because you, dear diary, have never been to Bolivia with me, I’ll focus on the most important events and try to keep it short.
On 20th October 2019 presidential elections were held in Bolivia. Unfortunately, the vote of the people was not respected, the results were falsified and Evo Morales declared as winner.
Luckily the Bolivian community did not accept that and went into a general, peaceful protest that lasted for three weeks.
The police took the side of its’ people, which lead to the resignation of Evo Morales on the 10th of November.
The former president fled to Mexico where he continued to sow hate and racism.
The interim government is planning fair and transparent elections now.
The situation in Bolivia is still tense. Democracy isn’t safed just yet, but it is under way.
Additional to these facts I want to add here in my diary my personal view on the recent events in Bolivia:
The protests in Bolivia werent about Left against Right, not about Indigenous against White nor about the poor against the rich. It was about respecting the vote of the people and recuperating democracy itself.
I have been deeply inspired by the unity, strength, stamina, love and creativity of the Bolivian community during this hectic time. I am proud to be part of this movement and will continue to stand for the freedom of Bolivia.
Let’s continue to the topic you are eagerly waiting for… my animal welfare activities in Bolivia.
Fires in the Bolivian Amazon
A heavenly rain in the beginning of October finally calmed down the fires and made them manageable. Nevertheless, 60’000 km2 forest and grassland have been lost, 2’600’000 animals died horribly in the flames since August.
Due to the landwide protests in October and November, it was very difficult to help the survivors of this tragedy. The campaign of Senda Verde came to a complete stop and we lost valuable time. The situation is being analysed now and we are still raising funds for La Chiquitania – the region that has been hit the hardest by the fires.
Senda Verde Wildlife Refuge
My wild family’s daily expenses are usually covered by income from tourism and volunteers. As these means have come to a complete stop for four weeks and will only recover over time, essential funds are missing to ensure the maintenance of the shelter and its’ 835 inhabitants.
Essential food supplies like oat, milk powder and sunflower seeds are missing, which is why Senda Verde posted an emergency call. We have heard their cry and set up an emergency fund for them: https://www.animalma.org/en/sossenda-verde-en/
Please support this important campaign – with a donation and / or a valuable share on your Social Media channels.
