We were approached by a group of warrior woman that run ‘Free Food Kitchen’. They feed the children and then adults of different destitute areas. They approached us about the animals in a specific area called Smallville’,near to Phillipi. Smallville consists of about 54 households and the unemployment rate is 100 percent. They were desperate for some sort of assistance as they had approached different places for help, but no one was able to assist. The need is just too great and organisations are just too overwhelmed. They even started their own feeding scheme for the animals called ‘Divine Dog Kitchen’. They couldn’t watch the animals starving and scrounging for food while they fed the humans. They have empathy, so naturally, it hurt them to witness this. We agreed to help them as much as we possibly can, we are so lucky to have these ladies on the ground and willing to learn and educate as they go along. You don’t often find a strong, dedicated team that are already known by the residents, and can distribute parcels and be our eyes and ears. Over the next few weeks, we introduced our Mandela Day Campaign ‘Assisting Smallville’. Because of this, we managed to supply the animals with 17 kennels, 60 food parcels, many collars, tick and flea medication as well as organising medical assistance for one or two animals in dire need. The next part of the project would be the most important one – STERILISATION. We started to raise funds to get as many Smallville animals as possible- sterilised, vaccinated, de-wormed, de-flead&de-ticked. We managed to get some awesome donations in from companies like PUMA, GMA foundation, The Stretch Foundation and Nicola Jowell- ward 54 of the Atantic Seaboard. We also received some donations from members of the public. Once we had raised the money, it was time to put the plan into action. Fast forward to a few weeks and this became a reality. 38 animals from Smallville informal settlement were sterilised on the 30th of September. It was a successful day and we are so happy that we managed to complete the very important part of ‘Assisting Smallville’. We were lucky enough to be able to use the Cape of Good Hope SPCA premises which is a 6min drive from Smallvillle. A big thank you to SPCA Grassy Park for allocating a spot for us to use. All 38 animals were also vaccinated, treated for ticks&fleas, de-wormed, given food parcels and blankets. After our visits to the area, all the animals have kennels or some sort of shelter. Smallville only consists of about 45 animals, therefore, this campaign was a success as we definitely sterilised over 70 percent of the breeding population. The Free Food Kitchen ladies are there on a daily basis and they are our eyes and ears. There were very few refusals, which we will follow up on. The very few not reached/too young, will also have opportunities to have their animals sterilised. The sterilization of these animals will have a big positive impact on the animals of Smallville as well as the owners. The breeding cycle will almost come to a complete halt and there will be a huge decrease in the neglect and suffering of animals who can’t be looked after due to the high unemployment rate. As of now, there doesn’t seem to be infiltration from other areas, therefore, we should be able to keep on top of the animal’s progress. We hope that the people of Smallville will notice the positive impact over time, and continue to care for the animals that they currently have. Thank you to the ladies of the Free Food Kitchen for alerting us to this community and their animals and for all your on-going assistance. And a huge thank you to each individual that donated towards this project, whether it was kennels, food or financially. A special thank you to the following NPO’s and companies for their donations towards Smallville – PUMA, GMA Foundation, The Stretch Foundation and Nicola Jowell – Ward 54.

In 2019 we decided to extend the Mending Mamre campaign to a small neighbouring town, Pella.  Again, this was done in partnership with FOUR PAWS South Africa.  Not only did we reach our 70% sterilisation target, but we succeeded to sterilise over 80% of the breeding pet population, bringing the total amount of animals sterilised to 400 in the space of 3 months.  The surgical component went hand in hand with educational interventions and weekly school visits as well as medical interventions for animals in need.  Several animals were surrendered to our care and adopted to new homes, and over 100 animals received kennels. One of our biggest stumbling blocks encountered was a Distemper outbreak.  This is a highly contagious virus, most prominent in unvaccinated young dogs, and can be deadly to affected animals.  Each animal that was sterilised through this campaign received a full set of vaccinations, with the hope that this will eradicate the presence of contagious diseases that have been crippling the pet population of this tiny rural town for many years.

In 2018 we continued our Mending Mamre campaign:  A Mass Sterilisation campaign in partnership with FOUR PAWS South Africa.  Our goal, to sterilise 70% of the breeding pet population, was reached by the end of 2018.  We sterilised 947 animals in 2018 and another 80 in 2019; bringing our total to 2042 animals sterilised in Mamre since the campaign rolled out in 2017. Furthermore, we ran full time educational programs not only for learners but one-on-one adult education, living condition improvements for animals (where over 400 kennels were distributed as well as runners) as well as numerous medical interventions for sick animals. Puppies and kittens under 6 months of age received core vaccinations, and all animals received Rabies vaccines.  Through sterilisation and vaccinations, this will greatly reduce the amount of stray animals and the spread of disease, be it zoonotic or amongst pets. Mass sterilisation campaigns also ease the burden of unwanted and abused pets, on local animal welfares and rescue centers. We believe that this campaign will have a valued impact on the Mamre  community and their pets for decades to come.