Written by Nthabiseng Hlangwana – Founder Member of Nthabiseng
Photography supplied by Nthabiseng
“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.”
I am the founder member of Nthabiseng home-based care for dogs in the deeply impoverished area of Soshanguve Block V, Tshwane. With an unconditional love for dogs, I started this programme based on home-based care for people with help offered by different NPOs around the country.
Championing community care
One day, I realised how important dogs are to the community and thought about what I could do to make a difference… and to save these dogs. I started off by using my some of my grant money to buy dog food.
There are many stray dogs in our community that eat scraps found in rubbish bins. I started with 25kg of dog food for my dog and my neighbour’s dog that used to dig in the rubbish bin.
I began championing care for dogs by implementing door-to-door home visits around my community. We discovered on our home visits that most dogs, especially those in the township, aren’t fed properly and are often kept outside without any shelter or kennels.
We started requesting donations for dog food and kennels, including funding for vaccinations for dogs to prevent rabies and other diseases. Then I recruited my siblings and my neighbour to start helping me with the daily routine of cleaning dog kennels, feeding dogs and providing them with clean drinking water, and also washing the dogs.
This was made possible by the kind donations received by good Samaritans and animal lovers who noticed our work on social media platforms like Facebook.
You can help!
Together with five other animal-loving volunteers, we aim to continue helping animals in need and wish for assistance with donations of the following:
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Dog food
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Cat food
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Leashes and belts
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Dog beds
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Shampoo
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Tick and flea powder
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Deworming tablets
For more information or if you’d like to assist in any way, please call 071 635 1422, email resimateh@gmail.com or find me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/julia.nthabiseng.587.
