WATERSHED ANIMAL RESCUE AND REHABILITATION FUND is a fund that has been brought about to assist Rescue Centres in times of need. With this said, it does not mean we fund the day-to-day running costs of the rescue centres, but help raise funds for sterilization programmes in townships and the more needy areas of South Africa as well as raising funds for emergency medical care or supplying food for those rescue centres that are in desperate need to feed there animals and cannot afford to do this with existing funds available to the centre.
We take on projects that we feel are the most desperate and then try and raise the funds by creating awareness through our animal network and the public. This means that each and every person who donates money knows exactly where their money is going and for what it is being used.
At the present moment we are busy with five projects: raising funds for cat and dog food for Uitsig Animal Rescue Centre (who were digging in there own pockets to feed over 250 animals), raising funds for the upkeep of 8 donkeys that were urgently needing a home (also residing at Uitsig Animal Rescue Centre) and also two very important sterilization programmes that are busy running and are about to commence in the next few months.
These two sterilization projects are the Wallacedean Township Project (organized by Uitsig Animal Rescue Centre) and the Wesbank Township sterilization Project (which will be executed through AACL Bellville and Uitsig Animal Rescue Centre) – two communities that encompass a large span of area in the Western Cape and are out of control regarding dog and cat population).
Sterilizations are THE MOST important step towards better control in all rescue centres. If we can curb the dog and cat populations in all the townships in South Africa and stop breeding and “back-yard breeding”, less animals will filter into the shelters bringing about an end to the overcrowdedness and thus stopping all the euthanasia that is happening in certain shelters.
Euthenasia is not the answer, sterilization is.
Our 5th project, which is a huge concern at present, is to try and help those rescue centres in South Africa that have not been able to withstand the immense financial drain due to the countries economic crisis. We can only do this if we are able to get in a constant income into the Fund through donations or Fundraising events. We welcome those individuals who would like to organize events to help raise funds for this ongoing and urgent project.
As stated in the above paragraphs, all financial problems at shelters will be prevented and curbed drastically if we could just stop the breeding.
Watershed Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Fund was registered and approved on the 2 December 2010 in terms of the Nonprofit Organisation Act of 1997 with the Department of Social Development.
For more information, go to www.watershed.org.za