Sneha’s Care is a non-profit organization established in 2015 in the Lalitpur district of Nepal which is committed to creating a society where all animals are treated humanely. Protecting community animals from all forms of abuse, cruelty, and torture is the main focus of the work.
In order for this to happen, Sneha’s Care started various projects for the welfare of animals and community dogs to stop animal cruelty. In order to create rigorous animal welfare policies, we promote animal welfare and work with government agencies and other organizations with similar visions. We believe that ending any forms of animal exploitation and abuse should be a goal for every individual, organization, and government.
From campaigns like anti-rabies vaccination, spay/neuter, feeding during disasters, working animal welfare programs to captive animal welfare programs, school outreach, plant-based diet and advocacy, ban-live animal transport, we have been involved in various projects which not only deals with animal welfare but the environment as well. Promoting veganism directly involves reducing animal exploitation and hence, educating about the benefits of plant-based diet through our program outreach, we have succeeded in changing the mindset of community people to a certain extent. Sneha’s Care has treated and rescued more than 50,000 animals till now. With our dedication and humane education project, people are more aware of the ongoing animal cruelty. We have come up with programs where we educate and equip people with the information and tools they need to make the right choices and take the essential steps. Animals in need of rescue and those who have been injured are served by a qualified team of veterinarians, technicians, staff and volunteers. Sneha’s Care shelter currently houses a large number of wounded and paralyzed dogs, as well as abandoned farm animals which include cows, buffaloes, goats, sheep and pigs that are being cared for and treated.
Sneha’s Care has been working tirelessly to introduce animal welfare policies in Nepal to safeguard the welfare of animals and ensure penalties for any animal abuse and cruelty, along with running the shelter. Additionally, Sneha’s Care intensively promotes animal welfare awareness on a national level and educates people to have compassion for all animals.
Our founder-Sneha Shrestha (How it all began…)
“Animals are our friends and we don’t harm our friends”-Sneha Shrestha
Sneha had never been an animal lover, not even a dog lover, she consented to buy pets despite her reservations, but she didn’t want any unclean street dogs. She then purchased two puppies, one of whom was Zara, who rapidly won Sneha over with her loyalty, kindness, and tenderness. As time passed by, she considered Zara to be more than just a dog. She was like a daughter to her. Zara radiated happiness and love. Every day, she would wait at the gate for Sneha to return from work. Sneha was completely unaware that she had become accustomed to having Zara play with her and wait for her at the gate, but one day Zara wasn’t there. Sneha found it to be an intriguing sight. While she continued to search for Zara to check if there was a problem, she discovered her throwing up blood. She then got to know that her neighbor had poisoned her dog, she was horrified and hurried Zara to the clinic. Unfortunately, after four days, Zara left the world. For the neighbors, the dog was merely a nuisance barker with no real significance, but for Sneha, the dog represented her entire world, her family, and her happiness. Sneha followed the ritual for her dog in the same way Hindus follow certain rituals to weep or mourn for the deceased for 13 days by abstaining from salt and other delights.
After the incident, Sneha realized her strong affinity for dogs and felt driven to speak up on behalf of them after seeing how Zara had endured and how unfairly. She questioned the safety of the dogs present in the streets and community because her dog wasn’t safe inside her own home. She subsequently started to notice dogs everywhere she went as a result of her altered viewpoint on them. She always carried packets of biscuits with her to pet and feed the dogs she came across. As she went on, she could see how many of them had wounds and needed immediate medical assistance. She saw the sufferings of the dogs, many with hit-and-run cases, diseases, abandoned, sick ones and those suffering from abuse/cruelty.
She started paying for space at a neighborhood kennel to provide community dogs a home, care, and regular food since she couldn’t watch their suffering. In less than a month, the kennel was full. If she had her own shelter and a crew to help her, she believed she could assist even more dogs and work more effectively. She then created the shelter after selling her house. She eventually realized how much sympathy she felt for community dogs and developed a fresh outlook on all animals. Even though she loved all animals, she realized that she was only showing love to dogs. She began to notice that there were numerous additional animals who required care and medical treatment.
Being an animal rights advocate and the founder of Sneha’s Care, her sole purpose is to safeguard animals from all forms of abuse, cruelty, and torture. It was her enthusiasm, commitment, and determination that kept her moving ahead for the welfare of animals. It is essential to instill compassion for all animals in young people and impose stringent laws to promote the notion that EVERY LIFE MATTER.
“And it’s not just us who can teach compassion. The most important thing is to have humanity. It’s not only people who teach you humanity; I learned humanity from these animals. These animals taught me everything.”-Sneha Shrestha
Challenges the organization is facing
Running an organization that promotes animal welfare requires a lot of effort, commitment, and perseverance. The organization’s ability to run smoothly is next to impossible without support and funding. Maintaining public and donor engagement is a major challenge for animal welfare organizations. Challenges like having limited resources, raising enough funds to support the operations, engaging and mobilizing local communities, creating effective and lasting change, handling a high volume of animal rescue operations and maintaining clear and effective communication with the public, volunteers, and other stakeholders, raising of public awareness and understanding of animal welfare issues, laws and regulations, and inadequate enforcement of existing laws. Other challenges include a lack of unified messaging among organizations, difficulty caring for sick or injured animals, as well as competition from other nonprofits.
This can get a little controversial if we speak about animal sacrifice in the name of religion which is related to the rituals and customs that have been practiced for centuries. This is another challenge faced by animal welfare organizations. Animal abuse, torture and exploitation in the name of religion is totally unacceptable so we have been facing this challenge from the beginning till this date but are trying our best to put an end to it by drafting animal welfare laws and standards.
Furthermore, finding long-term, safe and suitable homes for rescued animals, reducing euthanization rates, and creating awareness of animal welfare issues are all challenges faced by the organization. Talking about the shelter, another serious challenge we are facing at the present moment is for the relocation of our shelter. We have been ordered to remove our shelter from the place we are currently located. This is due to the complaints of the local people residing in that area. When Sneha’s Care shelter was built, the place where the current shelter is situated, it was an open space, far from the residential area where humans rarely resided but slowly due to urbanization, people started residing nearby our shelter. Now, we are compelled to remove our shelter and it is known that we will be needing a huge amount of funding for the construction of a new shelter. Our current shelter is the home for 170+ dogs and farm animals like pigs, cows, buffaloes, goats and sheep. So, we are trying our best to think of fundraising ideas and how we can shift our animals to a new space as soon as possible.
Opportunities for the organization
Being an organization who is determined to work for the welfare of animals, we believe in creating a humane society who will have compassion towards all animals and be supportive in ending animal exploitation.
Animal welfare organizations have the opportunity to make a significant difference in animal lives. We can advocate for stronger legislation and regulations in support of animal welfare, as well as providing shelter and care for animals that need extra help and medical assistance. Organizations can create animal education initiatives, work to help end animal cruelty, and support spay/neuter initiatives to help control animal overpopulation. With many different options available, animal welfare organizations have powerful and positive possibilities to make the world a better, brighter place for all animals.
In addition to this, organizations can help the abandoned animals to get adopted through their events, raise public awareness about the ethical treatment of animals, offer volunteer and intern opportunities for those interested in making a meaningful contribution, and work with local governments and other organizations to create and implement policies that benefit animals.
Developing technology and advancing research are important in advocating for animals and helping them live their best lives. Through our programs, we can improve the health and well-being of animals and make a difference in their local community. We can also increase our reach to help animals in more places and can promote more humane and sustainable practices to help reduce animal suffering worldwide. Finally, organizations have the potential to fundraise and collaborate with other like-minded organizations to create a greater impact for animal welfare.
Advice to others
Our company has been operating for more than eight consecutive years, and the guidance we offer is straightforward yet helpful in achieving the objectives of anyone willing to initiate or support an existing organization to reach its objectives.
The mission and vision needs to be clear so developing a clear mission statement that outlines the goals of the organization, such as supporting animal rights or increasing animal welfare must be included. Make sure everyone in the organization knows your purpose and is working towards common goals.
● Ensure transparency in operations and communication towards public
● Increase public engagement by supporting campaigns and reaching out to the community through activities such as volunteering and fundraising.
● Research and develop plans for long-term sustainability, like budgeting and fundraising.
● Utilize technology and social media to promote awareness and to create meaningful connections with supporters.
● Organize workshops/events to educate and inform the general public. Establish a professional working team who can distribute tasks accurately and efficiently.
● Document data on animal rescue, successful recoveries and adoption, use it to inform future strategies.
● Establish relationships with local lawmakers, businesses, and other organizations to build awareness and advocate for stronger animal welfare measures. Coordinate with the local government and other civil society organizations to get support.
● Develop partnerships with animal rescue organizations and shelters to promote welfare and education. Collaborate with other professionals in the animal welfare field for support and advice.
● Provide training, education, and assistance to volunteers: Train and empower volunteers to ensure their adequate engagement and maximize their impact. Reach out to potential volunteers and supporters to spread the word and get more help
● Invest in marketing and communication – spread the word about the organization and its mission using different channels. Utilize social media – create and run online campaigns to raise awareness and engage the public.
● Develop and implement an effective fundraising plan: This is necessary to sustain your organization and its programs
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