PROJECTS
OUTREACH PROJECTS | PET EDUCATION | SATURDAY FUN DAYS | GARDENING PROJECT |
SCHOOL EDUCATION | SMART ADOPTION PROGRAMME | COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE | ANNUAL XTMAS PARTY
OUTREACH CLINICS
Outreach ClinicsCLAW provides primary health care to cats and dogs in 33 areas. Dogs and cats are vaccinated, dewormed and treated for external parasites with dips or sprays. Certain sicknesses can also be treated in the field like bilary and mange. If animals are seriously ill though and need further veterinary attention or specialized treatment, they are brought to the clinic. Also, animals that need to be sterilized come back with the vehicles in the afternoons.CLAW staff also attend to emergency calls daily. These range from sick animals to neglect cases. In the event of severe cruelty cases (such as dog fighting), CLAW has the cooperation of the Metro police, the SAPS, and the NSPCA.
Wishlist for outreach clinics:Veterinary drugs like dewormer, anti-biotics and vaccinations.Veterinary supplies like dog dip.
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PET EDUCATION
CLAW is able to reach far into communities with our outreach clinics and house to house visits. Often, there are cases of neglect and abuse that we are able to assist with. Education is the most important tool to ensure animals are being kept in a responsible way. Often animals are chained or tied with wire and we are able to help with installation of running wires. People who can’t afford fencing and gates, and who have dogs will often tie the dog to prevent it from running around. The reasons aren’t malicious, but practical for the owners. A running wire allows dogs to move more freely in the property and have access to their kennels or shade as well as protecting the entrance.Sometimes animals are poisoned in the informal settlements. Again, this is not usually due to malicious individuals. The rat problem in townships is huge and unfortunately, the cheapest method to control rats is a substance called Aldicarb. This can be purchased from most street vendors at about R5.00. Unfortunately, the Aldicarb is a controlled pesticide used in agriculture against cut worms. It is lethal and often an underfed dog will scavenge on a rubbish site and ingest a poisoned rat or the poison itself. It only takes one or two little black granules to seriously affect dogs. CLAW is involved in a forum that is looking for different alternatives to the Aldicarb problem in Soweto.Because of extreme poverty, we often come across animals that are severely emaciated. We will always attempt to educate about feeding before confiscating but unfortunately sometimes cases are so severe that we are forced to ask the SPCA to assist in the confiscation of animals.Over the festive season, fire crackers are a problem. We often see animals that have been traumatized by the noise, either directly burnt by crackers or injured due to trying to flee. Again, education is the most important approach when dealing with owners of pets that have been hurt due to crackers.
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SATURDAY FUN DAYS
IIn early 2007, Nazira Cachalia introduced us to Khulisa, an organization that offers a diversion program for young offenders. It was suggested that the children spend one or two days of their program at CLAW. We saw this as a wonderful opportunity to introduce animals into their lives. On completion of the program, many of the children continue to come to us on Saturdays. With the dedicated help of volunteers Gayle Ramsey, Corris Steed, Sue White, Dennis Farrel, Barbara Hammerschlag and her dog Rupert, Saturdays became "the Saturday Fun Day".In June 2007, we were alerted to another group of youngsters who were found to be kicking a dog to death in Emndeni, Soweto. The dog had strayed into a yard and the kids were ‘getting rid’ of it as an elder told them. We decided to include them in the fun day and brought them to the clinic to introduce them to our activities. They learned basic dog training, T-Touch (a form of massage), first aid and even cooking!We saw a marked change in their behaviour towards animals from the first session. The dog that they had attacked was healing and we brought him in and did a circle workshop with the kids. The training was focused on why humans and animals are similar. At the end of the circle, they each apologized to the dog and made a promise never to behave that way towards any living animal or person ever again. The dog was rehomed and is now living a life of luxury.This year, we have decided to continue with the fun days but every second Saturday. We will continue the fun activities, pet care education and other workshops.
Wishlist for fun day: Craft day – crafts needed like: candles, beads, paint, coloured card, glitter, glue as well as volunteers to teach crafting skillsLunches, drinks and snacks for 30 kids each Saturday Supervised outings to places of interest. This includes museums, swimming pools, theatres, nature reserves and obviously bus fareVolunteers with specialized skills that can be taught to the kidsT-shirts/caps for the kids with a Fun Day/CLAW kids logo
Get Involved:This initiative is for companies or businesses to become personally involved with the upliftment of our youth. Your company team can plan various fun activities and talks for the kids and provide lunch, cold drinks and snacks for the day. The day will go from about 9am to 2pm. This will allow the kids to be exposed to different forms of education from different fields, and provide the opportunity for team building exercises within your company.
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GARDENING PROJECT
CLAW has been involved with the planning, training and creation of community gardens and tyre gardens in Soweto for 4 years. We have two qualified permaculturists at CLAW – David Khoza and Danile Sifaya. They are responsible for liaising with various community leaders, school heads and individuals who seek to start gardening projects. After site visits and planning, they are able to combine with communities to lay out gardens. Our gardening projects play a huge role in the creation of work as well as providing essential foods for HIV/AIDS sufferers and poor communities.We have the following operational and profitable gardening projects in Soweto:Cheese Factory (Community garden)Slovoville (Gardening group)Matholiesville (Community garden)BraamFischerville (Community garden)Meadowlands (School garden)Kliptown (Community garden)Lawley (School garden)
CLAW has received donations of seeds, compost and gardening tools in the past but these are all currently in need of replacing.
Wishlist for Gardening Projects: Seeds, Watering cans: 14, Wheel barrows: 6, Spades: 8, Forks: 4, Rakes: 4, Hand forks: 13, Large water tanks: 4
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SCHOOL EDUCATION
CLAW’s Education Officer, Mpendulo Mkhonza, visits schools and crèches to do humane animal care education. The children are taught the basic skills needed to feed and care for their pets. They are also shown informational videos and take part in fun activities related to animal care.
Wishlist for School Education Outreach Programme:
Workbooks, Stationery (including pens, pencils, crayons, koki-pens, erasers, rulers, scissors), Children’s story books about animals and Posters
CLAW believes that children hold the key to future animal welfare and if they are made aware at a young age, they are more able to make informed decisions about their pets in the future.
SMART ADOPTION PROGRAMME
The SMART Adoption programme endeavours to empower our CLAW adopters and arm them with the knowledge, resources, skills and support so that they become SOLUTION-FOCUSSED rather than problem-focussed. That “Happily ever-after” is not the absence of problems, it’s the ability to deal with them, if and when they arise! It is often those challenges that foster learning, growth, and also that strong loyal, trusting bond and mutual understanding and respect! So often the most challenging relationships are the ones that ultimately become the most joyful and rewarding! Obstacles are part of the agility course of life - they are not insurmountable, but rather these are the challenges which keep us learning, keep us growing and keep us flexible…
This programme will help CLAW get (and retain) SMART adopters and adoption advocates and help our CLAWbies (adoptees) to get adopted and stay adopted, and become SMART canine CLAWbie ambassadors! SEE MORE...
We also endeavour to promote Puppy training and socialisation (which sets puppies up to become excellent companion animals, because they have learnt the necessary lifeskills during a critical formative period in their development) SEE MORE...
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COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE
CLAW provides a service to communities in the form of food and clothing distribution. We are also often able to assist families who need transport to hospitals and hospices. AIDS and HIV are a reality of our daily work and we believe that if individuals have no food or clothing, then they are unlikely to be able to look after their pets properly as well.Various individuals and organizations have committed to delivering monthly basic food parcels to us which we are able to distribute to the most needy families and individuals. These individuals are often brought to our attention when their animals are in need of care.Sizani Projects makes up food parcels which consist of staple foods, such as beans, soya, maize meal, milk powder, oil, and peanut butter. Many of these parcels are delivered to orphans and the sick, especially those with TB and those on ARVs. Honeydew Merlin Rotary provides us with a monthly donation of Sejo, a nutritional supplement which provides extra nutrition for the malnourished.CLAW is regularly called upon to help animals during forced removals of communnities. We provide temporary housing to animals until owners are resettled elsewhere.
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ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARTY
Every year CLAW hosts a Christmas party for more than 300 children from Soweto. It takes a few months to plan, from busses, food, entertainment, Father Christmas’ 4x4 trip and presents for everyone. The celebration has grown so big we no longer have it at the CLAW clinic on the West Rand but now secure the Cecil Payne Stadium just outside Maraisburg. Kids walk many kilometers to attend and others are fetched from all over Soweto, Lawley, Slovoville, BraamFischerville, Kliptown and more. Some caregivers accompany the smaller ones, but we have volunteers that give up their day to make it a brilliant Christmas Tree for the kids. Every year, companies and individuals donate gifts, sweets, cold drinks and time to the Christmas Tree event. Annually all sorts of fun activities were planned. Faceb painting, dancing, singing and yummy children's favourite party food all help to make a special day... which always has a visit from Santa and some of the Chirstmas elves.If you are interested in helping over the festive season, please contact us and we can let you know what is needed for the coming CLAW Christmas party.
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