Click here to read the September 2024 Newsletter!
Click here to read the September 2024 Newsletter!
As I write, towards the end of August, I can only put out a massive thank you to all of our volunteers. Despite huge staff shortages due to holidays, both shops stayed open 6 days a week.
Not only that, but we have completely changed how we offer financial help for vet procedures - welcomed enormously by the vets, sanctuaries and pet owners. As well as those amazing souls who look after the 500 or so street cats.
But we´re not stopping there. Now that we have embraced online processes for vet care, we are looking at how we can improve our collections and deliveries to make it easier for our customers but for our van staff as well.
Watch this space!
Sandra Thompson, our new Animal Help Coordinator, hit the ground running. She started officially with us on 1st August and on that very same day she launched our new online application system for financial help with emergency vet bills for pet owners, for sterilisation and street dog and cat care.
No longer do customers have to come into the shop on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday - the new online system is available 24 hours and can easily be found on our website under ´services we provide´ or by clicking on the QR code. For those unable to access the form online, we have a tablet available in the furniture shop and a friendly volunteer to help, if needed, to complete the simple form.
Forty eight hours after the form has been submitted the applicant receives a response advising if the request has been allowed and an email is sent to the chosen vet with authorisation for some, or all, of the necessary treatment. Please note, however, Nandi will not pay for any costs associated with the following: microchips, dental costs, vaccinations, and ongoing terminal conditions.
In the first two weeks alone we helped 33 owned animals with treatment and sterilisations. Working with our partners we have also helped 32 street animals, sterilising 26 dogs and cats.
Feedback has been extremely positive from vets who find the system clearer and easier to use as well as the public who say it's more accessible as they can apply on any day and don't have to travel from more rural areas. Our partner sanctuaries are happy too ´it´s so easy!´ says Ruth, President of Cadela Carlota.
One owner said "Dear Sandra and to all of your lovely helpers, I’m very grateful for your support. It helps me a lot getting my female dog sterilized.I'm a single mom living in a caravan with my child and dog and I’m really low on money! Thank you a lot, Muito Obrigada!"
Bev, our new Vice President is back in her home in Lagos after an extended trip to the UK to care for a family member. She´s only been back a few days but already the Furniture/Homeware Shop looks as if it has had a facelift.
Her role is to oversee our income producing operations - the two shops, in particular, although the majority of her time is currently spent on the furniture shop. Bev can be seen most days scurrying around, pricing, tidying and generally sorting everything out as well as overseeing the collections and deliveries. It´s difficult to catch her sitting down but that´s not surprising as she fulfilled a very busy role as a nurse working in operating theatres in the UK.
She is hoping to go digital and streamline the collections and deliveries for our customers and our van teams.
Watch this space!
We have all seen the sorry state of many of the horses that pull carts and people around our streets. Some of us have witnessed first-hand the cruelty that these animals endure on a daily basis. And all of us have wished we could do something to end their suffering. In 2017, three horse-loving friends, Femke Irik, Hope Wallace and Olaf Linke did just that.
Determined to help these badly treated animals, they began by buying horses that were urgently in need of care from their neglectful owners and nursing them back to health.
A year later they founded Algarve Horse Alarm, a non-profit organisation based in the Algarve. Since then, they have rescued 150 horses and rehomed many of them. Of the 17 currently cared for by AHA, eight are with Femke. The others are with volunteers spread out in different locations. One of the latest rescues is a young female with hip problems, she was dehydrated and malnourished, and destined for the slaughterhouse and meat production. When the owner offered to sell her to Femke, she did not hesitate.
With a lot of love and attention, including physiotherapy treatments from Femke, she is now in good spirits and almost fully recovered.
Most of the money raised and donated to AHA is used for hay. Nandi has been making monthly contributions to help pay for the hay, as well as ad hoc cash donations. “Without the Nandi monthly donation we just couldn’t cope” said Femke. “ We are very grateful for all your support.” In addition to raising funds for hay, good food, vitamins and treatments, the AHA tries to educate owners about what horses need and how they should be treated. Of late, Femke and her team have devoted even more time to visiting different sites where the horses are found. They have seen some positive results but it’s a constant struggle, particularly in the summer time. AHA also raises funds to replace the old carriage harnesses used by many owners and encourages them to use the new ones to avoid causing deep wounds in the horses’ necks.
There is still a lot to do and a long way to go but AHA’s motto is: “We might not be able to change the world but we can change the world for that horse…”. So can we. Donations can be made through the AHA website and you can also sponsor your own horse, helping it get well enough to be rehomed.
P.S. Another recent success story for Femke. She is now the proud mother of 4 month old Leanne (see below the pictures of mother and daughter with the horses).
We have to applaud Maria Fussel who contacted us a few weeks ago regarding the plights of several cats that she found living on a disused area of land in Vila Do Bispo.
Two of our management committee took a trip there to assess the situation. Maria had not exaggerated. Some 24 or so cats were found, mainly emaciated, using disused cars to shelter in and protect them from the attention of dogs who are not so well disposed towards the cats.
They were in very poor health and, of course, few were sterilised.
At our management meeting we agreed to allocate funds for food for these cats and also to help with sterilisation and vet treatments where necessary - just as we do for all of our street cats. (With recent additions we now feed 500 street cats across the Western Algarve).
Fortunately, Maria has now managed to get some co-operation from the Vila do Bispo Council for a feeding station and accommodation.
As if that is not enough, Maria and a friend, Cristel, have planned twice monthly hikes starting in September. Cost 5 euros each hike and the proceeds will go to Nandi.
Helen is going on the first one - does anyone want to join me and share lifts?
If so, write to me, Helen, at president@nandicharity.com
Mel Lister
Firstly, we have been incredibly lucky to find Mel, our new volunteer bookkeeper. She started as a volunteer in the furniture shop as well as the clothes shop and overheard me bemoaning the fact that spreadsheets seemed to be a law unto themselves. She told me about her previous work as an accountant and the rest is history!
Her whole family moved to Portugal in 2007 and she worked as bookkeeper and office manager at a detox retreat until the business was sold. She lives with her son near Aljezur with her four cats and eleven chickens - one of which is shown here and provides lovely yolky eggs for her Nandi colleagues.
Taylor Summers
Introducing our new Chair of the Fiscal Committee….Taylor Summers. Her responsibility includes auditing the Nandi financial transactions to ensure proper disbursement of funds and that budget constraints are adhered to.
She moved here from Hawaii in 2022, along with Skiddles, her 4 pound Yorkshire Terrier. She worked for Hawaii Health Systems Corporation facilitating Information Systems for 12 hospitals over 5 islands for 20 years, so her experience and certifications in management and auditing qualified her for this opportunity. She ensures our finances are spot on!
She also works in our Furniture Shop and Skiddles sometimes comes too. Being not too good on his paws he stays with Taylor in his buggy and raises huge smiles on the faces of our customers.
Eileen Waller
Eileen joined us this year, working in the Furniture Shop. She has recently been given the role of the ´lady with the lamp´ as she looks after our lighting area in the shop.
However, when we found out that she has been the finance director for various successful family businesses in the UK, we wasted no time in getting her to join Taylor on the Fiscal Committee. Thank you, Eileen!
Eileen is Helen´s neighbour and has a lovely Cockapoo called Ted. Ted manages to bark frantically at Helen´s cats across the balcony but they just look at him with disdain and carry on quietly relaxing.
Only a quarter of his size, they know who´s boss!
The answer is : the wedding dress at the Nandi Fashion Show!
Lily Whitford decided to donate her wedding dress to Nandi. She recently had her wedding here in the Algarve, having won the dress from a top wedding boutique featured in Vogue magazine.
We received this from her:
It was honestly a pleasure to donate my wedding dress. My parents have a home in Lagos, and my dad regularly donates to Nandi as well. I have 2 dogs myself and am a professed animal lover.
I was extremely fortunate that I won the dress by entering a competition, and with that in mind I wanted someone else to benefit from my good luck.
Pride of place will go to the donated dress at our Fashion Show at Peiking II restaurant on 29th September, 4-7pm.
What an amazing gift - thank you so much, Lily!
The gown came from Bustle and Bow featured in Vogue, twice.
Dresses range from £900 to £4000.
The shop is described as:
Chilled Vibes for Chilled Brides!
Winner of Best Bridal Store in Hertfordshire & featured in British Vogue.
Bustle & Bow showcases some of the best names in Bridal. Our gowns are for the exceptional bride, the bride that wants to stand out from the crowd, the contemporary and stylish bride, the bride that oozes spirit and sass.
Know anybody getting married this year or next??
Spread the word about this dress at the Nandi Fashion Show!
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