Help Suvarna & Arun build a home for injured, diseased & abandoned dogs

For foreign contributions please visit https://www.ketto.org/SupportPasare

Ketto is not charging any fee for this campaign

As the world comes to a grinding halt with the pandemic, there's no denying that fellow animals who share the same space with us in cities have been the hardest hit. Away from the city, there exists a beleaguered dog shelter, Make New Life, run by a couple - Suvarna & Arun Pasare.

The journey of Suvarna and Arun began in 2007 when Arun saw a security guard chasing a dog with a big stick and trying to hit the spot where the dog had a maggot wound. The pitiful conditions of the strays caught their attention. Since then the couple with their meager income started feeding, vaccinating and rescuing dogs. They would cook food at night and would head out to the streets much before we would wake up. Besides feeding they also started vaccinating and sterilizing strays, fostered dogs in their tiny apartment who were the victims of the everyday abuse.

All they wanted was to build a safe sanctuary for the dogs who were orphaned, or too old to be on the street, or are victims of cruelty.

They leased a small property to take their vision forward in Askarwadi, Pune. The shelter would accept all kinds of cases, even dogs who are terminally ill, paralyzed, suffering from mobility & neurological issues. Such cases were mostly given up by other animal welfare organizations and doctors. At 'Make New Life', the dogs get a second chance and end-of-life care. The Pasares proudly uphold their No-kill status at the shelter.

With ever-increasing dogs and dwindling donations the plans to build an in-house medical facility and gather vets and staff couldn't see the light. The NGO receives monthly funds of around 40-50,000 rupees only and is unable to save much after paying for food, medicines, vets, rent and other essentials. Their only help in everyday on-ground struggles is their son Mayur and few other close family members.

Though the couple received appreciations from a part of the community, a majority of them gave immense resistance. Things started going south when Askarwadi villagers got riddled with prejudices. They openly attacked and issued threats to the couple and started injuring their dogs who once roamed freely, as they fear spread of diseases from the dogs. Involvement of local police hasn't proved to be much of a deterrent.

And now in the wake of Corona scare and nationwide lockdown, the dog shelter NGO is facing unprecedented amount of hostility from the villagers. Suvarna & Arun who take care of 130+ dogs are being subjected to constant mental and verbal abuse by villagers as they want them to relocate the very next day. The attrition has quickly escalated to a different level that it now endangers the lives of the couple and the 130 dogs they take care of. Few of the incidents captured are shown in the campaign video.

The Pasares have been instructed to relocate post lockdown as the police can no longer keep up with their constant complains against the villagers.

In desperate times like these few philanthropists have come forward to support them in the purchase of land. The acquisition is in process. However, they still need a working capital to go ahead with the development and operational costs.

Below is how the funds will be utilized for:

1. Setting up a medical facility inside the premises to attend emergency, accident and in-house cases.
2. Appoint full time veterinarians and support staff and take care of their salaries for at least 2 years.
3. Purchase state-of-art ambulance for quick on-spot relief to the distressed animal.
4. Help in the cost of relocating the current shelter.

Indian donations are tax deductible under Section 80G.

Please come together and rescue the shelter in these challenging times. As Arun spoke in the video "If you make us strong then only we can provide better life to the voiceless". Every small contribution will enable them to extend their unconditional love to the strays even more.

In this lockdown phase most of us are anyways saving up by not going to parties, trips, movies or for social hangouts. If we can just chip in a part of that amount to a social cause, wouldn't that be so great for the world!

For foreign contributions please visit https://www.ketto.org/SupportPasare

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This campaign is led by Bidit Roy, an award-winning documentary filmmaker, under  Make Your Own Movement initiative. He has been closely filming the Pasares along with a fellow filmmaker Sayantan Acharya since last year.

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