22 December 2010

january project preview | animal aware | near sumpango sacatepéquez, guatemala


What: AWARE (Animal Welfare Association - Rescue/Education) is a non-profit, non-governmental charitable organization, founded in Guatemala in 1998 by Xenii Nielsen (USA), Gina Illescas (Guatemala), and Pamela Hirst- Prins (England). The principal activity of AWARE is rescue and rehabilitation of domestic animals. AWARE has a permanent on-site spay/neuter clinic, and plans to build an education center to provide free environmental education to local children, eventually including basic literacy and numeracy, and perhaps English language teaching. At the moment AWARE’s educational provision includes visits in schools and colleges - and even, on occasion, private homes - in and around Antigua and Guatemala City. AWARE is financed solely through membership subscriptions and private donations - either financial or in-kind.

AWARE operates a No-Kill animal shelter. This means that they do not euthanize any animal brought to them, as long as they feel that the animal is still able to live a reasonably normal and enjoyable life. All animals that are not adopted are kept and provided for. They sometimes participate in AWARE’s school visits, and all of them give Hound Heights its special character.



Where:  Hound Heights is located just off the Pan-American Highway - at Km 40, between San Lucas and Chimaltenango - close to the village of Sumpango Sacatepéquez - very handy for the spectacular kite flying on All Souls Day (1st November). This is Guatemala’s Central Highlands, and the farm is about 2300 meters (7500 feet) above sea-level. Although AWARE is only 14° north of the Equator, it gets cold enough for a touch of pre-dawn frost during the winter at this altitude.

The Shelter sits astride a ridge, nestling amongst woods and the tiny fields of maize and beans of the local Kakchiquel Indians. It’s a very peaceful spot, and listening to the whippoorwill at night it’s hard to imagine that these apparently gentle hills and valleys owe their steep inclines and jumbled configuration to terrible seismic convulsions resulting from Guatemala’s situation on the junction of no less than three tectonic plates.


Volunteer work: With over 200 dogs and nearly 100 cats, AWARE always need help with anything from building dog-runs or putting up fences to bathing, brushing, or walking dogs, providing some human company for both the dogs and the cats, or helping out with their educational programs. From time to time, AWARE needs help with their spay/neuter and rabies vaccination clinics, garage sales, and other fund-raising events.


Possible duties include:

• Dogs: bathing, brushing, obedience training, medicating, cleaning cages, walking, and socializing.

• Cats: brushing, medicating, cleaning the cages, and socializing.

• Educational programs in local schools.

• Helping with spay/neuter and rabies vaccination clinics in local villages.

• Thinking up and organizing fund-raising events.

• Photography.

• Sunday: Hound Heights is open to the public from 10 am to 3 pm. Volunteers can help show people around, assist parking, discourage littering, show animals to potential adopters, etc.

Significance:  I adopted Gus, my four-legged sidekick in the throes of a messy break-up. Some women buy shoes or binge on Ben & Jerry’s – I rescued a three-month old puppy on SPCA doggy death row. Adopting an untrained, abused puppy presented all sorts of challenges I wasn’t prepared for, but this beast dressed in brown fur taught me to let go and believe in my ability to love without all the bullshit riders and clauses and exceptions I’ve managed to build like a fortress around my heart for decades. Animal rescue and spay and neuter programs are causes I strongly believe in and I look forward to working with animals in a country where animals are generally not treated well or considered a status symbol (versus a well cared for pet). If I can help connect one animal with an owner who will give 'em a lifetime of love like I've given Gus, I'll be happy.

As an added bonus, I get to volunteer with my food and travel writer friend, Lisa Rogak of Where In the World is Peckerhead? fame.  This gal has been incredibly kind to me on so many levels and such a source of creative and travel inspiration, that I am pretty damn happy that I finally get to meet her live and in the flesh in Latin America. Volunteering pretty much kicks butt, but getting to share the experience with people you respect and admire takes it to a whole other level of awesome (as I learned this month at Food Lifeline). So, thank you Lisa for putting AWARE on my radar!

8 comments:

Carolyn said...

So happy! :)

I'm glad you're so close to Antigua, it's probably my favorite place in Guatemala. Second to the Semuc Champey waterfalls, but that's probably a little far away.

Charyn Pfeuffer said...

Carolyn, You m'dear are responsible for putting Guatemala on my "must visit" radar that very first day we met for coffee at Fuel. So, thank you. I'm so looking forward to exploring a country you hold so dear to your heart. If you have any pointers you want to share, I'm all ears since I'm a Guate newbie.
Squee! Charyn

jrazar said...

We give our dogs a good home, they give us a great life.

Carolyn said...

I'll be sure to let you know! Cafe No Se in Antigua is fun, was on the same street as my Spanish school. And Guate coffee is so good, my favorite is La Azotea.

Get ready to get your tamale on, they've got some good 'uns too.

LVRC for Volunteer Work Sydney said...

Wow! What a positive way to volunteer!

Thanks for sharing Carolyn!

Donna
Volunteer Work Sydney

Charyn Pfeuffer said...

Thanks for your comment, Donna! Thanks for stopping by! Gonna check out your org/website right now...

Jeremy B said...

What a great project! Anyone who is an animal lover would love this one and it actually looks like fun! I don't think I would mind the work in this one especially when you get to interact with all of the cute animals.

Charyn Pfeuffer said...

Thanks for your comment, Jeremy. Having seen how so many animals are treated in Central/South America, I'm really excited to be part of an organization/project geared toward adoptions and spay/neuter solutions. It's going to be hard to come home without a four-legged friend. I think my rescue beast would be a little bit jealous ; )