Hantam Pet Paws Township / Rural animal care

Hantam Pet Paws is a small, animal outreach run by Mariechen Du Toit, situated in the rural Northern Cape of South Africa. With no SPCA or established animal welfare organisations in the area, Mariechen has taken it upon herself to help the animals in some of the most impoverished areas herself. Relying soley on friends and family for donations of dog and cat food and assistance with vet bills, Mariechen works tirelessly going into the rural areas to feed and rescue animals. With no physical shelter, these animals normally find themselves at her house while she networks to find fosters. Currently Mariechen provides shelter at her home for 23 dogs and never turns a dog away. Often faced with heartbreaking scenes of neglect, starvation and often just blatant cruelty, Mariechen continues every day to provide some hope for these owners. Her help and advice is not always accepted and the owners of these neglected dogs can often be verbally and physically abusive, yet she carries on going into these often unwelcome situations to make sure these dogs and cats have a meal and receive medical attention where needed

Food and vet bills are huge and any contribution, no matter how small is urgently needed for this selfless work to continue