I'm
sat outside a small coffee shop in Sao Vicente, across the table from
me sits a woman who is filled with the perfect combination of love,
determination, sadness and hope. She has been telling me her story
for an hour now, and I'm literally engrossed by it. Straight away
tell her I want to help, in any way I can, Why? because when I look
at Silvia there's nothing but sincerity, she believes in a better
life for the thousands of street dogs and cats on this island and
this hope that follows her is contagious.
Sylvia
is the president for the Cape Verde NGO SI MA BO. SI MA BO in creole
means ''just like you'', they are a non profit shelter and clinic for
the cats and dogs on the island of Sao Vicente. The organisation
offers everything from an affordable vet clinic to the local people,
an incredible spay and neuter program, an adoption/rehoming program
and shelter to street dogs and cats who have been injured, hurt and
are not fit to return to the streets.
You
know those moments when you feel like your trapped in a corner, where
there are literally no options that are easy or avaliable, if not try
and picture it. I've only known Silvia for 2 months, I've stood and
listened and watched her face in many of these moments, and everytime
she stands unbroken to the problems this african island throws at her
to do her job. I would have broke many times in these situations. One
evening I went to Silvias to help her with a few things, when I
arrive she's nursing a cat that is very very sick, this was the first
moment I saw Silvia let down her defences. The compassion, warmth and
love she gave that cat in her arms as it passed away was nothing
short of beautiful yet heartbreaking, I could feel it so I know the
cat could too, that the cat was safe, and loved and it died in a
moment when it was not afraid. That moment of compassion was as real
as it comes.
As
I write this its the holidays, around this time there are thousands
of dogs an cats that will survive another day on the street, hunting
for scraps, walking the alleys at night where humans are in smaller
numbers, sleeping in pits riddled with fleas, lice and ticks,
anywhere that can bring quiet and safety for small periods of time.
Instead of buying people uneeded gifts; I ask that you consider
making a donation to SI MA BO, to these beautiful animals that need
you more than ever, these animals that want nothing more than a few
minutes of your time and love. Anyone who spends time around dogs
knows that they can tell you their life through their eyes, here most
are filled with sadness, the most unimaginable sadness. Everyday you
want them to know your different, you want them to know they can
trust you, but with many too much has happened to convince them
otherwise.
Last
week I saw a kitten lying on the side of the road, he had been
tortured and had its eyes pulled out, the week before a few week old
kitten shaking in the middle of the highway as no cars stopped to
move it, the week before that people were throwing dogs off piers
like frisbees, the same week a guy kicking a dog in the ribs as he
passed it, and only yesterday a puppy quivering and whining in pain
on the side of the road, there were a least 20 people in the area and
I don't know how many had passed before this; luckily I had somewhere
like SI MA BO to take him. We can't paint everybody with the same
brush, there are many residents of Sao Vicente who really look out
for these animals.
There
is a story that sums SI MA BO's approach, Sylvia was once showing us
around a potential future animal clinic, someone asked her ''have you
checked with the neighbours they won't mind the noise'', Sylvia's
reply was 'If I worried about what other people thought about these
animals they would have nothing'', SI MA BO is their only hope, and
as a grassroots organisation they are doing everything right and I
wouldn't have enough breath to thank them for everything they do for
these animals.
Sylvia
is never interested in talking about herself, after a few words she
reverts back to the dogs and cats, but I chose to write about her
because she represents the change thats possible on this island.
Without SI MA BO the suffering, the pain, the relationship between
human and street animals would be much worse, slowly she is changing
hearts and minds, slowly she is changing peoples attitudes towards
dogs and cats, slowly she is breaking down the wall between the human
and animal, slowly she is making steps towards humans and dogs living
on this island together; without the abuse, the pain and the fear.
Once again it takes the efforts of a few incredible people to achieve
this, the governments answer on Sao Vicente is to round these animals
up and kill them, which isn't unusual around the world, but it's not
ok, it will never be ok, SI MA BO are the other side of the coin,
right now when its tossed it lands on both sides, with your help we
can make sure it lands on SI MA BO everytime.
SI
MA BO is defeating statistics..... You can be apart of that!!!!!The
new year is crucial for SI MA BO, with EU funding coming to an end,
they need all the help they can get, we could write about these
stories of sadness all day but these are yesterdays stories, we need
to move forward. I ask you deep down, please give what you can, every
dog and cat on the island would thankyou!
HOPE
DIES LAST
Ryan