I’m sitting here working on my bucket list, both for 2013, and for my whole life. For this year I wrote down “Donate to a charity once a month”. I was thinking through which cause I want to start with, and I didn’t have to think for long.
I never would have considered myself a “horse-person”, but I have become completely obsessed with just that the past months, to the point where my husband is genuinely worried I’m planning to bring home a horse any day soon. I am dedicating this post to the cause of my obsession; a cause I feel really deserves some recognition and positive exposure. If you’re looking for a cause to support, I would highly recommend Prince Fluffy Kareem. It is a small group of people (literally only 2 or 3 people) working in Cairo, Egypt, to save neglected/starving horses that work in the pyramid area.
(All pictures and info in this post belong to PFK)
From their page:
“Due to the Egyptian uprising last year, tourism dropped drastically and of course this has affected the economy. However, this is not the main cause for the condition of the area’s horses. [...] Reasons for the cases we see range from not caring, to poverty, to lack of education, to apathy, to upbringing, to culture, or a mix of all of them. Whatever the reasons, we try to help where we can.”
Not only do they rescue (buy/foster) horses, but they also run a free clinic out of their stable for people to come by with their horses for treatment.
I am stunned at what they are able to do with what little is available to them.
The founder and one of her first rescues, Prince Fluffy Kareem, before and after.
Na3na3 before (May 2011) and after (November 2012)
Susu before (June 2011) and after (June 2012)
(For more amazing before and afters see here)
They update their facebook-followers with pictures from their stable and their rescues and fosters, as well as their clinics. Sometimes they will post pictures of daily life there. It’s definitely a great way to get a reality check and an insider’s view of what’s going on in Egypt.
Egyptian girl and her donkey, looking for useful (and edible) items in the garbage.
The money they receive goes to stable rent, feed, medicines etc, but they also raise money to sponsor travel into Egypt for professional vets, farriers etc to help them treat the horses in the area, as well as to help educate themselves and the local horse owners.
Their pictures and posts can be overwhelming, so to get a sense of what they do, I recommend starting here in their album “PFK – from the humble beginning“, and their album “Frequently asked questions“.
And finally, for how to help, see here.
This is definitely where my coffee-money will be going to this year.
Love,
Wonderful story, Thea, and a great cause to contribute to. The before and after photos of the rescued horses really tell the story…not only do the horses look physically well after proper care, they look happy! I will share this with my 8-yr old granddaughter who is an avid lover of horses. Thank you for this post! And thanks for the follow!
Thank you for the lovely comment, Bev! I am glad you liked this post and so glad to hear you are sharing this with your granddaughter. I find people tend to shy away from this sort of thing, because of the harshness of the reality for these horses and the graphic images. So I find it important to focus on the positives, that PFK is doing so much great work for these horses and educating those around them, and the before and afters are great to show that. Thanks again!
I’ve always loved horses, I guess it’s a family thing that goes back generations. I’m really touched by this article and your desire to have your own horse. What a great cause, with such astounding results. The before and afters are increadible! Thank you Thea for taking the time to visit my blog and for following, it is deeply appreciated. Wishing you a great weekend!
Ishaiya