Charities and Vegan Organizations We Support

The following charities, rescues and vegan organizations are supported by veganricha.com and our family. 

Help Animals India

Help Animals India is an all-volunteer USA non-profit 501(c)(3) charity dedicated to supporting efficient and effective animal protection organizations in India.

Map of the groups helped by HAI. 

Eileen, the founder of HAI is vegan and a wonderful person. I am honored to know her and occasionally meet her in Seattle. She has been working tirelessly for the animals in India. 

Indian animal and wildlife problems are a bit different and need to be handled with specific solutions. There are many stray dogs in India and very few adopters. The solution that works is community dogs. Communities are educated about the positives of having dogs in the neighborhood (security, rodent population check etc), and they are encouraged to support the spay neuter. The dogs are caught using nets that reduce risk of injury to both the animals and humans, they are vaccinated, spayed and neutered and the community supports them with clean food and vaccinations. The dogs live on the streets but because of spaying and neutering and being fed, they are less likely to be hostile or bite. This is just one of the solutions supported by HAI along with several others that focus towards community, sustainability and long term compassion between the all the living residents. 

You can make a tax deductible donation to HAI here

Four Paws International

FPI have worked on the goal to help animals who have been abused for entertainment, economic, scientific or other reasons.

From the website ” The goals of animal protection, human safety and nature conservation are inseparably linked. FPI therefore feel a solidarity with all those who use peaceful and legal means to achieve a respectful coexistence with one another and with the environment. 

The foremost concern of the national and international aid projects is to provide rapid and direct help for animals in distress. If the need arises, we provide an appropriate habitat for the animals. In order to prevent animal suffering from the onset, we are also devoted to achieving long-term improvements at the legislative level.

 

The aim of our advocacy work is to achieve long-term, legally binding improvements for factory farm animals, laboratory and companion animals and wildlife. One of our focuses is on factory farm animal welfare improvements; the concrete solutions we offer here clearly demonstrate the economic benefits and appropriateness of our approach. We have also committed ourselves to ending animal experiments and replacing them with modern, more effective and scientifically recognized test methods. Finally, we also seek to prohibit fur farming and to ban the ownership of wild animals by private individuals.”

I came upon FPI’s work through Instagram posts about their rescue of Bears from Bear Bile Farms and their rescue of the 2 remaining wild animals (the rest of the zoo animals died of starvation), from the Mosul Zoo that is war torn.

Tax Deductible Donations can be made here

Old Dog Haven 

Old Dog Haven is a small nonprofit group using a large network of foster homes to provide a loving safe home for abandoned senior dogs in western Washington. When we have room and the means, we take these dogs into our homes. We adopt out those dogs with a reasonable life-expectancy. We care for the rest as members of the family in permanent foster homes (what we call “Final Refuge”) for as long as they have good quality of life. In addition, we try to assist owners in finding new homes for their senior dogs through our website and referrals.

Find out how to donate here.

Animal Kind International

Animal-Kind International raises money for Animal Rescue and Protection Organizations in Ghana, Liberia, Namibia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Armenia, Honduras, Jamaica, and Barbados. These organizations rescue, rehabilitate, and adopt out animals. They hold community veterinary clinics for dogs, cats, and donkeys. And they teach Humane Ed in schools–with the goal of improving the treatment and welfare of animals in their respective countries.

Read more about their Projects here.

VSPCA

VSPCA is a fantastic organization supported by HAI. They do everything possible that you could imagine for the animals in the region. 

Make a tax deductible donation to VSPCA through HAI (mention VSPCA)  here.

Animal Aid Unlimited India 

Erica, Claire and Jim are another inspiring vegan family who moved to India years ago to set up Animal Aid. I have been amazingly lucky to have met Erika and Claire. Animal Aid Unlimited is also 501 c 3 , you can make tax deductible donations here.

Founded in 2002, their mission is to rescue and treat the un-owned street animals of Udaipur who have become ill or injured, and through their rescue inspire a community to protect the lives of all animals.

Wildlife SOS

Once in a while an organization comes along that takes up difficult problems and solves them. 

For over 400 years, the Sloth Bear had been a target for human exploitation. A nomadic tribe known as the Kalandars began ‘dancing’ sloth bears (above 🙁 )for the emperors during the Mughal era.

Mother bears were killed so that poachers could take and sell their cubs in perpetuation of this brutal practice. Through underground trading the cubs as many as 200 annually would end up in the hands of the Kalandars. Wildlife SOS has been able to rescue and rehabilitate over 620 dancing bears. They are now living peacefully in four large natural sanctuaries across India, enjoying a life where they’ll never again have to endure such cruelty and pain. This has also been possible because of the solution to teach the kalandars other occupations or education so they have other means of making a living.

The primary reason for the founding of Wildlife SOS has been to rescue and rehabilitate wildlife in distress in both urban and rural environments. Although Wildlife SOS is mainly known for our work of rescuing and rehabilitating ‘dancing bears’ or Sloth Bears, they also have active projects to help Leopards and Black Bears which are a caught or involved in human-wildlife conflict situations in several states. Captive Elephant welfare and rescuing performing elephants is something Wildlife SOS has been associated with for many years and this year the plan has been gaining more momentum. 

Donate according to country on the Wildlife SOS site here.

Food Empowerment Project

Food Empowerment Project seeks to create a more just and sustainable world through food choices. They focus on finding choices that reflect a more compassionate society by spotlighting child labor, abuse of animals on farms, depletion of natural resources, unfair working conditions for produce workers, the unavailability of healthy foods in communities of color and low-income areas, environmental impact and more.

From chocolate that comes from the worst forms of child labor, to Bananas an unsustainable monoculture crop, (banana industry being embroiled in countless labor and environmental (chemical pesticide usage) crises), to horrible effects of animal agriculture on animals, workers, environment and communities. FEP works on educating the consumer, getting answers and information from the options, suggesting options which consistently work on reducing these issues.

There is so much more to food production and with someone bringing this all together, It makes it easier for us the consumer to affect changes by requesting sustainable options or just by choosing to buy/use compassionate options over the other. You can find lists of suggested brands and options for some foods on the FEP website or their app.  

Pigs Peace Sanctuary WA

Pigs Peace Sanctuary is a place of tranquility and happiness located one hour north of Seattle. A non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to providing a safe home for unwanted, abused or neglected animals in need.  We have been to this sanctuary and met the pigs. it is a place of compassion and happiness. 

Donate here 

Asha for Education

Asha for Education is a secular organization dedicated to change in India by focusing on basic education in the belief that education is a critical requisite for socio-economic change. The org is entirely volunteer run with a great record of projects and work. Read more about their projects, local Chapters here. 

*All photos on this post are copyright of the listed organizations.