Do you think this project is worth their support? Please leave a comment if you do!
We've applied for a project grant from the Swedish Postcode Lottery. That doesn't mean we'll get it, but we're trying. Here are some of our answers from the application.
Describe your organisation's main area of activity and what a project support would mean for your organisation.
Our organisation's objective is to unify established Greek animal welfare NGOs, fostering a collective voice. By garnering followers and newsletter registrations, we aim to secure global corporate sponsorship, offering marketing perks in return.
Project support is critical for establishing an official certification program for hotels and restaurants in Greece that will create a systematic and scalable approach to donations, enabling the local hospitality industry to contribute significantly to animal welfare.
Our project pioneers an official animal ally certification program for Greek hotels and restaurants. Instating an official certification program based on sponsorship tiers, can provide animal welfare NGOs the financial support and structure that they are currently lacking. Hotels and restaurants will benefit from enhanced online presence, marketing perks, official certificates and more. In turn, there will be a much higher societal well-being for Greek locals, tourists and animals.
Furthermore, the implementation of a tap-to-donate system in project-involved hotels, fosters increased donations and provides clarity in charitable giving for tourists.
I have seen first hand what a wonderful job they do at Zante strays and feel they are not supported enough.
Stray animals in Greece evoke a range of emotions, from heartbreak for animal lovers, to annoyance for those uninterested in pets. This issue lacks comprehensive and scalable solutions due to the limited support and structure faced by NGOs.
Similar challenges exist globally. Our project represents an opportunity for genuine and long-term societal impact.
What concrete results is the project expected to result in?
Cultural Shift: A transformative cultural shift in the hospitality industry's approach to stray animal welfare, fostering a more compassionate and responsible goal.
Collaborative Ecosystem: Cultivate a collaborative ecosystem, bringing together NGOs, hotels, and tourists in a unified effort toward animal welfare.
Long-term impact: This strategy will continue to function year after year, providing NGOs with the necessary funds they need to improve the stray animal situation in Greece.
Geographical Expansion: Lay the groundwork for geographical expansion beyond Greece, extending the project's impact to countries facing similar challenges.
In summary, the project aims to foster a sustainable and compassionate model for stray animal welfare in Greece, with the hope to expand to other countries with the same model.
What social or environmental change will your project contribute to?
Societal impact
Compassionate Cultural Shift: By engaging the hospitality industry, we aim to foster a cultural shift towards compassion for stray animals.
Public Awareness: The project intends to raise public awareness, transforming individuals into advocates for animal welfare. Engaging tourists and locals alike, we strive to create a compassionate community.
Collaborative Ecosystem: Our initiative fosters collaboration between NGOs, the hospitality industry, Greek people and tourists, creating a unified ecosystem committed to addressing and solving the challenges of stray animal welfare. This collaborative effort is key to achieving lasting change.
Enhanced well-being for tourists and locals
Positive Tourism Experience: By involving tourists in our initiative through tap-to-donate systems and interactive programs, we enhance their experience, offering a positive way to engage with the local community.
Reduced Discomfort: Addressing the issue of stray animals not only improves the welfare of the animals but also reduces discomfort for both tourists and locals. A well-implemented plan ensures a cleaner and more enjoyable environment for everyone.
Community Pride: Creating a more humane and compassionate environment contributes to community pride.
The plight of animals in Greece is appalling. I feed a colony of cats and our 5 are all rescues. I hope joining your group will help.
Environmental Impact
Stray Animal Population Control: Through financial contributions from the hospitality sector, NGOs will aim to implement effective stray animal control measures. This includes comprehensive spaying and neutering programs, reducing the overall stray population.
Enhanced Living Conditions: By providing financial support and incentives for hotels and restaurants to actively contribute, we seek to improve the living conditions of stray animals. This includes proper care, shelter, and medical attention, contributing to their overall well-being.
Global Expansion: The success of our project in Greece sets the stage for global expansion by creating a scalable model for stray animal welfare.
About the Postcode Foundation
The Swedish Postcode Lottery believes that a strong civil society is essential for creating a better world. The Postcode Foundation’s goal is to carry out that mission through projects that challenge, inspire and promote change.
The Postcode Foundation was established in 2003 by Novamedia Sweden AB, which operates and owns the Swedish Postcode Lottery concept. As a beneficiary to the Swedish Postcode Lottery, the Postcode Foundation annually receives part of the lottery’s surplus.
This year, The Postcode Foundation was awarded 180 million Swedish crowns (SEK).
Julie
We need this project! Too many stray animals are just being ignored. This is something that everyone encounters in countries like Greece, Turkey, Cyprus. It affects everyone, both people and the animals. Something needs to change.
Tove Moen Gjøtterud
Jeg trives ikke hvis jeg på et feriested ser hjemløse dyr, som ikke har det bra. Da ønsker jeg ikke å dra tilbake dit.
For meg er det viktig at land gjør det de kan for å bedre dyrevelferd.
loraine
We love Greece and visit most years but the stray animal situation is so distressing and mars an otherwise beautiful country for me. This is a great idea.
Barbara Antoinette COBURN
It should be mandatory that All holiday resorts and Hotels all over Greece and wherever there are strays MUST MAKE IT COMPULSORY FOR GUESTS NOT TO FFED these poor stray cats and dogs, but hotel staff and management could ask for a donation from all guests in order to have these strays neutered and to provide some kind of home for them…… This has to end somehow seeing all these strays it breaks my heart. Where I am living there are numerous strays ( cats and dogs) and some are only babies, would one treat their own children the same way ?????? it makes me wonder… We are currently feeding 7 stray cats on our balcony and have made a temporary home for them here, we have also organized to have the only female cat in our little litter neutered at a cost that in reality we cannot afford as there are no vets close by that will do it for a reduction, so we are paying a fairly substantial amount to have her neutered….. Hopefully this will assist in a small way to limit the number of cats here on my island. We feed the other stray dogs and cats that we see on the rubbish bins and this is just SO SO SO SAD, IT BREKS MY HEART. Please do whatever it takes to put an end to all these stray animals. REMEMBER THAT THEY ALSO ARE LIVING CREATURES AND THAT THEY ALSO HAVE A HEART ONE OF THE ONLY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THEM AND US IS THAT WE HAVE A VOICE AND THEY DO NOT…….
MaryAnn Francis
These animals need the support this organisation is offering, and more
TCHOUKIE McCOY
The situation on Greek strays is going from bad to worse. I’ve been living in Greece for the past 30-odd years and it’s getting bad. Laws have been enacted but are never enforced. People, even educated ones, treat animals as possessions to be abused or dispensed with when they become old or worn out. People, even educated ones, confront neutering strays with horror or aversion. “We must not go against Nature,” they stress with aplomb. I’ve got news for them. We have already gone against Nature by providing urban environments where they can breed a larger number of offspring than they would if they roamed free. Foreign associations, organizations, and coalitions are struggling to keep up with the growing number of strays and their untimely deaths throughout Greece, facing all the while the contempt or ridicule by the majority of Greek people be it in cities or the countryside. Enough! I’d like to see the situation change before I die.
Izzie Thorsen
I feed and care for 30-40 stray cats in Kalamata, Greece. There is zero help from the government. So far I have neutered 21 cats from my own pocket, and I’d dearly love to help more, but I simply can’t afford to and it breaks my heart. With funding, we could neuter all of the strays and solve this problem forever, there are enough of us willing to put in the many hours required, and it’s so sad that we are restricted only by money. 5 of “my” strays were poisoned last week, and this will continue, nationwide, until we act… But for this we desperately need help.
Their lives are as important to them as ours are to us. We MUST help them
Apu Das
Yes we need a project.
Μαρία Νέμτση
We support your work. I am Greek citizen and I know how important is to solve this huge problem !!!! 🙏🙏🙏🙏
Ελισσάβετ Τζαμαλή
I belong to the minority of greek people, that tries to help strays by neutering and nursing them, by their own means, as the responsible authorities (the municipalities) either don’t have tnr and health care programs for strays either have programs that are so poorly organized that they are dangerous to them.
The volonteers in Greece spend money and time but there are few volunteers compared to the numbers of animals, and it is not enough.
Any help of any kind would be appreciated.
We are trying to make a better life for the strays and are confident that neutering and not eythanazation is the ethical method.
Tara Holt
The situation in Greek is appalling. So many tourists go there see the plight of the animals and some do what they can to help. However, what they don’t see after they have gone home is how many are poisoned and killed. Even when Hotels and locals have promised to look after them These poor animals need help and fast as each year it is the same and getting worse, sadly they are not shown compassion and respect. What people forget is it is due to humans neglecting them the problems arose. Please help rescues such as Anilmal Allies Socierty educate people and help the animals. Thank you
Brianna
This project is brilliant. I hope it get a lot of support
Φωτεινή Πουλοπούλου
We support your work.
Stray animals need our help
Bianca Ferariu
This project needs a lot of support and hopefully more and more people, institutions and foundations will get to know about it and lend a helping hand. The situation of stray animals is getting worse and worse as neutering isn’t a priority or people aren’t educated on this aspect. Animals deserve all the love and respect from humans and, unfortunately, this isn’t always the case.
Even tourists, besides the locals, could benefit from being more educated when it comes to animal rights. It is so important for the people who visit these places to know that the innocent animals will remain there not only during the summer, but also during the cold season.
Tourists are romanticizing the whole stray animal situation either from a lack of education or just because they can’t realize the difficulties and hardship that stray animals have to endure everyday in the streets. This is why raising awareness is an extremely important step in the development of this project. Also, by bringing locals to an understanding about animal warefare, this project could save so many animal lives and prevent more innocent souls from living in the streets.
This project has the potential to bring locals and tourists closer what would be a better life for numerous animals that don’t have a home and lack proper medical help. This project can and will be able to save lives and prevent more animals from living in the streets. We are evolving and this means we have the right to be compassionate with all beings. This project can be the beginning of a compassionate journey.
Antigone
Great idea!!! 👌 I hope/wish this will work 🙏 There are many areas in Greece that there is no governmental support and the volunteers feed and take care of so many strays by themselves, like me 👎 Plus the living situatuon in Greece is getting more and more dufficult due to the economical crisis. I spend more than 400 euros /month for taking care animals, with an income less than 1000 euros 👎👎 We need help 🙏❤️ Thank you 🙏
Rannia Makrigianni
I suffer everyday watching all those animals on the streets. We will support anything that could help this situation!
Lynda Giller
These animals are so in need of help. The situation has deteriorated, this is not acceptable.
Malin Kuoppala
We need this project!!
Radu
Good and useful initiative
Αλεξανδρα Κορακιανίτου
Street animals in Greece need our help, especially in the winter. They stay alone and hungry when the visitors of the islands are leaving . Nobody cares of their neutering or nursing. We need this project!
Linda Johnson
An organisation like this is long overdue! The way countries treat their animals makes a significant difference to the way others perceive them. It reflects on the whole of society if there is no compassion for animals, especially stray and neglected cats and dogs that suffer badly once the tourist season ends. I hope you achieve all your goals and gain all the support that you need.
Christina Apostolou
People like you make this world a better place 🐶🐾🐱🐾
Andrea
Homeless animals in Greece are in desperate need of help. Organizations here are all volunteer and members use their own money and homes. We need this grant!
Roseanne Dickson
we are always like so many looking for funds as corfu is unrecognised with the council here to suppy street cats/strays with any help — https://www.facebook.com/groups/860948907383562
Diana Hans
I have been living in greece 30 years,at the west peloponese and the situation has improved the last 10 years towards the better.We are just organizing an NGO,which will give the municipality the right to get funds.I support every kind of project,as for example yours.The greek citizens are starting to realize the problem.I see more and more greeks helping in whatever way they can.In Sthens the first cat snack bar opened,here we can take our dogs along in many places,something which was absolutely impossible in the past.We will never be able to conquer hunger in this world nor child abuse,but if everyone helps a bit,we can make this world a bit better.I always say ,it is better to light one candle than sitting in the dark.That is why i try and support you and other organisations.
Mihaela
I hope the grant will be allocated to you since this is a really important matter that the authorities normally ignore, hoping it will somehow be resolved by itself, but it doesn’t and it keeps getting worse and worse. For volunteers fighting this phenomenon it is stressful, time and money consuming and without proper help it will all be in vain.
Fingers crossed 🙂
Alison Yates
Amazing organisation and initiative to bring everyone together to help animals. This is so important to change animal welfare for the future.
Jeanette brookes
Such a worthwhile cause I hope you get all the help and support you deserve
Sally
This charity is going to great things but it needs support to do so. The conditions for animals in Greece are heartbreaking, I witnessed it first hand for a couple of months last summer. I fed animals throughout 9 Greek islands while we travelled and worked with local charities to try to help some of the animals who were sick. It was so awful to see and had such an impact on me. I still think about what happened to some of the cats who I couldn’t get help for. This charity will bring together all the different hardworking people and groups in Greece currently trying to help stray animals and will look to support them. By gathering buy in from local hotels and resorts, animal allies will be able to gain support for the strays who live around accommodation in tourist season but during the off season have no food or water. Animal allies deserves this grant and will do great things. I fully support them.
Cheryl Nolan
Brilliant project to help countless unloved and starving animals through bringing together various organisations and educating the general public. So much more can be achieved for these forgotten animals when organisations pull together and work in harmony. But needs support to do so. They need as much publicity and support that they can get.
Shona Harris
I sincerely applaud this work. Greece isn’t alone in neglecting this problem but quite frankly I can’t holiday in places where so many animals are ignored and mistreated😔. I have supported Takis Shelter for years but he can’t continue his work without help and the authorities and locals stepping up🤞
Annie Simon
Excellent project which needs all the support it can get
Kate Morton
Anything that helps animals I’m a million percent behind. This is wonderful! It affects me so much seeing stray animals wherever I travel & I feel so helpless.
This is wonderful
Kelly Hantzaridis
Greece needs to step up! As a resident here I see what it’s like during tourist season and also when everyone has left. I feed 3 colonies of stray cats daily plus have 2 rescues of my own. Point being the strays deserve better, they need to be neutered & vaccinated otherwise it’s pure Cat chaos not to mention how some people treat them ignore them like garbage. So sad😢
Åsa Marie Hamrin
I´m definately in support of this program as I myself have rescued several cats in my lifetime.
I rescued 2 cats while visiting Crete and they are now happily living in Sweden. Once i took care of 16 cats in a small apartment and paid for castration & food out of my own pocket. It was well worth it 🙂 This is a GREAT initiative and me too I applaud this work ! GOOD – LUCK you guys deserve the Grant ! Amen.
Thao
I’m an Erasmus student in Greece this semester. When I first arrived, I thought it was great that there are lots of stray cats around and the locals feed them. But after living here for a while, I realised it isn’t that great at all. I’ve heard noises from cat fights every night. Their painful screams broke my heart. During daytimes, I’ve seen injured cats or even dead ones, and the images burned into my brain. I hope this project and other projects like this can receive enough funding to neuter, feed and shelter these cats in a more systematic way. I wish the best for these poor souls.
Linda
Fantastic initiative and project! We humans needs to do better when it comes to animal care. I truly hope this project gets a ton of support ❤️🙏
MaryAnn Francis
These animals need the support this organisation is offering, and more
Alexandru Rotuna
I hope they will have a shelter soon
Inês
Wonderful initiative, truly has the potential to make this world a better place ❤️
Elena Roslyakova
The World needs People like you.
Vlad Craioveanu
Each domestic animal subjected to abandon, neglect, abuse or any other kind of suffering is a FAILURE and a SHAME for mankind. A minimum REASON can end this in matter of months. Our specie can project well being not sufferings in the surrounding world.
Pauline
I have been living in Greece for 27 years and the attitude and awareness of the Greek population has improved towards the problem of stray cats and dogs. Unless schools start educating children from a young age the problem will persist. The government could also do more, it is not enough just to pass laws, which are almost always ignored by everyone, including the police. This is a great initiative…bravo and thank you!
Julie Voisin
La Grèce tire beaucoup de revenus du tourisme. Or la misère des pauvres chats en souffrance terni grandement l’image de ce pays.
Il serait intéressant de voter une taxe sur les séjours touristiques par exemple, ou sur les hébergements, pour financer des programmes de soins et de stérilisations.
Dina Priess
I feed about 50 cats in the UAE came with 4 from Argentina, 2 years ago, where i also was involved in taking care ( neutering , feeding, medicating strays. There is a beautiful documentary about it ” the vacant lot” ) Now i have 9 rescues with me. It is heart breaking to see abandoned suffering on top often very sick animals roaming the streets or neighbourhoods. Last time I went to Greece i left with a horror image in mind of animal suffering. It has to stop and we are mostly responsible for this disaster and it is in our hands to help, no matter where, but let s start somewhere.
Tanja
Podici svest citave nacije ,od najmladjih do najstarijih ,da brinu,cuvaju,i udomljavaju napustene pse i macke🐈⬛🐈🐕🦺🦮🐩🐕,bicemo svi bolji ljudi♥️
Denise
This programme needs to happen. I used to visit Greece regularly but no longer do so because of the number of animals roaming the streets. Great initiative.
Laura
Great project