In School
There is a lot that a determined child can do to make his/her friends understand what animal welfare is.
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Speeches: For class assignments, assembly speeches, class posters, projects and activities, you could choose a topic that has to do with animal love, animal welfare, animal rights or wildlife conservation.
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Clubs: Starting an animal lovers club within your school would be a great way for students to gather and discuss ideas. You could even organize activities based on the theme.
At Home
Working for a cause doesn't necessarily mean working on the streets. There is a lot that you can do from the comfort of your home.
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Fill those tummies: Birds like crows, pigeons and mynas, and small animals like squirrels frequently run across terraces, especially ones with plants in them. Leaving a bowl of water and a tray of seeds or nuts would keep the little ones quite content.
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Foster Care: If you have a bit of extra space, you could consider foster care. Many dogs are rescued off the street and cruel homes. Sometimes, they need medical attention before being sent back or adopted. Temporarily housing an animal in need would be of great help to the cause.
On the Street
Many animals adapt themselves to life on the street, but it is still a difficult life. To ease their
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Kindess in a Bowl: Leaving a bowl of clean water and another of food could mean the difference between life and death for a street animal, especially in summer. Leftover food would not go to waste. Even better, vegetable and fruits scrapings, day-old rice etc. can be mixed together and left in a bucket for cows, for whom it would be a welcome treat!
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Community Animal Feeding: For stray cats and dogs, the primary food source is garbage cans. They injest spoilt food, sometimes with plastic substances mixed in it. Many of them are malnourished and sick.
It would be tough for a single person to feed animals in their area everyday, which is why you could try community animal feeding. If a group of atleast 7 neighbors took the responsibility to cook food for one day of the week and leave it at one or two street corners, the task would become easier. For larger groups, each person's turn would come once in that many days.
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Community Animal Sterlization: People in an area could collect the manpower and resources to sterlize the dogs in their neighborhood.
Why Sterilize? : Activists in India advocate sterlization because of the increased amount of suffering street animals endure. Culling of dogs has become common, with people doing so through cruel means. Many of the strays are maimed by speeding vehicles. Food sources are scarce and the animals starve. It is simply not possible to rescue and put up every stray for adoption, especially with the growing numbers. Though not a solution in an ideal world, sterilization is seen as a kindness in ours.