Just over a month since the first strike on Ukraine by Russian forces, we have so much news to share with you. A colossal effort has been mounted to help the animal victims of war…
Harmony Fund’s Mission Highlights:
Your donations have enabled us to reach so many animals who have lost their homes and their families. Although our hearts are bruised daily by growing number of ways that the war is harming man and animal, today we’d like to focus on the positive ways that we’re providing comfort and care. Here are the categories of aid we are delivering:
- Aid to Animal Shelters and Volunteers: Large deliveries of food and funds for shelters and also for volunteers who feed homeless animals
- Wildlife Center Emergency Support: Funds and food to sustain the animals
- Farm Animal Care: Funds to purchase food and deliveries of hay
- Helping the Pets of Refugees: Delivery of food and supplies for refugees fleeing through Romania
- Intake Shelter Support: We’re providing food and supplies to shelters internationally who are taking in animals from Ukraine.
- Evacuation: We’re working with volunteers to evacuate animals from shelters and zoos.
- Veterinarians Inside Ukraine: We extend help to veterinarians who need our help.
Rather than write a lengthy narrative about our work, we’ve decided to let the photos tell our story. We are sharing the images that best represent empowerment and hope. We have a strict policy against sharing graphic or heartbreaking images, so you can always view our emails without fear. We’ll start our collection of 33 Inspiring Photos here.
1. Heroes Save Abandoned Pets
Abandoned dogs are hoisted to safety by Ugolyok shelter volunteers inside Ukraine. Harmony Fund is sponsoring food for Ugolyok which has three separate shelters for farm and companion animals.
2. Food for Thousands
At the Feldman Ecopark, 3,500 animals are receiving food through your donations. A few of the animals have now been evacuated, but we expect to provide continuing funds.
3. Wildlife Park
A mother zebra and her foal in Kharkiv, Ukraine. “Thanks to the Harmony Fund, a supply of food is now created for our animals to stabilize their nutrition and be sure that in the coming weeks can’t threaten hunger.” — Yana at the Feldman Ecopark
4. Helping the Horses
Also in Kharkiv, we’re sponsoring 500 bales of food to be delivered today to this small farm and will provide more as needed. This volunteer Anna writes, “You saved our animals from starvation! This is the first time I’ve been so happy in all this time.”
5. Refugee Relief
Here you see a grateful Ukrainian refugee who now has a veterinary passport for her pet through our amazing partners at Every Life Counts in Romania.
6. Hope
An abandoned dog from Ukraine goes into foster care through Harmony Fund. We’ve already found homes for some of the dogs we’ve taken in.
7. Comfort
A horse named Apache is comforted at one of Ugolyok’s farm sanctuary locations.
8. Cat Shelter is Ready
We’ve bought food, climbing posts, litter boxes and all the essentials so that our partners at LAC Farm Rescue in Romania could put together an emergency shelter for incoming cats from Ukraine.
9. Evacuation Efforts
We are in awe of our partners at TobiHelpUA. Here you see them loading a vehicle with dogs and cats evacuating the Best Friends shelter which was badly damaged by bombs. Cages were in short supply and safety issues required a speedy exit, but volunteers gathered as many animals as they could and those animals were taken to the DIOZ shelter in Poland. We have provided funds for 60 new transport cages for the next trip.
10. Love Matters
Here you see a DIOZ shelter representative from Poland connecting with the dogs at Best Friends shelter in Ukraine. Due to new restrictions to halt the influx of animals pouring into Romania and Poland, it’s unclear if the remaining animals here can be evacuated in the near future. Rest assured, we will continue to provide food for the animals as needed.
11. Compassion for Pets and Their People
Angel is a dog who was rescued from Ukraine and is now under our care. She was wearing a tag from her previous owner and we are attempting to reach them.
12. Surprising Adoptions Within Ukraine
Hardship brings out the best of the human spirit sometimes. This Ukrainian couple are adopting this dog despite their own fears about the future.
13. Our Favorite Teammates Rise To the Challenge
We have a longstanding partnership with Every Life Counts in Romania and they always make us so proud. This is Bogdan, at the Ukrainian Border with Romania, offering help to refugees with pets. We will continue to sponsor this work on an ongoing basis.
14. The Simplicity of a Good Meal
It isn’t hard to see how the energy shifts when food arrives. Here you see Best Friends shelter in Ukraine with the food they desperately needed.
15. Sometimes Love Is Black & White
These lemurs are so thankful to Harmony Fund supporters for providing food for them in Kharkiv, Ukraine.
16. Peace Will Come Again
In all our interactions with animal welfare volunteers in Ukraine, we find such a positive spirit of hope and resilience. Here you see donkeys being cared for at the Feldman Ecopark.
17. Bravery at It’s Best
We’ve been so amazed at the bravery of volunteers who are driving through Ukraine to deliver supplies and rescue animals. Here you see a member of the TobiHelpUA team which we happily sponsor.
18. Reassurance
Something as simple as a bed can bring comfort to a cat like this one who has lost everything.
19. Stacked to the Ceiling
You can’t imagine the quantities of food we have bought in recent weeks. This supply will be distributed to dogs and cats who were rescued from Ukraine and, mostly, brought into Ukraine inside rescuers vans.
20. Homes for the Holidays
We’re hoping that many of the dogs and cats coming in will find homes by the end of the year. This sweetheart is at the LAC Farm Rescue in Romania. Right now, emphasis is on finding homes within Europe.
21. They Won’t Leave the Animals Behind
So many of the people we are helping simply won’t leave their animals behind. This is Anna who remains in Ukraine to care for farm animals who are now being fed by Harmony Fund.
22. Special Needs
Nastya is a vet and foster caregiver who is caring for a large number of special needs pets in Ukraine. We’ve sent a donation to help and leave the door open to ongoing support.
23. Supply Lines
Food is intermittently available for animals in Ukraine, depending on their location. We are trying to keep food flowing to as many areas as possible. This delivery was made possible through our partners at Polaris in Romania.
24. The Ones Who Made It Out
We are so grateful for every opportunity to help and ALL of it is possible through your donations. This dog has now been rescued and is getting care at LAC Farm Rescue in Romania.
25. The Guardians
This is one of our favorite photos depicting love between a senior dog and caregiver at a Ugolyok shelter in Ukraine.
26. Rest & Recovery
Each individual animal is recovering in their own way from the losses they have experienced. This sweetheart is resting in a box of medications at Shelter Friend in Ukraine with whom we have a longstanding relationship.
27. The Incredibles
In the city of Kyiv, there has been unspeakable hardship recently. Because of heroes with legendary bravery, cats like this one at SOS Kyiv sheltered and receiving food daily. Harmony Fund has helped this shelter often in recent years and we will continue to do so as long as we’re needed.
28. Weather Works Against Us
The cold and snow have made life more difficult for every living thing in Ukraine, but our teammates at Fundatia Sky have brought supplies to the border repeatedly in all kinds of weather. They are cherished partners and we are so grateful to unite in this mission.
29. The Humble Ones
It’s hard to even get a clear photo of the volunteers from TobiHelpUA, mainly because they are so focused on getting the job done. We have offered unlimited supplies of food for them to take into shelters in the Ukraine.
30. Breaking the Chains
This is Tom, an ex-solider and documentary maker from the UK who has been an unstoppable force of compassion from the very beginning of this war. He wants to thank all our supporters for the mountains of food you’re providing through your donations.
31. Local Volunteers
Viktoriya Pride is a volunteer who has been helping abandoned pets and helping pass out food to those with none. We are helping her with the food she needs to continue, although at the time we write this, she is hunkered down due to heavy fighting in her region.
32. Zoo Animals Receive Food
Thanks to volunteer Viktoriya Pride, we were able to bring food to this small zoo in Kherson, Ukraine. It arrived just in time before Russian forces made it too difficult to move about. The animals have enough food for a few weeks and we can send funds for more once it can be bought.
33. Long Distance Rescues
Volunteers from Belgium operating under the flag Bus 4 Paws are helping rescue pets trapped in homes. We’re offered our full resources to help get more animals out like this pup who is now safe.
