We cannot let the 177 dogs at Rokaya's shelter starve!

1. In Morocco, Rokaya has almost no kibble left to feed the 177 dogs at her shelter. They will starve if no one helps them.

“I’m looking after 177 dogs right now and honestly I can’t keep up with feeding them anymore. Two more dogs were dumped at the shelter gate recently. I didn’t want to take any more in, I can’t afford it anymore but when I saw them there, left to fend for themselves, I couldn’t turn them away. So that’s two more mouths to feed, when I already can’t manage for the others.

For a long time, I was giving out four bags a day. Then three. Today only two bags. Barely 40 kg for 177 dogs, it’s nothing. I’ve been rationing for a month, and you can see it. They’re hungry, their health keeps going up and down depending on what I can give them. On November 30, I had about ten bags left. Which is basically nothing.

It’s eating me up. Food is the foundation here. Without it, nothing works. I spend my days stressed out, wondering how I’m going to feed my dogs the next day. I have no money left, no credit, no solution. This is an emergency, truly and I’m facing it alone.”

2. The dogs are on edge, skin and bones, already too weak. Without kibble, their health will collapse.

“You can see the lack of kibble immediately. The dogs are thin, emaciated and it hurts to see them like that. At mealtimes, they’re also more tense and impatient. Hunger creates tension, that’s obvious.

And I’m forced into choices that aren’t really choices. What am I supposed to do? Keep them here with nothing to put in their bowls? Release them back onto the streets? Just thinking about it breaks me. These dogs have already been through too much. They’ve started to trust again, they’ve finally settled and I should put them outside just because I can’t feed them anymore? It’s unthinkable.

The most fragile will be hit first: the sick ones, those on treatment, the young, the injured. Without kibble, their condition can tip in just a few days. I could lose everything I’ve managed to do for them. That’s why this campaign absolutely has to succeed. Without it I truly don’t see how we can avoid the worst.”

3. Fearful and too weak to stand up for himself, Tomy has been wasting away for months: without kibble, he won’t survive.

"Tomy arrived at the shelter when he was barely two months old. I found him myself on the road just outside the city. He was tiny, alone, with no food… completely helpless. Today, Tomy is four years old. He’s a very calm dog, but also extremely timid. He hates conflict, keeps to himself, and is always a little on guard.

As he grew up, we discovered several health issues: a malformation of the jaw, and, above all, serious gastrointestinal problems. He digests food very poorly, and the moment he isn’t eating properly, his condition deteriorates fast… And for months now, Tomy has been losing weight. He can’t seem to put any weight back on—the food situation at the shelter is too unreliable, too inconsistent.

With rations reduced, it’s even worse: he’s skin and bones. Because he’s fearful, he won’t push his way in around the others, and with his digestive issues, he needs a steady diet more than ever. Tomy is one of the dogs I watch constantly, because I know he won’t last long if the bowls stay empty. He truly needs this food drive to survive…"

4. Debts are sky high, credit has been cut off, the account is empty... Without this campaign, Rokaya has no way left to feed her dogs.

“Financially, the association is at breaking point. Every dirham I receive goes straight into food. I can’t pay for anything else anymore. The account has been empty for 15 days. I’ve had to stop spays, neuters, rescues I just can’t afford them. Even when donations come in, they don’t even cover a quarter of what it takes to feed everyone.

And the debts keep piling up everywhere. I owe around 7,600 dirhams to the vet, 6,000 to the pet shop, 1,700 to the pharmacy, 4,700 to a factory, and 15,000 dirhams to a kibble supplier who now refuses to extend credit after too many unpaid bills. Altogether that’s about 3,300 euros. An enormous sum for someone like me who relies entirely on donations.

I’m doing everything I can to find help. I post, I explain, I ask everywhere. But it isn’t enough. Other associations haven’t been able to help, and suppliers have shut the door. I have no room left to manoeuvre. Without this campaign, I literally have no way to feed my dogs. None.”

5. Rokaya isn’t asking for money, only kibble so her dogs don’t starve.

“I’ve been running this shelter near Tetouan for more than nine years. At the beginning, I had dreams, so many dreams. Expand the shelter, save more and more dogs, raise awareness. Today the truth is simple: I’m fighting day to day. If I manage to feed the dogs, I consider that I’ve won my day.

The stress has broken me. I’m depressed, and I had to start treatment three months ago. This summer, I almost gave up, truly. Therapy helps, but reality comes back every day: either I think about my health, or I think about the dogs. And if I ‘choose’ my health, they have nothing left. So I keep going, I grit my teeth. When I walk into the shelter and see them running toward me, happy, as if I’m the best part of their day, it gives me the strength to come back.

But there’s also the guilt people don’t see. For example, I can’t always pay my worker on time and she has rent, a family. I show up with kibble for the dogs but not her wages. It’s so hard. And I make phone calls asking for bags on credit, promising I’ll pay ‘soon’ when I don’t have any solution.

What keeps me going is simple: these dogs only have me. And I can’t abandon them. When several people help, even just a tiny bit, everything changes. The dogs eat properly, they’re calmer, healthier. And it gives us a boost too: we can hope to restart the spays, the treatments. It changes everything.”

6. By taking action now, you can help Rokaya receive 3000 kilos of kibble.

Animal Webaction has a logistics centre in Morocco which allows us to intervene quickly and deliver kibble throughout the country.

7. Campaigns launched on Animal Webaction often fail...

When a campaign fails, Animal Webaction cannot deliver the products. The beneficiary doesn't receive anything and the buyers are refunded.

8. In Morocco, donors are scarce, and there are no foundations or subsidies. It is very difficult to find funding for kibble, many dogs remain starving in the street!

If you know of a foundation or NGO that could help Rokaya, please invite them to contact us so that we can put them in touch.

If you represent an animal protection foundation or NGO, please help Rokaya's dogs, contact us and we will put you in touch!

If you want to visit Rokaya's shelter or if you want to directly send her some kibble or a cheque, contact her on Facebook (note: direct help is made under your own responsibility).

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