Wild Kindness with Hoedspruit Animal Outreach (HALO)

Note: GMFER’s involvement with this project has ended. Nourish no longer houses dog kennels on its property. GMFER plans to work with Sam Keegan, cofounder and director of HAART (Helping All Animals in Rural Towns), to establish a similar program in the vicinity of Hoedspruit in the near future.

Hoedspruit Animal Outreach (HALO) is an animal welfare organization based in Hoedspruit, South Africa. HALO works closely with communities surrounding Hoedspruit to bring a slew of services to community animals and their owners; services that are solely lacking in the absence of HALO. Sterilizations, veterinary care, vaccinations, and frequent wellness checks are a small part of HALO’s repertoire. HALO organizes and implements monthly outreaches in multiple communities. During these outreaches hundreds of dogs are examined, vaccinations are administered and dogs needing medical attention or sterilization are transported to HALO’s dog camp at nourish eco village.

GMFER is a proud supporter of HALO and is honored to have sponsored the “Green Camp” for dogs at Nourish Eco Village. With the help of Sam Keegan, the education coordinator for HALO, GMFER champions a monthly educational program at the Nourish Library featuring the dogs at HALO’s dog camp. The featured dogs serve as HALO’s ‘ambassadors for compassion’. Sam’s workshop underlines the deep bonds that can form between human and animal; her thoughtful narrative engages the Black Mambas and their children in an experiential journey revealing the wonder of animal-companionship while meticulously detailing the care a beloved pet requires. The aim of the program is to validate the power of kindness and to make the case that extending compassion to ‘other living things’ cements our place in the web of life, turning the human story full circle to ‘kindness for all’: Wild Kindness.