6.5.07

This is most likely one the most hardest letters, that I have written during our organization’s existence.

When we choose the target that we wanted to help in Romania over 1,5 years ago, we knew that our task is no going to be easy. We had chosen our target from a country that we knew nothing about. Nevertheless we had a very reliable feeling co-operation organization, Pro Animals Romania, which has turned out to be tireless fighter for justice as our co-operation has continued. The women behind Pro Animals Romania, Carmena and Patricia, have become very close friends to us.
The authorities in Romania have become the problem. They seem to do decisions based on their different moods at each time. Although Romania has joined the EU it doesn’t sway when for example some city’s or county’s own rules are made for the citizens. Justice of these rules are often as far as moon from the earth.

On my previous letter I told how in Tg-Jiu they have been living in fear for the stray dogs sterilization project. The worst fears have come true and the decision-makers of the city of Tg-Jiu have invalidated the contract signed last autumn concerning the sterilization project and have decided to begin a powerful stray dogs catching and killing program. The decision-makers in the city of Brasov are partially to blame for these actions as they have been visiting the Tg-Jiu city council. In Brasov the stray dog problem is solved by catching and killing the dogs. They think that there is no other way to eliminate the problem. There is a foreign animal protection organization working in Brasov and they save as many stray dogs as they can.

Another reason why the sterilization project has been invalidated is that there was not enough recourses found although we tried really hard to work on that. Pro Animals Romania was in the mean role to get all the resources together.

Patricia and Carmena of course did all they could to avoid the invalidation of the sterilization project. But as long as the present shelter is on city owned land they cannot press charges or cause scandals against the city council. That would jeopardize the lives of the 400 dogs living at the present shelter. They are not ready for a jeopardize like that.

Although we are back to square one with this matter we have learned a lot over the year and our will to fight has just grown. And as Kahlil Gibran has said in his wisdom: ”Progress lies not in enhancing what is, but in advancing toward what will be”.

There has been numerous of dog poisonings in Tg-Jiu during the week and according to the message I got last night Patricia and Carmena have got phone calls on which people have told that there are dozens of poisoned dogs lying around the city.

Tg-Jiu city council has renewed the rules concerning pet keeping in Tg-Jiu. From these rules we could pick out a point where people with pets living in apartment blocks have to ask a permission from their neighbours for pet keeping and then present the authorities a document undersigned by the condominiums chairman of the board that the neighbours have accepted the pet keeping.

I assume that it is unnecessary to comment on the above mentioned rule’s justification. And this rule wasn’t the only one that absolutely insults the civil rights.

Patricia has still continued the education work at the schools of Tg-Jiu. Now it is very important to show that we are not going to be crushed and that we are taking on the challenge set by the Tg-Jiu decision-makers and in time we will win. We will just have to make even more efforts than before.

It is also very crucial that Pro Animals Romania could build their own private dog shelter. When the present shelter’s dogs would be save there then Pro Animals Romania could fight against the authorities even a bit more equally.

The sterilization program has been suspended for now, but our work continues even stronger. We don’t have the slightest intention to give up and let despotism win. I hope you all are with us in this fight. We will find good use for the money donated to the sterilization project so you don’t need to worry about that. Those people who have donated to this project can contact me if they want to discuss what they want to do with their donations. There are constantly new dogs coming to the shelter which are spayed and neutered so funds are needed for that as well. Until 30.4.2007 the donated sum for the sterilization project was 2.356,39 euro (sum includes a 1000 euro donation from PAFI’s board members). 768 euro from the sum mentioned above were from flea market sale and promotion days income. PAFI’s t-shirts sale’s income, which is 450 euros, were also targeted for the sterilization project.

PAFi applied for a grant from Finland’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (mmm) for the projects in Tg-Jiu and we hope from the bottom of our hearts that also mmm would see our works importance and would grant money for our work. We were also in touch with Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs and they told us that the work we do is very valuable. Sadly Romania is the kind of country where Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs grants don’t reach so we don’t have the possibility to apply for support from them. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs had even been in contact with the Finnish embassy in Romania from where they had inquired if they could help us. Unfortunately they don’t have the kind of fund there anymore from which they had been earlier able to give grants for co-operation between the countries. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs said that the Finnish embassy is aware of our organization and they knew about the common projects that we have with Pro Animals Romania.

Kind regards,

Kiia