Supporting South Pacific Animal Welfare in Tonga
South Pacific Animal Welfare are doing amazing work across Tonga and we are proud to share their story and support them through Gourmate Giving.
On 15 January 2022 the Kingdom of Tonga in the South Pacific Ocean experienced a huge volcanic eruption and tsunami. The tsunami caused widespread damage and ash covered the Islands, it was one of the largest eruptions in decades.
The amazing charity South Pacific Animal Welfare (SPAW) was already active in Tonga, and they quickly got to work assessing what was needed to support the people and their animals.
SPAW's goal is to improve the health and wellbeing of South Pacific Island animals through the provision of quality veterinary care, education and rewarding volunteer experiences.
A SPAW Clinic in Tonga before the eruption
A large part of what SPAW does is basic care not otherwise available to pets and homeless animals - desexing, vaccinations, parasite control, and health checks as well as treating ailments.
Four months on, SPAW's Tongan Tsunami Relief fundraiser has allowed the team to continue this essential work despite difficult conditions.
SPAW's focus for 2022 has been on providing much needed medical supplies to Tonga - equipment and medicine for wound management, first aid, disease prevention, orphan fostering, pain relief and parasite care.
Essential supplies like flea and worm treatment are distributed in Tonga
When it came time to chose a charitable cause for Gourmate Giving, we felt very fortunate to be able to connect with the SPAW team including founder Karen Schade.
When we spoke with Karen it became clear that what SPAW needed at the moment was cold hard cash - and we were happy to help.
In addition to an initial donation, we created the Tongan Tsunami Relief Gift Pack for the month of April, with 100% of proceeds going to SPAW.
The Gourmate Giving Tongan Tsunami Relief Pack
At Gourmate HQ we were so pleased that so many SPAW and Gourmate supporters got behind this special Gift Pack.
The team at SPAW tell us that there's plenty of work to be done to support animals across the Tongan Archipelago, with ongoing challenges due to the natural disasters and impacts of COVID-19.
We are glad that we have been able to assist in a small way, and we look forward to following the great work of South Pacific Animal Welfare in not just Tonga but throughout our neighbouring nations.
Karen and the team do an amazing job with very limited resources. If you'd like to learn more about South Pacific Animal Welfare or donate yourself, you can do so at spaw.org.nz.
You can also learn more about Gourmate Giving and Our Values.