What is the purpose of our foundation?
We are a small team of dedicated volunteers who support animal rescuers in countries where stray animals suffer the most. Because we have no salaries, no office building, no lease cars, and no unnecessary overhead, about 98% of all donations go directly to the animals. This is one of the highest percentages among animal foundations in Europe.
Throughout the year, we publish new aid projects on our website, in newsletters, and on social media. We invite animal lovers to help these rescuers continue their lifesaving work.
The Netherlands is the only country in the world without stray dogs. Because there is almost no real animal emergency here, we focus on where the need is greatest. That is why we support rescuers in Eastern Europe and other crisis regions rather than in more prosperous countries like Spain.
Sadly, only a handful of foundations help small, local rescuers who care for 100 to 1,000 animals — even though they often face the hardest conditions. Meanwhile, within the Netherlands there are:
- A dedicated animal police force
- More than 60 heavily subsidised animal shelters
- Multiple animal ambulance services, including the national emergency number 144
- Large organisations with millions in the bank that rarely support animals abroad
- Several foundations and legacy funds that, by statute, only help animals within Dutch borders
That is why we choose a different path:
We help stray animals living in truly desperate conditions — wherever they are.
We support rescuers in countries such as Romania, Ukraine, Greece, India, Bosnia, Serbia, Thailand, Indonesia, Brazil, South Africa, Bulgaria, and Moldova. Over the past 15 years, we have also supported projects in Spain and Portugal, though our focus has shifted to regions with greater suffering.
Unrestricted donations are used entirely for sterilisation projects, because this is the only long‑term solution to the stray animal crisis. Each year, we enable 10,000 to 15,000 sterilisations for dogs and cats — the highest number of any animal foundation in Western Europe.
We keep our costs extremely low: all volunteers work from home, and we avoid every form of unnecessary expense. This is how we ensure that almost every euro donated goes straight to the animals who need it most.
If you have questions or would like to collaborate with us, please contact our chairman and co‑founder, Hanno Berger:
hanno@dierennood.nl or (032)10‑420 2344.