Tag: #education

Episode 121: Kindness Is Saving 25 Cats From Qatar

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Filmmaker Mye Hoang joins Anitha to talk about her latest documentary, 25 CATS FROM QATAR.

Mye is a cat lover who shares her home with five cats so it makes sense that a visit to a cat café in Milwaukee, USA lead to her filming a documentary about the owner of the café, Katy McHugh. Mye films Katy’s rescue mission to Qatar where she brings 25 cats back to the US and finds them their forever homes.

Mye shares what it was like being a part of this incredible journey to Qatar, a country with so much wealth yet at the same time filled with so many suffering animals. The cats are not native to Qatar. They were brought in years ago to help control the rat population. Sadly, the cats weren’t spayed or neutered and their numbers increased to the point that local rescuers are overwhelmed and cannot care for all the cats.

This was such a privilege for Anitha to speak with Mye, who donates profits from the documentary and from the sale of merchandise to local rescues.

The film is being shown throughout the United States and Mye hopes to take the film to other countries.

To learn more about 25 CATS FROM QATAR and find out when it’s coming to your area, check out their website and these social media links.

25 Cats From Qatar website

Instagram

Trailer on YouTube

As a thank you to Mye for sharing her story, Anitha donated to 25 CATS FROM QATAR so Mye can continue to support local rescues.

To hear the full episode, please click here:

Episode 120: Kindness Is Being Friends Of Bonobos

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Anitha fell in love with bonobos when she first learned about these magnificent apes many years ago, and she is absolutely thrilled to have Ariel Rogers, the executive director of Friends Of Bonobos as a guest to talk about all things bonobos.

Ariel talks about the incredible characteristics of bonobos, the reasons they are critically endangered and the remarkable work being done to save them.

Surrogate mama Peguy and infant Welenge
Ariel Rogers
Welenge and Peguy

One of the many special facts Ariel shares about bonobos is that they are the only animal who can’t survive without love and affection. All the other apes, including humans can survive without being hugged and loved, but not bonobos—they will die. That’s why it’s so important to have Lola Ya Bonobo, the only sanctuary for orphaned bonobos, where human surrogate moms dedicate years to caring for and loving these babies.

A heartwarming conversation about the adorable bonobo.

To learn more about bonobos and the wonderful work being done by Friends of Bonobos, check out these links:

Friends of Bonobos on YouTube

Friends of Bonobos— Website

Lola Ya Bonobo – Instagram

Lola Ya Bonobo—Facebook

Lola Ya Bonobo tour on YouTube

As a thank you to Ariel for sharing her story, Anitha donated to Friends of Bonobos. 

To hear the full episode, click here:

Episode 119: Kindness Is Jarjeer Mules

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One of the highlights of Anitha’s time in Marrakech, Morocco was meeting Susan Machin and getting a tour of Jarjeer—the sanctuary she created for donkeys, mules and horses.

Anitha was thrilled when Susan agreed to be a guest on the podcast.

Susan talks about her journey from being a Barrister in the UK to moving to Morocco. She shares the ups and downs of those first few days, weeks, months of sanctuary life.

Susan also talks about the importance of community involvement and support in order to change the perspective of equines in a country where they are often seen as tools to accomplish tasks, and sadly treated and discarded as such.

An incredible conversation with an incredible woman who has dedicated her life to help sick and injured equines get the care they deserve.

To learn more about Jarjeer,  check out their website and Instagram:

Jarjeer website

Jarjeer Instagram

As a thank you to Susan for sharing her story, Anitha donated to Sunshine Animal Refuge in Agadir (SARA). This animal rescue was created in 2013 by Michele Augsburger in response to the dire living conditions of street animals in Morocco.  SARA is dedicated to providing animals a happy and healthy life by offering them refuge. To learn more about SARA, check out their website:

Sunshine Animal Refuge- Agadir

To hear the full episode, click here:

Episode 118: Kindness Is Pikala Bikes & More

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Anitha met her guest Louisa Battioui in Marrakech, Morocco at an incredible bike rental place called Pikala. Founded by Cantal Bakker, a then 24-year-old from the Netherlands, Pikala is the colloquial Arabic word for bicycle.

Louisa talks about Cantal, who created Pikala to fight the pollution from cars and scooters in Morocco with the goal of making Marrakesh the cycling capital of Morocco. Louisa shares her experience working at Pikala which offers so much more than bike tours—from employing youth, to educating children, to giving the women of Morocco an opportunity to gain independence by learning how to cycle.

In addition to Pikala, Louisa talks about using her background in education to take part in a novel approach to educating youth in Morocco. She also shares her journey to becoming a vegan in Morocco.

A conversation full of hope and positivity about making the world a more inclusive, kinder and healthier place.

To learn more about Louisa, check out her Instagram page: Louisa’s Instagram

To learn more about Forum_2040 and its goals for education, check out their website

Forum 2040 Website

As a thank you to Louisa for sharing her story, Anitha donated to Morocco Animal Aid. This team of volunteers, rescues and rehabilitates hundreds of street animals in Morocco. To learn more about what they do, please visit their website.

Website:MoroccoAnimal Aid

To hear the full episode, click here:

Episode 117: Kindness Is Being The Rebel Vegan

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Former dairy farmer Todd Sinclair joins Anitha to talk about his journey from growing up on a Canadian dairy farm to becoming a vegan.

Todd gives listeners the rare opportunity to find out what life on a dairy farm is truly like for the animals. Listeners may be surprised to hear that life for dairy cows is not all happy and carefree—like many dairy farmers want the public to believe when they falsely advertise smiling cows on products such as milk, yogurt and cheese.

Todd explores the reasons behind the relative low cost of animal-based protein compared to plant-based protein—Governments subsidize the animal agricultural industry with our tax dollars, allowing these industries to sell their products at a reduced price—A price that does not reflect the true cost of animal-based protein.

Todd also talks about the fun Instagram posts he shares every Monday where he showcases happy news about animals and animal welfare.

To learn more about Todd and to see his uplifting Happy Monday posts, check out these links:

Todd’s Website

Instagram

Facebook

Todd has authored The Rebel Vegan Book Series.

To find out about these books, click the following links:

Amazon Canada

Amazon USA

Amazon UK

As a thank you to Todd for sharing his story, Anitha donated to Animal Aid in the UK. This non-profit began in 1977 with a goal of ending animal cruelty. To learn more about what they do, please visit their website.

Animal Aid Website

To hear the full episode, click here:

Episode 114: Kindness Is Being METAHATEM Aly

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NYT bestselling illustrator, Hatem Aly joins Anitha to share his up and down journey into illustration.

The two talk about the wonderful initiative which brought them together—Coffees For Gaza. Hatem was one of the many creators to donate art that raised funds to help families devastated by the war in Palestine. Anitha successfully bid on not one, but two of Hatem’s beautiful pieces of art!

Hatem also talks about the pushback he unfortunately received from some schools for being outspoken about what’s happening in the Middle East.

An open and honest conversation with one of today’s sought after illustrators—Everything from illustration to standing up for what you believe in.

Hatem’s cats
Hatem’s bunnies

To learn more about Hatem Aly, his books, his activism, check out the following links:

Website

BlueSky

Instagram

To learn more about groups helping those in Gaza, check out these links:

Coffees For Gaza Website

Tabkha Book Website

Project Love Brocade Instagram

As a thank you to Hatem sharing her story, Anitha donated to Honey’s Bunnies. Located in Nova Scotia, Canada, Honey’s Bunnies Rabbit Rescue helps unwanted, orphaned and homeless bunnies find a place to be loved, appreciated and well cared for. To learn more about this organization, check out their website: Honeys Bunnies Website

To hear the full episode, click here:

Episode 113: Kindness Is Speaking Out For Our Honor

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Dr. Crystal Heath, a veterinarian and animal rights activist returns to the podcast to talk about the link between animal agriculture and viruses such as H5N1 and COVID.

Dr. Heath was raising alarms about the spread of H5N1 from chickens to cows to other wildlife and to humans, long before it caught the attention of mainstream media. She and Anitha talk about the shocking reason for this time lag.

Dr. Heath also talks about the devastating conditions animals, who are part of the agricultural industry, are forced to endure—such as living in cramped filthy spaces. These inhumane conditions are not only awful for the animals, but they allow for the rampant spread of viruses which we’ve seen, eventually affects humans.

An important conversation about the undeniable link between the way we treat other species and our own well-being.

A must listen for anyone concerned about animal welfare and also anyone concerned about the growing number of viruses that are spreading from the non-human population to the human population.

To learn more about this incredibly relevant issue, check out the following links:

Our Honor Website

Our Honor Instagram                         Dr. Heath Instagram

Our Honor FaceBook                          Dr. Heath Facebook

Our Honor LinkedIn                            Dr. Heath LinkedIn

Our Honor BlueSky                             Dr. Heath BlueSky

Our Honor YouTube                            Dr. Heath YouTube

As a thank you to Dr. Heath for sharing her story, Anitha donated to Our Honor.

To hear the full episode click here:

Episode 112: Kindness Is Helping Horses

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Theresa with two of her rescues

Theresa Nolet and Eva Shortt from the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition (CHDC) join Anitha to talk about the terrible fate many horses face and what their organization is doing to stop the transport of live horses to slaughter.

Instead of providing hard-working horses such as race horses to show horses to those used for carriage rides a kind a loving place to retire when they can no longer provide humans with a source of income, these majestic animals are often sold to be slaughtered

The CHDC is dedicated to banning the slaughter of equines for human consumption in Canada, as well as the live export of horses from Canada to other countries to then be slaughtered for meat.

Theresa and Eva talk about the traumatic conditions these horses endure during transport. They also share their frustration at being so close to getting a Bill passed which would finally make this cruel practice illegal, but then coming up short.

Fortunately, these two women continue to work hard to advocate for horse welfare and raise awareness about the inhumane plight of horses who no longer earn income for humans.

Theresa and Eva talk about the many caring individuals who are also dedicated to helping horses, including celebrity Jann Arden. Arden started the HORSESHIT campaign to help fight against the live horse shipments to Japan.

To learn more about CHDC, the important work they are doing and how you can join the effort to help horses, check out their website.  Canadian Horse Defence Coalition

To learn more about Jann Arden’s campaign, click here:  Horse Shit

As a thank you to Theresa and Eva for sharing their story, Anitha donated to the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition. 

To hear the full episode, click here:

Episode 111: Kindness Is Being Ben Kennedy

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Anitha is joined by Ben Kennedy who helps care for animals from kittens to wildlife, and also helps humans by raising awareness for the trans community, all while working on his PhD.

Ben shares heartwarming stories of fostering kittens, dogs and getting married at the humane society. He also talks about the social media post that went viral (and not in a good way) when he shared Cross Fit’s new anti-trans policy. Ben also generously talks about going through fertility treatments.

An open and honest conversation with an incredibly open and kind person.

To learn more about Ben, check out his Instagram account: Ben Kennedy

As a thank you to Ben for sharing their story, Anitha donated to the San Diego Humane Society. This organization started in 1880 and has grown to provide many services including taking in abandoned dogs and cats and working to find them new and forever homes, community spay and neuter programs, community pet pantry and more. To learn more about the San Diego Humane Society, check out their website: San Diego Humane Society

To hear the full episode click here:

Episode 110: Kindness Is The Trans Comedian

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Chris McAllister shares what it’s like to be a comedian, including first-time performing jitters and if the comedic space is expanding beyond the cis white male. They also talk about their social media #ICANTELL. Chris came up with this initiative in hopes of turning around the negative comments folks in the trans community were receiving. The response was incredible and Chris shares some of the positive comments posted using #ICANTELL.

Chris also talks about their role in helping trans and queer Ugandan refugees.

A wonderful conversation about kindness and community.

To learn more about Chris, their comedy, #ICANTELL, check out the following links:

To be on the mailing list for upcoming comedy shows: Mailing List

Instagram: The Trans Comedian

As a thank you to Chris for sharing their story, Anitha donated to Rainbow Railroad. This global not-for-profit organization helps at-risk LGBTQI+ people get to safety worldwide. 

To learn more about Rainbow Railroad, check out their website:

Rainbow Railroad

To hear the full episode, click here: