The Nowzad charity was founded in 2007 when former British Royal Marine Sgt.Pen Farthing rescued a stray dog from a life of cruelty at the frontlines of combat. A small desert outpost called Nowzad, Afghanistan was where it all began, seeds were sown and the charity grew.

Eighteen years later, Nowzad proudly boasts a 24 hour animal hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan where we deliver vital anti-rabies prevention along with care and treatment for the many injured animals that find their way to our clinic door.

Our work also now includes rehabilitating former working equines in a peaceful and caring environment in what is a first for Afghanistan; the Nowzad Donkey Sanctuary. The Nowzad team provide urgent medical attention and care to the thousands of working donkeys and horses that are over-worked, neglected and abused as they pull heavily laden carts through busy congestion-filled streets. 

We also pride ourselves on our very successful education and outreach programmes across Kabul city and the more remote provinces - teaching families and particularly children how to treat all animals with compassion and kindness which ultimately benefits all. 

Since 2022 and Russia's brutal invasion that continues to destroy towns and villages across the country, Nowzad has expanded its operations to Ukraine - delivering vital animal welfare and veterinary aid. Animals have been simply left behind as people flee for their lives, and all of the dog and cat shelters and local volunteers are struggling with the sheer influx of animals. The street animal population is becoming utterly unsustainable. Rabies cases are exploding across the war-torn country, and too many are losing their lives to the disease too.

To help combat these issues alongside the devastating effects of the war, Nowzad is running Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Release (TNVR) campaigns in 7 key frontline regions. We also run regular veterinary training programmes at Lviv University for the next generation of vets in the country.

When the war is over, Nowzad's commitment to Ukraine will endure, transitioning from emergency aid to long-term support for the country's animal welfare infrastructure - just like we continue to do in Afghanistan. 

Please get involved if you can!

Facebook:   www.nowzad.com/nowzadrescue

Twitter:  @Nowzad
Instagram:  @NowzadRescue

Website:   www.nowzad.com