Utilizing Designated Donations...
The Region's First of Its Kind
Gwangju Dong-gu announced on July 29 that it will officially open the region's first "Abandoned Dog Adoption Center" on July 30, utilizing donations collected through the Hometown Love Donation Program's designated fundraising project.
The "Abandoned Dog Adoption Center" stands out as a space dedicated to practicing respect for life through adoption, and it is the first abandoned animal protection and adoption linkage model operated with hometown love donations.
The district established the center by investing approximately 390 million won raised through the "Abandoned Animal Rescue and Protection Support Project," a designated donation project under the Hometown Love Donation Program. This aims to overcome the practical limitations of rescuing and protecting abandoned animals, which are difficult to address with local government finances alone.
The center is differentiated by its goal to resolve various issues at Gwangju's abandoned animal shelters, such as the high saturation rate of abandoned animals and humane treatment, and to help abandoned animals with low chances of adoption find new families.
The center is a two-story facility. The first floor includes a shelter for abandoned dogs, an interaction experience area, and a playground. The second floor consists of an adoption counseling room, a companion animal education room, and a lounge. The center provides integrated services, including temporary care before adoption, health check-ups, companion animal education, and adoption linkage. It will mainly accommodate dogs that have not been adopted after long-term protection at existing shelters, and plans to actively utilize professional personnel from private organizations and a volunteer network.
The center will be operated by Peace Winds Korea, a private organization active in companion animal welfare and international emergency relief. Drawing on its experience with the "Peace Wanko" project in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan?which achieved zero euthanasia for abandoned dogs based on "hometown tax" donations?the organization plans to adapt its operations to local circumstances in Korea.
The district plans to supplement the limitations of existing public shelters by operating the Abandoned Dog Adoption Center and to present a regionally customized model that practices respect for life. It also expects that the donation-based operating method will serve as a positive precedent in terms of sustainability and transparency.
Im Taek, head of the district office, stated, "The Abandoned Dog Adoption Center embodies the meaning of a single donation changing the life of one being and serving as a link that warmly connects the community and society." He added, "I hope the sincerity that even a single donation can save a life will reach people across the country."
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