Details

My name is Olfa, and I am an independent animal rescuer in Tunisia. I have been rescuing and caring for stray cats and dogs for many years, completely on my own and without being part of a registered association or an established rescue organization.
I never planned to become a rescuer. It happened naturally. I could not walk past an injured animal, a crying kitten, an abandoned puppy or a sick dog and simply continue on my way. One rescue led to another, and over the years, this became my life.
Tunisia has an enormous stray-animal population, while resources for animal welfare are extremely limited. Many animals live in dangerous conditions, exposed to illness, accidents, abuse, poisoning and abandonment. Dogs can also be subjected to organized killing campaigns. Violence towards stray animals is sadly not uncommon, and even children can sometimes be cruel to them. There is no public support available for an individual who tries to take responsibility for animals that would otherwise be left to suffer.
There are some animal-welfare organizations and compassionate people in Tunisia, but most operate with very limited resources and cannot take responsibility for the huge number of animals in need. As an independent rescuer, I have therefore had to finance all my work myself.
For years, I spent almost everything I had on food, veterinary treatment, sterilizations, medication, transportation and temporary accommodation. I rented a house specifically to keep rescued cats safe because I had nowhere else to put them. At one point, more than 50 cats were living there under my care, in addition to animals I continued to feed and help outside.
But even the house I rented was not truly safe. The surrounding environment became dangerous for the cats, and over the years I lost many animals because of violence and hostility from the neighbourhood. Around twenty cats were killed. Knowing that animals I had rescued and protected could still be harmed has been one of the most painful parts of this journey.
I also care for dogs. Over the years, I have rescued and helped many dogs from the streets, and during the past seven years I have managed to arrange travel abroad for around 18 rescued dogs so that they could have a safer life and a chance of adoption. Today, several dogs are still dependent on me and are staying in paid boarding. Their food and boarding costs continue every month.
I have reached a point where I simply cannot keep carrying the financial burden alone.
I have outstanding debts with the pet shop where I buy food and supplies, with the boarding facility, and with veterinary clinics. I have used credit whenever I had no other choice, but I have now exhausted my ability to borrow because I cannot repay what I already owe. The debts do not disappear; meanwhile, the animals still need food and medical care every day.
Even paying the rent of the cats' house has become extremely difficult. I have had to pay late, because sometimes I simply did not have the money available when the rent was due.
My own situation has also become very unstable. I no longer have a proper home of my own. I live with my father, but my family situation is difficult and my father is not comfortable with animals. Abandoned animals are also still left near his home, which means I continue to encounter animals in need even there.
I desperately need a safer and more sustainable place where I can care for the animals. My dream is to eventually create a small, properly organized rescue facility where the animals can live safely, receive veterinary care and be prepared for adoption. But at the moment, I do not have the financial means to buy land, build a shelter or even secure suitable long-term accommodation.
Transportation has become another serious problem. My car is essential to my rescue work: I use it to take animals to the veterinarian, collect food and supplies, and travel to the places where animals are staying. But I am struggling to afford insurance, maintenance and repairs. I have even considered selling the car because I cannot keep up with the costs, although losing it would make rescuing and caring for the animals even more difficult.
Despite all of this, the rescues continue.
Every day there are new emergencies. A kitten abandoned alone. A sick cat that needs treatment. A dog injured on the street. A litter of kittens left somewhere unsafe. A pregnant female. An animal that someone has simply decided they no longer want.
I know that I cannot save every animal. But when I see an animal suffering, it is extremely difficult for me to turn away. I keep telling myself that I will stop taking in new cases until I can stabilize the situation, but then another animal appears in front of me and I cannot leave it behind.
This is how I reached the situation I am in today: I have more animals depending on me than I can realistically support alone, while the financial resources that allowed me to continue for so many years have almost completely disappeared.
I have sacrificed almost everything for these animals. I have sacrificed savings, security, comfort and my own plans for the future. I worked hard, studied, built a professional career and have worked for many years, but at 52, I find myself without a home of my own and struggling financially because so much of what I had was devoted to animals in need.
And yet, I do not regret saving them.
What I regret is that I have reached the point where my love and determination are no longer enough to meet their needs.
I am physically and emotionally exhausted. Rescue is not simply taking an animal to the vet and finding it a home. It means answering emergencies, arranging transportation, buying food, paying veterinary bills, managing boarding, cleaning, feeding, sterilizing, treating illnesses, dealing with abandonment and constantly worrying about animals that depend entirely on you.
There are also many animals I continue to feed and care for outside the houses where I keep rescued animals. The need never stops.
My greatest fear is not for myself. It is that I will no longer be able to provide the basic care for the animals already depending on me.
This is why I am trying to find help and build something more sustainable.
I do not want to continue operating from one emergency to another. I want to be able to provide safe accommodation, regular veterinary care, sterilization, food and, whenever possible, adoption opportunities. I want to reduce the number of animals suffering on the streets by sterilizing them and by helping those who can no longer safely live outside.
I also want to continue helping dogs and cats find homes abroad when responsible adoption opportunities are available. I have already seen how profoundly a rescued animal's life can change when it finally reaches safety.
I am not an organization with employees, a shelter building or a regular source of funding. I am simply one person who started helping animals and gradually found herself responsible for more and more lives.
For years, I carried this responsibility entirely by myself.
Today, I am asking for support because I have reached my limit.
Support would help me pay existing veterinary and boarding debts, provide food and medical treatment for the animals already in my care, sterilize cats and dogs, and, most importantly, create a safer and more sustainable situation for them.
My hope is not simply to survive one emergency after another. My hope is to build a safe place where rescued animals can receive the care they deserve without my having to choose every month between food, veterinary treatment, rent and debt.
Every animal I rescue has a story. Some have survived accidents, illness, abandonment or cruelty. Some have been left to die simply because nobody wanted them. They cannot ask for help themselves.
So I continue to speak for them.
I am deeply grateful to every person who has ever helped me, whether through a donation ( through my fundraising link) sharing a rescue story, helping with an adoption or simply believing that these animals deserve a chance.
I am hoping to find people and organizations who will understand the reality of independent rescue in Tunisia and help me move from constant crisis toward something safer, more organized and sustainable.
I cannot do this alone anymore.
But with the right support, I can continue giving these animals something they rarely receive on the streets: safety, medical care, food, compassion and a real chance at a better life.
I also work full-time as an internal auditor in a bank in tunis, and I am exhausted from trying to balance my professional life with the demands of rescue. I cannot imagine continuing like this for the next few years, because no one can sustain this way of living indefinitely.
Every day, I keep trying. I reach out, I write, I ask for advice, support and a chance to be heard, always hoping that someone will finally understand the reality of what I am facing. I have contacted organizations around the world, including large and well-established ones, but I am often told that they cannot help because I am an independent rescuer. And sometimes I find myself asking: who is there to help people like me, who are trying to save animals on their own? I dream of waking up one day and feeling that everything is finally okay. I dream of being able to rest, sleep properly, take care of myself and simply breathe. I have not had a real holiday in years. Even when I take time off from work, it is usually spent cleaning, going to the vet, buying food, caring for the animals or dealing with another emergency. I rarely sleep enough because there is simply never enough time, and I have reached a point where even basic things in my own life can feel overwhelming. I am still trying. I have not given up. I am simply hoping that, with Kindness for Kitties, things can finally begin to change — for me and, most importantly, for the animals who depend on me.