By Taronish Bulsara*
World For All is a registered organisation with a focus on stray animal adoptions. The NGO was founded in 2009 by animal lovers Taronish Bulsara and Ruchi Nadkarni, two self driven social entrepreneurs, with the mission to inspire co-existence between stray animals and the people of Mumbai. WFA aims to achieve this goal by finding loving homes for these helpless creatures and creating compassion, tolerance and humanity for those on the streets.
WFA runs 5 major programs – Adoptions, Sterilisations, Rescue, Teach Co-Exist and Probably Paradise Shelter. The WFA team currently comprises of more than 35 full time employees with skills, experience and certifications of specialties across the various programs. In addition, the organisation has a database of over 200 active volunteers. WFA team members are young and accepting of new ideas and innovation, with a thirst to learn and do more for the noble cause of street animal adoption.
Adoptions
There are no facilities or services in place in our country to protect or provide for non-sick street animals (sterilised or otherwise). The decade-old NGO was incepted with the prime aim of animal adoptions and still continues to have Indian Breed adoptions as its main forte.
WFA, along with a wide network of volunteers and foster homes, and a strong online presence, works towards homing/rehabilitating street animals, with a special focus on infant and old/disabled dogs and cats. With over 300 adoptions a year, WFA is the largest platform for native breed adoptions in the country and also hosts Asia’s largest annual animal adoption camp – Adoptathon.
Sterilisations
There are lakhs of cats and dogs that are incapable of healing on our streets due to injuries, sickness, undernourishment, old age, and other reasons. World For All aims to control and reduce the stray animal population in a humane and safe way through sterilisation, post operative care and vaccinations.
As there is comparatively less focus on feline sterilisation in Mumbai, WFA plays a lead role in sterilising the largest number of cats in the city every year. The WFA team also comprises of the most effective and capable ethical cat catchers. WFA has successfully been sterilising 100 cats, and 80 dogs per month.
Rescue
WFA introduced its first animal transport vehicle in February 2013. Since then, the organisation has acquired 3 more ambulances and has been instrumental in streamlining its efforts for rescuing, treating, spaying/neutering and coordinating adoptions.
World For All attends to 37 rescue cases daily, 6 days a week. The Rescue Program takes up cases like hematoma, jaundice, paralysis, tumours, amputations, skin infections, undernourishment, renal failure, maggot wounds and more. The rescued animal care is handled by in-house licensed para-vets and top veterinary doctors. .
Teach Co-Exist
In our country, there is a lack of empathy instilled in children which results in various acts of cruelty against animals. World For All focuses on educating and sensitising kids towards stray dogs and cats. The WFA team strongly believes that children are the hope for a brighter future, and if guided in the right manner, they can help make an enormous difference to the lives of our street friends. The NGO aims to reach out to 9,500 school children every year. WFA also approaches corporates, societies and slums for this initiative.
Probably Paradise Shelter
“Probably Paradise” is an animal care shelter spread across 1.5 acres of land. It has been established with the objective to provide a home for chronically diseased animals. Its efforts lie in the propagation of the concerns related to animal keeping. It tries to build a home for the downtrodden animals who have been kicked away, unwanted because of their deformity. As of now, the Probably Paradise Shelter is home to more than 78 cats, 150 dogs, 8 donkeys, 1 pig, 4 ponies, and numerous critically disabled animals.
As animal lovers are present in all walks of life, World For All hosts and participates in several events yearly to help raise funds and promote stray adoptions. These include Adoptathon; Garage Sale; Tata Mumbai Marathon; Charity Nights; Mini-Adoption Camps; merchandise stalls selling calendars and laptop skins; and awareness workshops.
WFA has many accomplishments and recognitions to its credit. The NGO raised the highest funds in the animal welfare category at the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon. It also received Hypercity CEO’s Award for the Best Event at Hypercity Malad West.
WFA animals have been featured in Alia Bhatt’s Co Exist initiative which promotes adoption of stray puppies and kittens. The global advertising agency McCann’s ‘World For All’ campaign won the Design Lions category award at the Cannes Lions International Festival for its creativity.
Ogilvy & Mather and WFA came up with a press campaign “Adopt a dog” which won multiple awards. The NGO again collaborated with Ogilvy & Mather to create a short film “Life of a Stray Dog” that garnered with over 2 million views.
WFA Meow Mumbai campaign 2012 was created for promotion of mass sterilisations, adoptions and vaccinations of cats in the metro. It enjoys the honour of being the largest feline welfare initiative conducted. The organisation’s 2015 Calendar #WhyAStray was featured by NDTV Goodtimes in the popular show Heavy Petting.
The NGO regularly participates in many events and activities in Mumbai to raise awareness about community animals such as a collaboration with Uber where 6-10 puppies travelled in Uber vehicles, the attendance of strays at the launch of TATA Hexa in January 2017 and others. As part of achievements, WFA has created a system of fosters for Indie puppies and kittens as their half-way homes.
The Founders Taronish and Ruchi firmly believe that one day every stray animal in India will be treated with love, dignity and compassion and will find a place in our homes, hearts and lives. That day the organisation will have truly achieved its mission of creating the perfect world – A World For All.
* Taronish Bulsara is a social entrepreneur and the Co-Founder of World For All. He has been an animal lover since childhood and has tended to a variety of animals since. He has executed several innovative strategies and campaigns to better the lives of street animals and change perceptions of people towards them.
