We interviewed Adele Lombaard, the founder of The Dogbox Project. The Dogbox Project donates and distributes dog kennels into less fortunate communities.
Tell us about the The Dogbox Project? Where it all began, where are you now and what is your aim?
The aim of the project is to donate and distribute dog kennels into less fortunate communities. Participating teams join us on event days to paint kennels and can select the organisation or shelter that their kennel are donated to. A team consists out of two people – young and old. Every kennel will be accompanied with a blanket and bag of dog food. Once all the painting is done on the day of the event, local animal shelters will collect kennels completed by the teams. These kennels are then distributed to the needy dogs. To date the Dogbox Project have donated 1 482 kennels.
Where did your journey of changing dogs’ lives begin?
The DogBox Project is located in Cape Town and started off in 2012 as a Mandela Day Initiative but has become an ongoing project due to popular demand. The more donations we receive, the more events we can fund and the more lives we will be able to change. Keep an eye on our Facebook page and website so see when/where the next event will be held.
With your assistance and participation, we will be able to change the lives of so many dogs that will now be able to be warm and dry in the winter but also cool in the hot summer.
What are some of the challenges you have encountered on your journey?
The need of animal shelters is growing by the day. Blankets, food and kennels are always needed and of these 3 items, kennels are unfortunately the most expensive and as funds are limited, the shelters are not always able to purchase them!
To send out one kennel cost us +/- R580. That covers the cost of the kennel, blanket and a 2kg bag of dog food. We are entirely reliable on donations from individuals and companies. Other challenges are finding venues to help us to host an event. Lastly the transport to collect of deliver the kennels to the organisation/shelter is also a big hurdle.
What is your vision for The Dogbox Project?
At this stage our short term goal is to reach for 2 000 kennels and we would like to hit that mark in 2020 still.
In the longer run we would like to build on the success of the Dogbox Project, and continue making a difference in our communities’ even further out in the smaller rural areas.
When is your next event?
Our next event are planned for Mandela Day taking place on 18 July. We aim to paint 67 kennels in 67 minutes with 67 teams. Unfortunately, with the recent outbreak of the Coronavirus, we are not sure about this event. But, to keep your name signed up, please visit www.dogboxproject.co.za or send us and mail at info@dogboxproject.co.za. Please contact Adele Lombaard on 082 925 2671 for more information.
