KAR Education team visit Necat
School in Alsancak
By Carole Widdison….
KAR Education Team….
On Tuesday May 26th and Wednesday May 27th Maggie Smith with her Cyprus terrier Annie, and myself, visited Necat School to teach 4 and 5 year olds and then 5 and 6 year olds about how to care for animals. For an hour on each day, we had great fun with approximately 30 enthusiastic boys and girls.
After a brief introduction about KAR and Annie`s story we went on to explore what an animal needed to be happy and healthy. Annie was used as an example throughout.
Each child had a booklet containing information, with pictures to colour. We asked the children to show and share this with their parents when they took the booklet home.
A cat carrier full of things that animals need is used for pupils to take something, show the class and decide what it is for. For example, how important are a collar, name tag and lead. There is also a brush, 
which is used on Annie as a demonstration. Examples of good food are also shown.
We concluded with great fun getting pupils to make cat noises and talking about how to recognise whether a cat is angry or happy. We talked to pupils about how to behave if they come across a dog they don`t know and how to approach a dog if its owner says that it is ok. We demonstrate, using pupils, how to stand still like a tree or curl up like a stone to protect themselves if they should ever need to.
The school had been collecting food for KAR all of the previous week and my car boot and back seat were full of donations when we departed. We were very grateful for their hard work and the collection of so much animal food for KAR.
In the last photograph the pupil is pretending to be a happy cat and purring while Maggie is stroking her head.
On Monday June 15th we attended an assembly at Necat School to present each pupil with a certificate for completing the work.
We are hoping to visit again during the next academic year to teach the older students.
A very happy parent and aunt.
While visiting Asar Pharmacy in Karaoglanoglu, one of the sisters who run the pharmacy recognised us and told us how thrilled her daughter at Necat school had been to receive her certificate. They both said what a difference our lesson had made to the young girl`s awareness of animals and how they should be treated and even heard her telling her younger brother. They were very positive and we were so pleased to have been given such positive feedback.
This is wonderful and a very important work, education is the best way to get the stray animal situation under control. A big salute to KAR for their tireless every day work!
Hopefully every school could have a visit like that, and not only in TRNC that is…
Thank you for your comment Norunn and as you say problems can be resolved through education.
If you educate children they in turn will educate their parents.
Thank GOD for people like this, for organizations like this – for their tireless compassion. We need to continue building awareness, and starting with our children is the best gift we can give – both to our furry friends and the children. THANK YOU AGAIN – wishing you an abundance of blessings as you pursue this wonderful, most needed mission. <3
Thank you Elisabe for your comment and very sound advice.
ooooo that is my baby boy petting the doge