01How it all began
It began with a single cat.
A holiday, an injured cat at a hotel and an encounter that changed everything. Without Moyo there would be no Rescue Paws of Zanzibar.
02In Sina's words
“Sometimes a single encounter changes everything.”
“Hi, I'm Sina, and my trip to Zanzibar in September 2024 was actually just meant to be a holiday. But sometimes a single encounter changes everything: at the hotel I found a badly injured cat. I couldn't just look away and went looking for help. That's how I met Makame, a vet with a huge heart for animals.
What began as a spontaneous call for help quickly became a mission of the heart. During our encounter Makame told me about his organisation, Zanzibar Animal Care (Zacare). He founded it himself and is still the head and heart of the whole project today. He not only treats injured and sick animals every day, but also organises everything and was planning to build an urgently needed shelter for Zanzibar's street cats and dogs. A safe place where the animals can receive medical care, be looked after and loved.
Back in Germany I couldn't stop thinking about how many animals on Zanzibar are completely unprotected. At home I live with several cats whom I care for lovingly, including veterinary care and insurance. The contrast to the streets of Zanzibar was almost unbearable for me.
Since then I have supported Makame and his organisation with full conviction. Together we share one goal: to give animals on Zanzibar hope and help.
Your donation helps us achieve even more. Thank you to everyone who walks this path with us.”
In cooperation withZanzibar Animal Carezanzibaranimalcare.com ↗
Our very first photo together: Sina and Makame on holiday on Zanzibar. He wanted to help her with the cat.
03Moyo
And the cat from the hotel?
Back then it couldn't be caught. Sina shared its story online, and it wasn't forgotten.
About a year later, two travellers came to the same hotel. They managed what wasn't possible back then: they caught the cat, rescued it and gave it its name, Moyo. In Swahili it means “heart”.
Today Moyo lives at the shelter and has settled in really well.
Moyo today at the shelter, with Chrissy
04Moyo's journey
From the hotel garden to the shelter.
At the hotel, September 2024
At the hotel
Shortly before the rescue
Rescued
Moyo's rescuers with Makame at the shelter
Today at the shelter
05The first steps
What came next.
In the beginning there was no clinic. In September 2024, animals were treated in the open air, with whatever was at hand.
Back in Germany, Sina started the first fundraising campaign. Many people donated, shared and helped. That is how Rescue Paws of Zanzibar e. V. came about. Construction in Kidoti began as early as October 2024: first the site, then the walls. Today there is a shelter with a veterinary clinic.
1. September 2024: Treatment in the open air, no clinic yet
2. October 2024: Preparing the site in Kidoti
3. October 2024: The first walls rise
4. September 2026: The shelter today
06The clinic
A safe place to heal.
In Kidoti, in the north of Zanzibar, a shelter with an integrated veterinary clinic has been built by Zanzibar Animal Care with the support of Rescue Paws and the community. The photos show the journey from an empty plot to today, exactly as it was documented.
13 Oct 2024
The land
The land is surveyed, the materials are delivered and the first stones are laid.
15 Oct 2024
The foundation
The first rows of stone are laid. An idea becomes a foundation.
17 Oct 2024
The walls
Row by row, the walls are rising.
Construction
The first roofs
The first buildings have a roof. Everything is still bare brick, with grass and bushes growing all around.
Construction
The shell
The roof structure is up and the interiors are taking shape.
30 Mar 2026
Fit-out
The enclosures are installed so the animals get a safe home.
16 Apr 2026
The cat shelter
The first cats have moved in and finally have a protected place.
20 Sep 2026
Today
This is the site in September 2026. A lot already stands, the second staff house is still under construction. Now it is above all about caring for the animals every day.