Hey all. So you know I like to keep things on a more humorous note here, but today I'm going to talk about something a little more serious, which involves a model I'm working on.
We all know about the political uprising in Egypt that's been going on since 2011. What most people don't know is that what's happening behind the scenes. Egypt is a third-world country, immersed in poverty and difficult living conditions for all. It's easy to find stories about the people living there and hear their stories. The stories we don't hear are the ones from those who speak in voices we don't understand.
Cairo, home to the famous Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx, is reliant on tourism. Since the 2011 uprising, though, tourism has declined significantly. This means less money comes in for people who's lives depend on tourist's wallets. Some people can barely afford to feed themselves and their families, let alone their animals.
Many people in Cairo own horses, donkeys, and camels, who are used as cart-pulling animals or rides for tourists to and from the pyramids. What happens when a man who rents out his animals to tourists has no one to rent to? He and the animals suffer. Many animals have to go without food, because the owner could only afford enough to feed his family. They're worked all day in the desert sun, quite literally to the bone. They become famished, develop sores, injure themselves. They suffer from coughs and colds when the temperatures plummet at night. They come down with malaria. They root through piles of garbage looking for something to eat. They're given home remedies that don't work because the owners don't know what to do. Some of them are simply left to die, because the owners have nowhere to turn and no money to support them.
But if you look hard enough, in any darkness, you'll find light. A faint glimmer appears. That glimmer is known as Prince Fluffy Kareem.
Prince Fluffy Kareem is a small organization of people who have dedicated their lives to helping the animals of the Pyramids region of Cairo. They offer free clinics almost daily to the owners of horses, camels, and donkeys in the area, providing the animals with the care they so desperately need, while also offering education to the owners on how to better care for them. Everything from wormer to saddle sore treatment to hoof care, Sherif, Marte, Emma, and the rest of Team Kareem work tirelessly to better the lives of the working animals of Cairo.
But it doesn't just stop there. Prince Fluffy Kareem offers foster schemes, and even purchase or rescue horses, camels, and donkeys. They currently have dozens of horses animals living with them, who receive daily care, and are nursed back to health. They even have some little ones who were born at PFK, who will never know hunger or pain.
If all of that didn't warm your heart: These wonderful angels work strictly off of donations and their own money. They make no profit whatsoever. They do all of this out of the goodness of their hearts, simply because they care.
Now you may wonder, "What does this have to do with model horses?" I'll tell you. Money is tight for a lot of people at the moment. I myself am no exception. Yet I check PFK's page daily (yes, daily), and my heart aches and yearns for a way to help these animals and support such a wonderful cause. Then it came to me. I could use the power of the model horse community to help me. I dug through my body box and found a few Arabians. It was then that I decided to do custom portraits of some of PFK's beautiful babies to auction off and help support them.
Meet Na3na3 (pronounced "naa-naa"). In May 2011, she was found barely alive by a member of PFK and bought on the spot. Na3na3 was emaciated beyond belief and could barely stand, and was suffering from equine malaria. During her first month at PFK she hardly stood or walked. Yet somehow she still had spirit . Gradually she recovered, and has been in excellent health since. In September 2013 (after an accidental pregnancy), she gave birth to a beautiful little colt.
I will be doing a custom set of Stablemate portraits of both Na3na3 and her son. Once finished, they'll be put up for auction, and every penny they bring in will be sent to Prince Fluffy Kareem to help support all the wonderful creatures who call PFK their home. I will keep you all updated on the progress of these models in my "In the Studio" posts.
If you would like to learn more about Prince Fluffy Kareem and what they do, here are some links:
(Warning: Photos on these sites may be gruesome.)
(All photographs © Marte Kjoell. Used with permission.)
No comments:
Post a Comment