Thank you for your support

The 59 days of our crowdfunding campaign have come to an end.
Thanks to your warm and generous support, we were able not only to reach our goal but to go beyond it. I am deeply grateful—thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I first visited the Nairobi Feline Sanctuary (NFS) a few years ago. In a small house in a busy Nairobi neighborhood, many cats were being cared for. Rachel, the founder, spoke gently to each cat, checking on those that looked unwell. The space was small, yet the cats seemed relaxed and at peace. I remember thinking, “This feels less like a shelter and more like one big family home.”
But as the number of cats grew, the limits of that space became clear. The building was aging, and during the rainy season it often flooded—making it harder to continue sheltering so many cats in the middle of the city.

Early this year, Rachel told me about a new land where the sanctuary could relocate. When I visited the new place in Tigoni, just 40 minute drive from Nairobi, I found a quiet, beautiful place surrounded by tea fields, with nothing but birdsong in the air. In May, thanks to a donation from an animal welfare organization, the first shelter building was completed. In June, volunteers came together to move the cats.

However, once there, it became clear that kittens and nursing mothers could not thrive in large shared space. Rachel had to build small makeshift huts to separate them as emergency, and we realized how essential it was to create a dedicated space for mothers and kittens. But with the sanctuary relying on small donations for daily expenses, it was impossible to secure the large sum of funding needed for the shelter construction.

That is what led me to begin this crowdfunding campaign. At first, I was unsure—would people really support a project for cats so far away in Africa? When donations slowed, Naomi, the founder of Cat Lovers Kenya, suggested raising support locally as well. Through their Facebook community of 26,000 followers, they launched an appeal.

In the end, 297 people in Japan and Kenya supported the project. I am delighted that this project has become a bridge connecting cat lovers in Japan and Kenya.  Thanks to your compassion and kindness that this challenge has borne fruit. Even now, it feels almost unreal that we will be able to build this shelter. At the same time, I feel a deep responsibility to use your support wisely and to make this project a reality.

A new chapter begins tomorrow. The summit of the mountain is still far ahead, but together with Rachel and the NFS team, we will work with all our strength to build a safe space where mothers and kittens can thrive. I hope you will continue to watch over us warmly as this journey unfolds.

Finally, once again, thank you so much for supporting the cats of Kenya from afar.

With gratitude,
Hiroko Sugimoto