Friendicoes is a shelter - a place where sick animals come to recuperate, abandoned pets find refuge and every soul is offered a voice as animal lovers unite to fight for their rights. It offers medical care to countless indies and strays that have been ill-treated and forgotten by the society. Situated in Defence Colony, Friendicoes has been a refuge for sick, abandoned and injured animals in Delhi for over 28 years.
They cover the A-Z of animal care—from vaccinating, treating and caring for them, to putting them up for adoption. Friendicoes has pretty much single-handedly taken up the government and society and changed their perception towards the strays in the city, having already saved between 8000 – 12,000 dogs, equines, cats and other animals every year.
The women behind it are Geeta Seshamani, who started Friendicoes around 28 years ago, and Tandrali Kuli, who looks after administration, donor management, PR, fundraising, rescues management, volunteer management and adoption there.
When we asked them about their work in the field of animal welfare, we were promtly told that it isn’t work; it’s their passion. For over two decades, they have fought the government and bureaucracy to make a safe sanctuary for stray and abandoned animals in our city. Even though they’re always short on space, they never turn away an animal in need. The biggest challenge they face is ignorance. Lack of proper counselling and sensitivity adds to the problem.
They’ve been on the verge of shutting down, but they always find a way to keep it going. Unlike what people think of NGOs (what with regular government grants and huge donations), Friendicoes is a small organisation lacking in resources that does a lot of work for general animal welfare. Thankfully, young people in Delhi are now more aware, society is more sensitised and Friendicoes sees more volunteers and donations every year.
#FitToFight is an initiative by Reebok celebrating the extraordinary stories of everyday Indian women. This story is in partnership with Reebok.
