Community Action Award Recipient Profile: Lilia Mannes '20

Each summer, approximately 50 Bard students receive Community Action Awards (CAA) from the Center for Civic Engagement. CAAs support student efforts to engage with communities locally, nationally, and internationally by providing funding for participation in unpaid or underpaid internships that address issues impacting people around the world.

This year, I interned at the Baan Unrak Thai Animal Sanctuary,  located in Thailand, close to the border of Burma. While it is called an “Animal Sanctuary,” we work mostly with dogs and cats as the only source of veterinary care in a four-hour radius. The sanctuary is relied upon heavily by locals who are able to bring their animals in for free. 

I first came to the sanctuary two years ago as a volunteer when I wanted to experience a new part of the world and work with animals. I have always loved animals, and. the impact the sanctuary has had on the local population through increased accessibility to veterinary care both impresses and inspires me. The sanctuary also runs ‘spay and neuter camps’ in which the vets travel to nearby villages to sterilize dogs and cats to limit their population growth. 

My time at the sanctuary was spent caring for the dogs that live there. I arrived daily at eight in the morning to clean the poop from their enclosures and provide them with fresh water. What followed was the dogs’ favorite time of day: walk time. The dogs went on at least one walk a day, and in order to walk every dog the volunteers had to go on at least two, sometimes three walks with one and four dogs at a time. After the walk we prepared breakfast. Some dogs received a simple bowl of kibble, others were on special diets due to health concerns. The feeding took a while as there were about 40 dogs at the sanctuary, and they had to be supervised to prevent them from stealing each other’s food. Some were also on medication. Despite limited funds, the sanctuary was able to provide specialized care for the dogs that needed it.

In the afternoons, I cleaned, did laundry, bathed the dogs, and fed them for the second time. But not everything went according to routine. I was in Thailand during the rainy season, which makes everything dirtier and more difficult. One day, one of the enclosures was flooded from the heavy rain. So, we dug a small channel to divert the water out of the enclosure. 

My experience in Thailand helped hone my ability to adapt to a lifestyle very different from how I grew up in America. I look forward to applying this adaptability after graduation, when I hope to live and work abroad.
 

Post Date: 09-13-2019