ACF Animal Rescue USA

I was 24 years old when I came back to Pakistan — not entirely sure what I was doing, only knowing that I had to do something.

I didn’t have a plan. I didn’t have funding. I didn’t even know how to run a shelter. But I knew, with every part of me, that I couldn’t look away from the suffering of animals on our streets. Something was calling me back home. And I answered it.

I never imagined that 12 years later, I would be writing this… asking for your help to build Pakistan’s first animal rescue sanctuary.

Since starting this journey, I’ve had to move the animals four times. Four separate locations — each time forced out because people didn’t want animals near them. Each time came with harassment, rejection, and heartbreak. Each time, I packed up everything and started over.

And finally, I said: Enough.

I made a promise to myself — and to them — that even if it killed me, I would buy them a place of their own. A place where no one could tell them they didn’t belong. A place where they’d never have to be moved again.

Because in this country, the only spaces designated for animals are either zoos, which are prisons, or animal markets, which are worse. There is no place for animals to just be — to feel safe, to feel at peace, to feel home.

This sanctuary is my gift to them.

We’ve now managed to purchase 2.25 acres of beautiful land in Karachi — the seventh largest city in the world, in a country where animal welfare laws still don’t exist, and where millions of animals are abused or left to suffer alone.

But now, for the first time in Pakistan’s history, there is land that belongs to them.

Not rented.

Not temporary.

Bought in their name.

Built for their healing.

Every day, our rescue team answers 20 to 40 emergency calls across the city. To date, we’ve rescued over 35,000 animals, and at any given time, we care for 1,800 of them. And now, for the first time ever, we have a space where they will no longer just be “rescued” — they will be home.

I am asking you — from the deepest part of my soul — to please help us complete this. Help us build a sanctuary that is not just concrete and trees, but a living promise that animals in Pakistan do matter. That they do deserve love, dignity, and peace.

Thank you for walking this road with me. For believing in this impossible dream. For helping us give them the only thing they’ve ever truly wanted — a place to belong.

With all my love and gratitude,

Ayesha Chundrigar

Founder, ACF Animal Rescue

Founded in 2013, ACF began as just a dream — a small group of people determined to bring compassion and dignity to the lives of animals in Pakistan, where animal rights still remain unrecognized. From those early days in Karachi, we’ve never stopped. Over the past decade, we’ve worked tirelessly to build what is now the country’s first comprehensive animal rescue and welfare organization.

What started as a humble effort has grown into a movement. Today, we’ve rescued, rehabilitated, and cared for over 35,000 abused and neglected animals, and our shelter is home to over 1,800 animals at any given time — all receiving food, medical care, love, and safety.

Every day, our city-wide rescue service responds to 30 to 40 emergency calls, reaching injured and abused animals across Karachi — the 7th largest city in the world. Our hotline and call center operate non-stop, ensuring no cry for help goes unheard.

But our work doesn’t stop there.

• We run TNVR programs (Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return) to humanely manage the street dog population.

• We provide free medical services to donkey owners and hold community education sessions to reduce animal abuse.

• We collaborate with authorities to rescue wildlife from illegal markets and transition them to better futures.

• We ensure our employees receive fair wages, medical care, and educational support, so they too can grow while making a difference.

• And through outreach, we continue to plant the seeds of empathy in a society where animals have long been forgotten.

Everything we’ve achieved — every life saved, every wound healed — has only been possible because of the support of people like you. Your kindness powers our work and brings us closer to a world where animals are treated with the respect they deserve.

From our entire ACF family: thank you. Thank you for believing in this journey and for standing with us as we continue to fight for those who have no voice.

With all our love,

The ACF Team