In 2019, MVDr. Juraj Hanzel spent several months in Cairo as a volunteer at Billy’s Veterinary Hospital, working under the guidance of DVM. Barbora Elbadrawi Čechúrová. It was during this time that he first encountered the harsh conditions in which animals in Egypt live.

That same year, and again in 2022, he volunteered at ESMA (Egyptian Society for Mercy to Animals), the largest animal shelter in Cairo, which cares for over 2,000 animals—including dogs, cats, donkeys, and more. In 2022, he also worked as a volunteer at VetHouse Veterinary Center under the leadership of Dr. Ahmed Zaki, providing medical assistance to animals that would otherwise receive no care at all.

The conditions for animals in Egypt are extremely harsh. Many people live on the brink of poverty, and animals struggle to survive on the streets without owners. They are often victims of traffic accidents and have no one to look after them. Unfortunately, they rarely receive the help they need—and when they do, it is not always of the quality they deserve. Their only hope lies in people who refuse to turn a blind eye to their suffering.