Dubai: It was the Ramadan of 2008 when Dubai resident Ursula Manvatkar was moving out of the Jebel Ali Village community. The area itself, though, was facing a bit of a crisis. Because of re-development plans, residents were moving out of the community but leaving their pets behind.
“A lot of animals were being abandoned by residents and we were one of the last residents to leave the area. As an animal-loving family we decided to do something for them,” Manvatkar told Gulf News.
The family contacted several animal rescue groups but most were unable to help because of the sheer scale of the problem — almost 1,000 cats and dogs had been abandoned by former residents of the area.
“We contacted a lot of animal rescue groups but they couldn’t do anything as it was too big a project. So, we decided to do something on our own,” she said.
What followed was a massive project that went on for over three months — the family contacted corporations who would be willing to fund the efforts to trap and rehome all the animals.
Around the same time, the family also faced a personal challenge — Manvatkar’s mother was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
“We also had her treatment and surgery happening at around the same time,” she said.
Today, her mother is completely recovered and Manvatkar believes it was the good the family did helping the animals, which came back to help them at a difficult time.
“This is what we feel — our act of kindness has definitely been rewarded through her good health,” she said.
This act of kindness to animals also went on to shape Manvatkar’s future career.
“I used to work with different companies in the marketing industry. However, I always felt like something was missing. Because of the animal rescue programme, the companies that were involved received a good amount of exposure. I then experimented in 2010 with hot food handouts in workers’ accommodations on behalf of companies. That also got us a lot of attention and goodwill,” she said.
That’s when Manvatkar realised that her true passion was in corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
“I decided to quit and start my own company. Today, we handle CSR initiatives for companies where I help identify projects that companies can be a part of,” she said.
This change in her life happened by sheer accident, Manvatkar said.
“Every cloud has a silver lining. It was pretty stressful situation for our family, we went through a lot of emotional trauma, stress and financial challenges. But we have come out strong. It was a good experience for me to understand where my destiny was in terms of my career. I was never meant to have a run-of-the-mill career but one where I could contribute to society and earn a living as well.”
The writer is a freelance journalist with Gulf News
