Animal welfare sometimes starts in makeshift classrooms.
Cape Town, South Africa (11 September 2025) – When a group of Grade 6 learners arrived at the Mdzananda Animal Clinic in Khayelitsha, they looked desperate for some help in completing an important school assignment.
The pupils had been tasked with a project on animal welfare, specifically about the SPCA. Unfortunately, they didn’t have transport to get to their local SPCA. Stuck but determined for full marks, they turned to the Mdzananda Animal Clinic for help. Even though it wasn’t quite the organisation their project was about.
And of course, like kind souls at animal clinics often do, they opened their doors.
Instead of turning the young minds away, Mdzananda’s very own Veterinary Welfare Assistant, Sigcobile, made a plan. She pulled up chairs in the clinic’s outside waiting area, sat them down, and transformed it into a makeshift classroom.
“At Mdzananda, we believe education is one of the most powerful tools to create lasting change for animals,” the clinic shared.
Sigcobile spent time answering their questions, breaking down what animal welfare really means, and giving them the tools they needed to not only finish their assignment but to walk away with a bigger understanding of the responsibility humans have toward animals.
She also made sure they understood something important: while Mdzananda is not the SPCA, their mission, just as that of any other animal welfare organisation, is just as important. There’s a golden thread that runs through it all, and that’s to protect animals in need.
Nervous faces had shifted into smiles by the end of the impromptu lesson, and the learners left with the knowledge they needed to nail their school project. Plus, they said goodbye, knowing why it’s crucial to treat animals with love and care.
“With [Sigcobile’s] passion for animals and the work we do, she guided them through their questions, helping them understand what animal welfare truly means,” the clinic said.
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Education is one of the most powerful tools for creating lasting change for animals. Thanks to Mdzananda Animal Clinic for going the extra mile for young minds in their community!
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