It is the children of today who will become the rescuers of tomorrow – lead by example and teach your children to value and respect our animal friends and see what wonderful adults they become.
Montessori Anakku
While many of us enjoyed the long summer break, relieving ourselves from school and work, some continued to deal with life’s daily grind. This week’s Educator’s Corner features one of the most diligent and tireless teachers of our school, Ms. Michelle Francis, Fujairah’s most zealous animal welfare hero.
Despite her love for animals, she chose to become a teacher. Why? If there’s anything she loves more than her animals, it would probably be her children (a very close call between the two). She considers educating young children about the living world crucial. According to her, books are not the most important thing; learning about empathy, respect and other influential skills is what truly matters. She’s spent 29 years encouraging nearly three decades of youngsters and preparing them for the future.
Growing up, she has always looked up to her parents. Both her parents being animal enthusiasts themselves and her mother being a teacher, inspired Ms. Michelle to become who she is today.
Living in India throughout her childhood, with all sorts of farm animals, she learned from her family that domestic animals aren’t just pets; they are the most loving, loyal friends who devote unconditional love to their owners. This perspective on animals inspired her. For more than 15 years, she has dedicated a majority of her time to protect these animals and help them live under desirable conditions with her shelter. And every single moment has been worthwhile.
This summer was a little tough on her and the animals. With the devastating summer heat of this July and August, she discovered many dogs lying drained by heat strokes. The shelter being non government aided was quite challenging to maintain, without enough funds and minimal community help. Most of the funds for the animal shelter comes from her pocket, whether for their food, shelter, cleanliness, or veterinary runs.
Accommodating more than a thousand animals, the shelter provides air-conditioned areas, play areas and much more. Before the shelter, all that there was, was bare land. The whole shelter had been built from scratch by Ms. Michelle herself. Over the summer though, she was finally rewarded for her diligence and perseverance, by Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Khalifa Al Khalifa. Ms. Michelle was awarded a token of appreciation for her help to the animals in Fujairah over the past 19 years. She feels grateful and appreciated this award, but most of all, she hopes this award would be an inspiration to other people and spread awareness that the lives of these animals are as precious as ours.
A typical day at the shelter starts at 2:30 A.M. All the animals are checked on, fed and cleaned by 7 in the morning. Once it starts to get hot, the dogs head back inside and the shelter is cleaned. Throughout the day, all animals are checked for any injuries and are taken straight to the vet in Dubai in the evening. Her day ends around midnight, sometimes with little to no sleep.
So, how does she do it all? She said, “If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” It has become a habit for her for over 19 years. She enjoys her daily routine, spending the mornings with her dear students at school and the evenings with her animals at the shelter. They are the reason she has kept herself going for so long. They bring her peace and happiness and help to relieve her from the stress and pressure of the day.
If she could give any message to her students, it would be to be aware of the plight of animals and be empathetic to their condition.
“There’s no difference between my life, or a cat’s life, or even a cow’s life.” Treating animals with dignity, care and respect is an essential part of our life. When we learn to respect all life, we learn to love all life.
During the winters, the shelter is providing an opportunity for all those who want to come in to help, whether to read a book to the dogs, or simply interact with all of them. Anyone interested can contact Ms. Himani, the administrator of operations for the shelter.
– Ranya Jain, 10D
Story of hard work and dedication.