Training and educating

Education empowers people to understand animal issues and make informed choices. By sharing knowledge and encouraging compassion, we’re building a kinder future for animals in Eastern Europe.

Preventing unwanted litters and caring for dogs and cats is just part of the solution – real, lasting change comes from education.

We’re passionate about helping animals across Eastern Europe through hands-on humane education and community outreach. It’s crucial to give people the tools to understand animal needs, prevent cruelty, and promote better care.

Explore this section

Our programmes engage with:

Governments and municipalities We collaborate with governments and municipalities in Eastern Europe, providing evidence and guidance to help them make informed decisions. Our support helps shape stronger animal welfare laws, implement humane stray animal programmes, and promote safer, healthier communities for people and animals alike.

Police officers and the legal system Laws alone can’t protect animals – they must be enforced. We train police and judicial authorities across Eastern Europe (and beyond) to recognise the link between animal cruelty and human violence, investigate cases effectively, and ensure animal crimes are taken seriously.

Animal welfare professionals (including charities, non-governmental organisations, shelters, and veterinarians) Working with animal welfare professionals in Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania means adapting our approach. Some embrace new ideas, while others need clear evidence. By sharing research, practical solutions, and success stories, we demonstrate what really works.

Pet guardians and communities Alongside our work with the above groups, we help pet guardians understand animal welfare, recognise neglect, and take shared responsibility for a more humane world. We’ve shared our messages through television, radio, and press across Eastern Europe. Community education is also at the heart of our spay-neuter initiatives and caring for cats and dogs projects.

Children and their teachers Creating a kinder society begins with children. Through hands-on lessons, engaging resources, interactive activities and online teacher training, our humane education programme helps educators nurture children into compassionate, responsible citizens who respect and care for animals.

By promoting an empathetic and enlightened society, we can work towards creating a better life for animals in Eastern Europe.

Our current and recent educational projects…

Ukraine

Police officers and the legal system

We’ve trained police, lawyers, and animal welfare groups in Ukraine and Moldova on ‘the link’ between animal abuse and broader violent crimes. Since the project began, reports and prosecutions for serious cruelty have increased, with some offenders receiving near-maximum eight-year sentences. Ukraine has also recognised ‘the link’ in national policy.After training police in other countries to help build safer, more compassionate communities, we expanded our mission through our dedicated Protect Animals. Protect People. campaign. Read more.

Together with dog control expert Brian Faulkner, we taught Ukrainian police officers about safer dog handling. By learning humane and effective handling techniques, officers can protect themselves, the public, and the animals they meet. As part of this project, we produced a Safer Dog Handling Manual – over 1,000 copies have since been shared with patrol teams throughout Ukraine.

Animal welfare professionals

Rescuers and shelters see the suffering of animals up close. We invite them to take part in our police training, so they learn to recognise and report abuse effectively. Through strong collaboration between animal welfare organisations and law enforcement, we can break the cycle of violence.

Children and their teachers

For years, we’ve supported teachers across Ukraine in bringing compassion into the classroom through our humane education projects. We’ve developed an online course on teaching kindness to animals and nature, showing how it can be integrated across any subject – from science and languages to art, literature, and sport. Our next step is to produce a video version of the course to reach even more educators.
We are writing an English as a Second Language (ESL) textbook that teaches English through lessons about kindness and proper animal care. Our Campaign Managers also joined an online ESL class in the Donetsk region, discussing responsible pet care and Ukrainian animal protection laws.
We have conducted dozens of Lessons of Kindness in schools and other facilities for children, and have published resources for them as well as their teachers.
We’ve created and printed a set of three workbooks that we’ve given to schools in Cherkasy, which focus on companion animals, wild animals and farm animals.

Focusing on education during a war might seem impossible, but it’s when empathy is needed most. Ukrainian children are growing up surrounded by hardship, and our programme helps them discover kindness and hope even in difficult times.

The Teacher Training Pack is exactly what we needed, it’s full of useful material. This is the first time I’ve been supplied with the tools I need to help educate the children as responsible and kind animal owners.

Primary school teacher, Tetyana Kolyada

I’m really enjoying learning about animals and how to care for them properly.
I want to become a vet so I can help animals who lost their homes like we did.

Feedback from young Ukrainian students who took part in our school education programme

A child wearing glasses and a yellow sweatshirt examines educational booklets on a wooden desk. The covers feature colourful illustrations of animals and Ukrainian text.

Two young girls with braided hair sit at a desk, engrossed in books. One holds a plush toy. The setting appears to be a classroom, creating a focused and educational atmosphere.

A classroom with students reading at desks while a teacher stands near her desk, showing them an open illustrated book. Heart-shaped balloons add a festive touch.

A person wearing casual clothing sitting outdoors on grass uses a laptop that shows a Naturewatch Foundation webpage in Ukrainian. A pair of purple glasses sits on the keyboard. The setting is calm.

A woman in a red jacket hands a leaflet to one of three seated children. They sit outdoors on wooden benches near parked cars, conveying a casual, friendly scene.

A group of children sit in a circle on a carpet, interacting and pointing at open animal-themed workbooks. The mood is studious.

Illustrated covers of three Ukrainian educational books about animals. Centre: a family and pets on a sofa; left: farm scenes; right: forest with animals.

Ukrainian police officer holding a booklet about stray dogs, seated at a desk with a laptop displaying the police emblem. A cup of coffee is nearby, and flags are in the background.

Two men exchange smiles and a firm handshake in front of a "Patrol Police" backdrop. They hold a framed image of a booklet featuring stray dogs. The image conveys cooperation and recognition.

A man speaks passionately to two women holding microphones in an interview setting, while another man manages a camera on a tripod.

Ukrainian police officers in uniform sit attentively in a meeting, holding pens and taking notes on paper. The mood is focused and professional.

Group role-play of a mock crime scene investigation in a classroom, with people in Ukrainian police uniforms or casual attire engaged with crime scene tape and a toy dog.

A virtual meeting with nine participants in video call windows. On the left, a shared screen displays a text about the importance of pets. The mood is positive and engaged.