The good Cornellians can do: Keneilwe Mmabatho Selepeng ’14
After graduating from Cornell, Keneilwe Selepeng '14 returned home to Gaborone, Botswana, where she tutors aspiring high school students and provides university application support. She grew up loving animals—in a place where animal welfare is often not a priority. She explains that cats, in particular, suffer as a result of ingrained superstitions in Botswana.
When she saw a social media volunteer recruitment posted by the Animal Assist Trust Foundation Botswana (AATFB), she was heartened to find a community of people of like mind.
AATFB rescues animals in distress, facilitates foster care and adoption, and provides outreach on animal safety and welfare. The group hosts monthly dog walks and an animal rescue group chat on WhatsApp, and its volunteers conduct trap-neuter-release campaigns to help manage the local feral cat population.
“Visiting the home-based catteries is always a treat for me,” Keneilwe says. “Altogether, the organization rescues and fosters around 50 cats and a handful of dogs, some of whom have been injured or abused by previous owners or just from living on the streets. These animals often need to rebuild their trust in humans. When they get visitors, it's heartwarming how they slowly come to you and ask for cuddles and start purring.”
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