ZOAH — Let’s Build the First Community Animal Refuge in Portugal!

ZOAH wants to create the first community shelter in Portugal, opening the first one in Peniche, where animals and people can find freedom, care, and hope. 🌍

ZOAH is a non-profit association dedicated to animal welfare and community education.
We want to create spaces where dogs and cats can live with dignity — and where families and schools can learn empathy, respect, and responsibility towards our four-legged companions.

Now, we’re ready for the next step:
to open the first ZOAH Community Animal Refuge in Portugal.

A space where every animal will have comfort, freedom, and love —
and where people can rediscover what it means to care.

With your support, we will:

1️⃣ Equip and prepare our first community refuge space
2️⃣ Launch educational programs in schools and local communities
3️⃣ Create our digital platform for awareness and communication
4️⃣ Promote adoption and volunteering events across Portugal

Your contribution is more than a donation —
it’s an act of compassion that helps build the future of animal welfare in Portugal.

🌍 All aboard the Ark for Animals.
Because no animal should ever be left behind.

About the author

My name is António Carvalho, and like thousands of people in Portugal, I live in an apartment with my dog.
I love him deeply — but every day I feel he deserves more.
More space. More freedom. More time by my side.

I leave for work in the morning and return at night.
He stays alone between four walls, unable to run, play, or explore.
And even though I give him all the love I can, sometimes it feels like it’s not enough.

Some days he barks from loneliness. Other days he makes a mess out of boredom.
And deep down, I know the problem isn’t him — it’s the lack of real solutions for families living in small apartments with pets.

That’s why I created ZOAH.

ZOAH was born from that same guilt and helplessness so many of us feel — transformed into action.
We want to create spaces where animals can be free, happy, and healthy again,
while their owners gain peace of mind, time, and balance.

ZOAH is where the love for animals meets human well-being.
It’s the missing balance between a human home and animal freedom.

With your help, we’ll build the first ZOAH Community Space —
a place that gives back to animals what the concrete world has taken from them: space, nature, and joy.

ZOAH is more than a project — it’s a promise.
A promise that every life, no matter how small, has value.

With your support, this promise will become a living, breathing reality filled with hope and love.

🌍 All aboard the Ark for Animals.
Because love… is freedom.

— António Carvalho, Founder of ZOAH

Budget and due dates

We aim to apply every euro with responsibility and transparency.
Phase one of ZOAH will focus on the legal, digital, and operational foundations of the association.

📆 Timeline

• Months 1–2: Legal setup & public launch

• Months 3–4: Digital infrastructure & materials

• Months 5–6: Space preparation & educational rollout

Transparency is a core principle:
All expenses will be publicly shared after the campaign ends.

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