On the 22nd of April 2017 I am bringing together the most dedicated, passionate and tenacious Romanian animal activists in Moieciu, Brasov. This meeting will give everyone a chance to meet face-to-face for the first time and together set up a strategy to grow the animal rights movement in Romania.

In the last few years, people across the world were shocked by images of the barbaric ways in which stray dogs are being starved and killed in Romanian “shelters”. This is only a small part of the cruelty that animals endure in Romania – dilapidated zoos, wild animal circuses and dolphin shows are still as popular as ever. Vile businesses such as fur and foie gras farms are thriving, and animal agriculture is growing each year due to major investments and government subsidies. Two hundred and fifty million land animals are killed in Romanian abattoirs every year and Romania is exporting more live animals to the Middle East than any other EU member state.

With no local animal rights charities exposing abuses, animals continue to suffer unheard, unseen and without hope that things will ever improve.

As a Romanian citizen and an animal activist, I feel compelled to help. That is why I am organising this event – a starting point for a grassroots activist group which will speak against government policies like the mass euthanasia of stray dogs or subsidies for fur farms, expose the hidden horrors of slaughterhouses, teach Romanians to live a cruelty-free life, and most of all - be a strong voice for the mistreated animals of Romania.

The money I am raising through this crowdfunding page will be used to purchase plane tickets, accommodation and meals for an animal rights activist who will speak at the event, also to cover expenses for some of the Romanian activists who can't otherwise afford to take part, and to provide for snacks and refreshments.