The Strength of the Whole: A Reflection on the AfA Coalition

The animal protection movement is, by its very nature, a tapestry of different voices. It is made up of grassroots advocates who know every inch of their local communities, specialized rescues, and national organizations pushing for systemic change. But as anyone who has been in the trenches knows, the work can often feel fragmented. When we work in isolation, we risk duplicating efforts and missing the broader perspective that only comes from looking outward.

Having served as an inaugural board member of the AfA Coalition, I have had the unique opportunity to see the high-level view of what happens when we intentionally bridge those gaps. From that vantage point, the value of the coalition isn't a pitch - it is a practical necessity. But more importantly, I’ve seen that the true strength of the whole lies in its representation. A coalition only succeeds when it is deeply rooted in the actual needs and wants of local groups while remaining a trusted partner for international funding organizations. 

During my time on the board and within the AfA Policy Coalition and Disaster Resilience Coalition groups, I saw how AfA acts as a critical interpreter. In the policy space, we’ve seen how grassroots experience, when channeled through a regional or global advocacy framework, carries a weight that individual groups cannot achieve alone. By working together, we ensure that the laws being drafted in distant halls are not just theoretical - they are informed by the lived experiences and the specific "on-the-ground" actionable capabilities of local organizations. 

This same philosophy of representation and partnership drives the Disaster Resilience Coalition. Rather than a top-down approach, this initiative focuses on the foundational work of gathering local organizations to identify their own vulnerabilities and priorities. By bringing potential funding organizations into this conversation at the ground level, AfA ensures that the funding "wants" of the international community are directly aligned with the "needs" of the local community. It creates a space where resources aren't just distributed; they are strategically invested in the resilience that local experts know they need. 

From my perspective, AfA functions as the movement's collective intelligence. For a grassroots group, it ensures your voice is represented in rooms you might not otherwise enter. For the philanthropic community, it offers a clear, data-driven picture of where their support can have the most systemic impact. 

The AfA Coalition exists because the animals we serve don't recognize organizational boundaries or policy silos. Our work is most effective when it is as interconnected as the problems we are trying to solve. When we align our efforts - centering the voices of those on the ground and the goals of those who support change - the value isn't just evident; it's transformative and inclusive.

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Dr Jackson T. Zee

FOUR PAWS International, Armed Conflict and Disaster Frameworks Expert and Asia for Animals Coalition Board Member