The nomination "Responsible for those...": Marina Kim, together with her colleagues, equipped a mobile surgical room where stray animals are sterilized.
Marina Kim heads the New Chance Foundation in the Almaty region, which is also a shelter for those animals who find themselves on the street- writes Informburo.kz. She joined the foundation as a volunteer, and when the previous management left the shelter, it turned out that no one needed the animals. It was then that Marina made the decision to do everything that depends on her and save the shelter.
However, not everything turned out to be easy, the fragile girl faced many difficulties. The shelter was located on a leased plot, and Marina Kim was informed that the contract would not be extended and the dogs should be taken out as soon as possible.
"Without responsive people, we would not have been able to cope with such a difficult task. How and where to take more than 60 dogs? Where to find shelter for them, how to create the most comfortable conditions, provide food and water? But we did it. I never tire of repeating that there are more good people than bad ones!" said Marina Kim.
Marina's words were confirmed by Kazakhstani people of different ages and professions, who, upon learning about the problems, volunteered to transport the dogs for free or take them temporarily for overexposure. People brought food, made donations for the purchase of land for the construction of a shelter. Almaty residents bought building materials for the construction of the "dog house".
"After that, I decided to enroll in the second higher education and become a veterinarian. After graduation, I attended a seminar on sterilization from the Brigitte Bord Foundation, where I met surgeons from Russia and Spain. Anna Esipova became my mentor in surgery, and she invited me to practice in Spain, where I spent two weeks. Every year I take part in free animal sterilization campaigns in many cities of Kazakhstan, as well as in Armenia and Azerbaijan," Marina Kim continues.
Two years ago, together with another charity foundation, Novy Chance, I launched the Omirdi Aktau project, which means "Saving lives" in Russian, and opened an inpatient clinic in the Almaty region, where doctors sterilize animals at discounted prices.
Currently, 100 dogs and one donkey live in the New Chance shelter, she has been diagnosed with laminitis, an ailment affecting the hooves. Winter's favorite treat is dog food. For a long time, she approached the dog's enclosure, which for some reason aroused a strong dislike, and stopped next to it. The dog barked and turned over the bowl, some of the food spilled out of the enclosure, where it was instantly eaten by Winter.
But Winter wasn't the only one who needed treatment when she was admitted to the shelter. Four-legged victims of car accidents, beaten and maimed animals find a "New chance" at health in the shelter and return to a full life.
"The stories of our pets are shocking. We have a blind dog named Tiger. The owner left him tied to a tree by the roadway during a heavy snowfall in winter. The dog went blind the day before, presumably from a strong blow," Marina recalls.
The tiger miraculously did not freeze to death. They took him out, and gradually he learned to navigate in space. The beautiful Matilda lives in the aviary next to him. She arrived at the shelter directly by air - Matilda was thrown over the two-meter fence of the shelter. The ruthless people then abandoned five puppies, two of whom died from their injuries.
"The big problem of our society is that we have not developed a responsible attitude towards pets. People first take puppies and kittens, admire them, post photos on social media, and then throw them away. Those who "grew up ugly" or "no one has time to walk a dog." At the same time, animals are not sterilized or vaccinated," the shelter's owner cites examples of people's irresponsible attitude towards pets.
The shelter's team is actively advocating for sterilization, so in 2025, the foundation came up with and implemented another project – a surgical room on wheels.
"A vetmobile is a machine equipped for a surgical office, in which we can travel to remote corners of our region. I believe that sterilization is a humane method of dealing with stray animals, because stray animals do not fall from the sky, they are the result of human irresponsibility. I really want to believe that my work is the beginning of humanity and a future without the suffering of innocent animals," the head of the New Chance Foundation is convinced.
Photos from Marina Kim's personal archive.