Who We Are
We are a compassionate organization based in Uganda. Established in 2018, the Podrska Foundation advocates for all sentient beings to bring about positive change to human and non-human animals.
You have the power to save human and nonhuman lives.
About us
We are a compassionate organization based in Uganda, established in 2018, with the mission of advocating for all sentient beings, bringing about positive change to human and non-human animals, and creating awareness of the intersections of human and animal rights. We believe that everyone deserves to live a healthy and cruelty-free lifestyle, and we’re committed to making a cruelty-free plant-based lifestyle accessible to everyone, regardless of their background, culture, or socioeconomic status. We also believe that the promotion of human and animal rights is essential to the creation of a just and equitable society.
The Podrska Foundation is dedicated to promoting a plant-based lifestyle through education, outreach, and community engagement. We strive to create a world where all people have access to healthy and sustainable food choices. We’re also deeply committed to advocating for animal rights, recognizing that non-human animals are sentient beings with the right to live free from harm and exploitation.
At our core, we’re a group of passionate individuals who share a vision of a kinder, more compassionate world. We know that every choice we make has an impact on the world around us, and we’re dedicated to making a positive change. We believe that human rights are interlinked with animal rights and environmental sustainability, and that by promoting a plant-based lifestyle, we can contribute to a more just and equitable world for all beings.
The Founder
Dash Meizler (a.k.a. Fahd Kharim Ssevume)
My passion for helping humans has been with me since I was a child growing up in Uganda. I saw my parents struggle to get my four siblings and me educated. In 2007, when I had to transition from my primary school to a secondary school, my parents had no money to pay for my secondary education but they did not give up. As a result of a lie about me having no father, I was taken to a remote rural area where I secured a place in a school; that experience left me sleepless for many nights. While finishing school, I experienced hunger for the first time as there was nothing available to eat there. The hunger for both an education and food was what motivated me to undertake humanitarian work. I don’t want others to sleep on empty stomachs or children to drop out of school because their parents can’t afford to educate them.
My compassion for non-human animals took root late in my life long after I stopped working on a poultry farm on which I had grown up. It all started when a friend sent me a video showing the Taliban cutting off people’s heads. I was so disturbed that I asked my friend not to send me such videos. He replied “gwe nga osala bano” – which means “how come you also slaughter others?” I asked him “which others?” and he replied “chickens.” I dismissed his comment as laughable until one day when I was slaughtering a chicken, and, in the process of taking off their head, theirblood spilt on my foot. At that moment I hoped that I would never die like that. And, suddenly, a statement made by the same friend who sent me the videos popped up in my head: “So you don’t want to die the way you kill chickens, but you are playing God by already killing living things the same way in which you don’t want to die.” I suddenly felt a connection between the taking of a chicken’s life and the taking of a human life. That was my last act of slaughter. However, I did not become vegan immediately as I continued to eat what others slaughtered. But I started making connections between animal products and suffering, I started valuing the lives of non-human animals as much as I valued humans. Since 2018 I have been living a vegan lifestyle and helping others develop empathy for and justice towards our non-human fellow inhabitants of this planet.
Interview with Dash
Our Team
Our team is made up of a group of dedicated individuals who share a common goal of promoting compassion and improving the lives of both human and non-human animals. We come from diverse backgrounds and possess a wide range of skills, but we all share a passion for creating positive change in our communities.
Working together, we strive to make a meaningful impact through our various programs and initiatives. We believe that by working together, we can accomplish much more than we ever could alone. Our team values collaboration, communication, and empathy, and we strive to reflect these values in all that we do.
We are committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for all who wish to join us in our mission. We believe that everyone has something valuable to contribute, and we welcome people from all walks of life to join us in making the world more compassionate. Together, we can make a difference and create a brighter future for all beings.
Vision
Our vision is to educate and empower the most vulnerable humans to fulfil their needs and those of non-human animals, and thus live lives that are healthy, environmentally sustainable, and, above all, ethically oriented.
Mission
Our mission is to respond to the urgent needs of at-risk human beings and to advocate for non-human animals. Each of our programs encourages participants to make choices informed by compassion for non-human animals.
Values
- We meet the needs of the vulnerable with empathy.
- We respond to crises in a timely fashion.
- We engage with our beneficiaries honestly and openly.
- We demonstrate the joy of service.
- We take responsibility for our actions and keep record of expenses.