Projeto Anjinhos da Rua: the world's largest private sanctuary for abandoned animals

Projeto Anjinhos da Rua, the world's largest private sanctuary for abandoned animals, is located in the city of Peruíbe and covers more than 1 million square meters dedicated to caring for animals that were abandoned or mistreated.

Started in 2006 and funded by the Machado family ever since, Projeto Anjinhos da Rua came about through a formerly abandoned dog, Quinho. Through his eyes, in a spiritual experience, he showed his owner and best friend Henrique Machado that a project should begin: a place where animals like him would be rescued and given plenty of love, affection, comfort and safety, no longer at risk of abuse, abandonment or neglect by humans.

In almost 13 years, Projeto Anjinhos da Rua has saved thousands of animals and today shelters and cares for more than 1,300 animals of many species, including dogs, cats, pigs, rabbits, horses, cows, oxen and a buffalo. The project also provides state-of-the-art veterinary treatment, with a large team of professionals and top-quality medicine and equipment.

It is worth stressing that all of the project's work is free of charge: hundreds of people who cannot afford veterinary care for their pets are seen every day.

The mission of Projeto Anjinhos da Rua is to pass on love through simple gestures, spreading attention and affection to others and encouraging people to embrace the animal cause, showing that everyone, without distinction, deserves to live with dignity, joy and the basic conditions for a good life, which sadly does not always happen.

Following this philosophy of loving others and giving everyone the chance to live with dignity, Projeto Anjinhos da Rua plans to take a bigger step in the near future, with a program to support children, the elderly and people who have been abandoned.