Equestrio Foundation is supporting the association YouCare on the Reunion Island for its project “New Life”, which aims to save stray animals from euthanasia and to find them new homes. Meet Thomas Moreau, the kind-hearted entrepreneur behind this project.
A forward-thinking man with his feet firmly set on the ground
To talk about Thomas is to start by taking a few steps forward and looking far ahead, towards tomorrow. And that’s perfect because at Equestrio Foundation, that’s exactly our mindset, all the more so when the horizon is tinged with generosity and good deeds!
A very committed unicorn
Thomas, a self-taught programmer, worked in real estate and communication before founding YouCare in 2018 alongside Charles Thiery: “With Charles, we had two objectives: to develop an innovative project and to give meaning to what we do. Not everyone can volunteer in an association or make regular donations. But what do we all do every day, on our smartphones and computers? Use a search engine. It’s free, but thanks to sponsored links, it’s a billion-dollar industry. If we could use some of it to do good, it could really change the world.” That’s what “YouCare” is all about: a charitable search engine that donates 50% of its turnover to environmental and animal welfare organizations. Pioneering and committed.
Turning clicks into good actions
By opting for the YouCare browser, users contribute to associations specializing in, among others, ocean protection, reforestation, cancer research, or animal protection – the very first cause supported by the search engine, which very rapidly decided to create its own eponymous association: “We then launched YouCare in order to carry out our own animal and biodiversity protection projects.”
It is through this association that Thomas launched the “New Life” project, supported by Equestrio Foundation in La Réunion.
Saving stray animals on Reunion Island
The Reunion Island is one of the DOM-TOMs on which there are the most stray animals. Over there, over 1,000 cats and dogs are euthanized each month, representing 80% of animal euthanasia in France. Thomas, who has always been a passionate supporter of the animal cause, could not stay unmoved by this situation. The idea to act came to him following the “Together for the Ocean” operation, carried out on the Reunion Island in June 2022: “When we were there, we regularly came across many stray dogs and cats, often in packs. The local associations are unfortunately saturated with requests for care and need our help.”
Sterilisation and adoption campaigns
In order to tackle this problem at the source, YouCare, supported by our foundation, is taking two-fold action: sterilization for “the animals used to living in the street and for whom rehabilitation with humans could prove to be difficult” and repatriation to the French Mainland for more domesticated animals so they can be offered a second chance.
The power of a trusted network
To carry out its actions, YouCare has built up a network of 400 trusted volunteers who are the pillars of this program. “We need a lot of equipment, but also volunteers on the island and people who agree to transfer the animals by plane and offer them a new home in mainland France.” A real chain of solidarity that has enabled 45 animals to be repatriated and 10 to be sterilized since the project was launched in June 2022.
And what next?
As you can easily imagine, Thomas rarely rests on his laurels! The man who is lurking over the Goliath Google’s market shares has set his sights on doubling the number of sterilizations per month and setting up a team of YouCare volunteers on the island to be able to take on more animals on-site.
Thomas Moreau may set his sights far ahead, but he often makes it to his destination. And, at Equestrio Foundation, we are very excited to be part of his journey. Do you want to join us?