About LAPA

About us

LAPA was founded by Natalia Chumak in early 2013. We celebrate LAPA’s birthday on the 1st March. We will be celebrating out 10th anniversary on the 1st of March 2023!
Our work has evolved considerably over the years but we remain a small charity run by a team of dedicated volunteers.
There is a lot of animal suffering in Russia. We focus our efforts on cats and dogs. There are millions of strays and abandoned pets in Russia whose future is bleak due to cruelty, neglect, disease and harsh weather conditions.  We work in a number of small locations in Central Russia and do what we can to help at least some of those who have noone else to help them.

Through our Rescue and Shelter Support, Veterinary Treatment and Rehoming Programmes we help those who need our help right now. We also work on preventing animal suffering in the future through our Neutering Programme (by reducing the number of animals who will end up in the streets). Further, we have created and run for many years a unique Educational Programme for children (by teaching them how to treat animals responsibly). In 2021 we donated our Educational Programme to a Russia-based charity in order to increase the reach of the programme.

Natalia Chumak

Founder and Trustee
Natalia is an English qualified solicitor and is a partner in a law firm in the City of London. Before founding LAPA, Natalia had rescued and helped many cats and dogs in various countries including Russia, England, Tajikistan, Mauritius, Spain and BVI. Natalia has 4 rescue pets – 2 cats and 2 dogs. Some of her pets have special needs.

Simon Moore

Trustee
Simon is a retired solicitor and a former partner in a law firm in the City of London. He is an avid animal lover, an experienced amateur ornithologist and has an interest in the marine environment.

a. Jess Sterry

Rehoming Support
Jess has a background in marine biology and adult nursing and joined our UK team after she adopted one of our rescues. Jess is actively involved in all aspects of our Rehoming Programme with a keen interest in dog training and post-adoption support.

Irina Gibert

Design and Social sites
Irina is an animal loving interior architect. She is responsible for curating LAPA brand identity design and LAPA Instagram feed.