Festive Season Aid: working donkey in Gaza helps woman safely deliver baby
Safe Haven for Donkeys, a Sussex based charity, cares for working and abandoned donkeys in Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Egypt, and Gaza. The charity, which was founded in 2020 and based in Haywards Heath, has been funding a mobile team in Gaza since April this year.
With fuel scarce, and many trucks, vans and cars destroyed, donkeys have become the main mode of transport for moving people in Gaza – often taking those who are injured to hospital – alongside carrying food, water, and essential medicines through a war-ravaged landscape.
The team on the ground work tirelessly every day to provide relief to donkeys and horses that have horrific harness wounds, as well as injuries from missiles and bombs. Having treated approximately 1,000 donkeys and horses to date, this number is growing daily.
How donkeys help save lives amongst the devastation
One story that is reminiscent of the Christmas nativity is Alaa’s. With no ambulance or vehicles available, a donkey named Fatima was the only hope for a pregnant Alaa, whose contractions began at home one evening, in an area where the roads are completely devastated. Here, only a donkey can access the area. Alaa contacted the charity who were able to arrange for Fatima to transport her to hospital.
Dr Saif, lead of the Gazan mobile team, describes the story, detailing how, “Soon after, Alaa was holding on tight to the donkey. The streets were littered with stones, shrapnel, and the remnants of completely wiped-out buildings that had once stood tall.”
“In Gaza, life has been increasingly difficult, if not even impossible. The war has left everything in dire circumstances. A donkey was the only glimmer of hope to save Alaa and her baby. With hospitals stretched thin and access to medical care limited, Alaa knew that the journey to the hospital would be perilous.”
The journey was long, tiring, and the sounds of shelling were increasing to cover larger areas. They never expected to make it to Nasar Hospital but eventually they reached the shattered, but still standing building. Alaa’s baby - Nur, was safely delivered hours later in the hospital, but only thanks to Fatima.
Donkeys like Fatima are now increasingly providing the most essential of services – evacuating people from danger, transporting them to hospital when they are sick, injured or, in Alaa’s case, desperately in need of a safe place to deliver a baby. It is critical that Safe Haven continues to treat donkeys in Gaza, not just to bring pain relief and prevent illness, but also to ensure they can continue saving lives.
How you can help Safe Haven for Donkeys this Christmas
Donkeys come into their care with a range of health needs, which often need ongoing treatment. There are also donkeys who occasionally get sick or injured. That’s why it’s essential to keep the medicine cabinets well-stocked with all the essentials. With your help, the charity can treat problems as soon as they present themselves, swiftly putting smiles back on faces. To sponsor a medicine cabinet to treat the donkeys in Gaza, or to find out more and support Safe Haven for Donkeys’ work this Christmas, visit https://www.safehaven4donkeys.org.