Gifts in Action
The difference that mother and foal post-natal care makes…
Cart donkey Asala is invaluable to Moftah and his wife and 8 children, who live in a Bedouin community in Matrouh, Egypt. Asala’s main tasks include carrying water to the family home and transporting produce to market, but she also carried Moftah’s youngest son through the night to hospital last year – saving his life.
June was a very exciting time for the family as Asala was expecting a foal. However, her due date had come and gone and she was restless and in pain. Luckily a neighbour advised Moftah to bring Asala to the Brooke for help – and Moftah gratefully hurried to our clinic.
Once Dr Mahmoud had examined Asala, he realised that her foal was incorrectly positioned in her womb, and the birth could be dangerous. For that reason he and his team carefully helped Asala deliver her foal by hand and when she was finally born they cleared her airways so she could take her first breath.
After that Asala was determined to take over and began licking her foal – who Moftah named Saeeda. The Brooke team helped Saeeda learn how to suckle from Asala and gave Moftah advice on looking after his new arrival.
Thankfully both Asala and Saeeda are now doing well – thanks to the Brooke team and the kind support of a Brooke supporter.