环球英语 — 257：Donkey Sanctuary
Voice 1
Hello. I’m Marina Santee.
Voice 2
And I’m Liz Waid. Welcome to Spotlight. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
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‘It is donkeys that transport the products down the mountains - potatoes, vegetables, corn. These mountainsides are rocky. The Matatu people cannot reach there.’ Kenyan farmer
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‘I can earn money with each load of water that my donkey carries to town. Without my donkey, I would have no work or earnings.’ Sudan
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‘Without a donkey, my wife and I become the donkeys.’ Ethiopian farmer
Voice 1
In many rural areas of the world the donkey is the most valued animal. Yet to many people in the west, the creature is something to laugh at! Keith Powell knows this from his own experiences. Keith is an animal doctor - a vet. He specialises in treating donkeys! He said,
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‘When I tell people in the west about my work, they often laugh. Or they look at me with sympathy. For them, the donkey is not the most popular creature to work with. Yet, millions of people depend on the donkey. This is true in India, China, Mexico, Sudan, Ethiopia - and many other countries! To most people there, donkey power is more important than the modern vehicle engine!’
‘I work in Ethiopia. This country has experienced famines and wars. Yet Ethiopian farmers consider it worth keeping five and a half million [5,500,000] donkeys. Donkeys not produce food. But ask a farmer why he keeps donkeys. He will tell you, “Without a donkey, my wife and I become the donkeys.” The donkey is the workhorse that powers a farming industry. It is the only transport system here. It can survive heavy workloads in this difficult environment. The donkeys help farm the land for crops. They carry produce to and from the fields. The donkey is a way of giving effective and long lasting assistance. One of their most important jobs is reducing the women’s work load.’
Voice 1
It is early in the morning. The sun is still rising. But the local market in Tigray, Ethiopia, is already over-crowded. Mainly, it is women - and donkeys! Many women have walked all night to make the long trip to the market. Their donkeys are loaded with firewood or charcoal. These products earn the women money. They sell them here at the local market. In this way, the donkeys provide the women with a way to survive.
An Ethiopian woman cries if her donkey dies. And she has good reason to. It is her donkey that carries the water every day across the mountains. It is her donkey that transports the firewood. It is her donkey that carries the load. Without it, the woman becomes the donkey.
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Farmers depend on donkeys to farm their fields, carry their goods. Some even use donkeys during food shortages. The donkeys are able to carry food supplies from aid centres into mountainous areas. The donkey is an important part of everyday life to the average village farmer.
Voice 1
So caring for donkeys does not seem so strange. It is helping the helpers of people! And over the past few years, different organisations have discovered how important donkeys are. They are working to help its survival.
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The Donkey Sanctuary is an aid group. People do not have to pay for the Sanctuary’s services. The Sanctuary began over thirty years ago. It is based in the United Kingdom. The group began by helping British donkeys. British farmers did not always treat their donkeys well. So, the Sanctuary provided a safe, caring place for these donkeys. In other cases, owners were no longer able to care for their donkeys - because of a change in situation or sickness. So the Sanctuary cared for these donkeys too.
Voice 1
Since these small beginnings, the Donkey Sanctuary has expanded greatly! Today, the Sanctuary works in many places around the world - such as India, Mexico, Kenya, Egypt and European countries. It works to improve conditions for working donkeys. The Sanctuary’s work includes research into diseases that affect donkeys, and their treatment. It manages workshops for donkey owners. And it provides donkey clinics. The clinics are places that treat sick and injured donkeys. Skilled workers transport the clinics from one needy area to another. They set up the clinics in areas far from towns. One of the poorest areas that they work is in North Eastern Tigray, Ethiopia.
Voice 2
It is forty-two [42] degrees Celsius. The hot sun shines over the dry and dusty village in Tigray. There has not been rain here for many months. In fact, for the last two years, the land has been without enough rain. Around two hundred and fifty [250] households live here. The conditions are extremely poor. The stone houses have one window, a door and a dirt floor. The nearest electricity and running water supplies are over two hundred kilometres from here. The nearest road is over thirty kilometres away. The donkey clinic operates from a special vehicle. It is a Landrover, with four wheel drive. This is the only way the workers could reach the village. Many people wait by the clinic vehicle with their animals. The atmosphere is intense, yet happy. Farmers are hopeful. This clinic can give them back their labour force!
The team of workers begins at sunrise. Ten hours later, the crowd is big. Workers have treated around one hundred and fifty [150] donkeys so far. The local animal doctor also comes to the clinic. She receives training. And she describes the particular problems in the area. While the work continues, people from other villages come. They are not happy. They ask why the medical clinic has not come to their village. Arguments begin between villagers. The medical workers intervene. They promise to go to their village next. It is not unusual to see such emotion over donkeys. For these farmers, donkeys are linked to their survival.
Voice 1
The Sanctuary has been working in Ethiopia for twenty-one [21] years. It operates similar clinics in other countries across the world. The Sanctuary knows that for many people, donkeys are a means of survival. In saving the donkey, they are giving farmers the means to help themselves. This is lasting, or sustainable, development. Experts in the field know that this is the kind of development work has the greatest effect.
