ACF’s unique initiative: donkey gets care, owner gets a haircut

WEB DESK: Pakistan’s largest animal rescue organisation, the Ayesha Chundrigar Foundation (ACF), has launched a groundbreaking initiative – as part of their Donkey Camps – aimed at not only treating and supporting donkeys but also giving some pampering to their owners.

ACF’s Donkey Camps are medical camps held in donkey/equine populated areas of Karachi, and around brick kilns near Islamabad. The foundation offers free medical treatment, food and water to the donkeys and holds educational sessions for the owners on donkey behaviour and humane handling methods.

In one such camp, however, ACF Founder Ayesha Chundrigar, felt like the animal owners were more concerned about how they were perceived on ACF’s cameras rather than about fully engaging in the immersive experience of learning and education. In an Instagram post, Ayesha Chundrigar explained how one of her associates Khumar Raza came up with a brilliant solution to shift the focus of the camp from the foundation to the caretakers themselves. This is dubbed as “self-care donkey camp” by Chundrigar.

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Khumar suggested bringing a barber into the camp – because most of the time these donkey owners come straight from their jobs, covered in dust and disheveled, and a haircut and a shave would be a pleasant experience for them too. Developing on that idea, the ACF team also noticed that the donkey owners often also have their footwear worn down or torn, which made them bring aboard a cobbler too, along with some shoes in different sizes.

Put together, while the donkeys went through their checkups, medication, and grooming, their owners too had a pampering day to themselves, giving them a much needed break, along with a much higher motivation to attend such camps and to take care of their animals better as well.

ACF notes that working animals and their owners are one of the largest and most neglected communities in the country. With such initiatives, while the donkeys received the care and attention they needed, their owners were also treated to a rare moment of self-care and dignity. By offering this simple yet meaningful gesture of kindness, the ACF turned the Donkey Camps into a celebration of both the animals and the people who look after them.

Here’s the story, from Ayesha Chundrigar herself:

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