Safe Haven for Donkeys was set up in 2000 to help the thousands of working donkeys in Israel and the Palestinian Territories (the West Bank).
Today, our sanctuary in Israel is providing life-long care to around 180 unwanted and abused donkeys of all ages but the charity’s work does not stop at the sanctuary gates.
We also have a rescue centre in Arrana, in the West Bank, which is home to donkeys who have suffered abuse and neglect.
Each month, our three mobile clinics help many hundreds of working donkeys, mules and horses across the West Bank and we also have a permanent clinic in the Palestinian city of Nablus. Common injuries such as those from poor harnessing, overgrown hooves and bad teeth are easily treatable and go a long way in improving the lives of the animals who work so hard for so little.
Advice and education are key parts of Safe Haven’s work with the owners and their children. Through our dedication and gentle approach, our three teams have many many friends and are treated with trust and respect.
In 2023, after being approached by a veterinary surgeon in Egypt, we began working with an Egyptian partner organisation to ease the pain and suffering of the donkeys in the brick kilns in the El Saf region. You can read more about our vet team in Egypt here.
And more recently we have introduced a first aid mobile clinic in Gaza, providing much-needed help to working donkeys, mules and horses in the region. You can read more about our new team here.
Please help us to continue our vital work looking after the residents of Safe Haven and reaching out to those donkeys pulling carts, carrying loads or abandoned when too old or injured to work.
Be reassured your money goes directly to help donkeys. Apart from a small team of UK staff whose focus is raising the funds necessary to support the donkeys (just 3 full time equivalent), all funds go directly to caring for donkeys in Israel, the West Bank and Egypt.
Our outlook on helping working donkeys and horses is to provide treatment to relieve pain and suffering and education to prevent those injuries and illnesses reoccurring. We know that this method is effective because when we go back into an area, we can easily see the difference we’ve made by the number and types of injuries that are presented to our vet. Research and advocacy are also helping us to change mindsets.
Our ambition is to get to more places in the Middle East and around the world where we can use this tried and tested methodology to even better effect. We can only do that with your continued support. Thank You!
You can find more about our Vision, Mission and Values here
Safe Haven is supported by our Royal Patron: Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra the Hon Lady Ogilvy KG GCVO and by our Patrons: The Rt Hon the Earl of Stockton, The Rt Hon Ann Widdecombe DSG, Desmond Lynam OBE, Anthony Head, Peter Egan, Kay Burley and Jan Leeming.
We are proud to be a member of the National Equine Welfare Council and the Working Animal Alliance.
