I used to have 20 donkeys, all of them worked in the brick kiln. We earned good money, our entire family relied on them. The work at the brick kiln is mostly done under the scorching sun. Temperatures in Beed district often reach above 40-42 degrees Celsius, which severely impacted the health of the donkeys. Many donkeys fell sick and died due to lack of timely medical attention. Therefore, we sold all the donkeys and bought an auto rickshaw to transport bricks.

The initial treatment took place in Ambajogai. However, as the monsoon season began and the brick kilns temporarily closed, Rukhman Gavli and his 12 animals relocated to his village in Kalamb (Dist. Dharashiv). Committed to the welfare of the animals, Prashant Arkade visited Kalamb twice more to continue treating the donkey’s eye condition. After three dedicated visits and ongoing treatment, the donkey’s symptoms improved significantly; the watery eyes ceased, and the donkey’s vision was fully restored.

We were forced to sell the donkeys because of the lack of proper medical care and their deteriorating health. If we had access to such timely treatment earlier, we would have never sold them. We are now considering reviving our business if such services are available in the future. This was shared by Pradeep Bawane from Tokwadi (Parli, Beed).

The “Sparsham” project, a joint initiative of “Dharma Donkey Sanctuary” and “FIAPO,” has been providing healthcare to donkeys working in brick kilns, sand transportation, and other related industries in Parli, Ambajogai, and Sagroli for the past one and a half months.

This project currently caters to the health needs of 1356 donkeys. In Parli region, 430 donkeys work in 87 brick kilns. Similarly, 321 donkeys work in 36 brick kilns in Ambajogai and 605 donkeys are involved in sand transportation in 25 villages near Manjra and Godavari rivers in the Sagroli region.