Development of new location on its way – September 2009

As you could read in the previous article on this webpage, our donkey sanctuary is forced to move to another location. This is a financial disaster for us, as we have to knock down all our buildings and rebuild them at a new site.  Moreover, it does not only bring us a lot of extra expenses, but also a lot of extra work!

Sitting down in despair however is not an option. Our hundreds of donkeys need a safe place to live and we do not want them back on the streets outlawed again. So during the last months we have been trying with might and main to collect money, to find sponsors and to raise funds for our mandatory relocation. Too bad many of our efforts came to nothing. But fortunately we also had some great results!

KI Developments, a Dutch real estate developer that also builds a lot of projects on Bonaire, will build new stables and a meadow for ill and pregnant donkeys for free.

Werkcon, a metal construction company from Holland that also builds houses on Bonaire, sponsors our new shop and adjacent store. Besides they helped us moving our wooden belvedere tower to the new location with their hoisting crane.

The Society of the Dutch Donkey Studbook helps us enormously by sponsoring a new windmill. Thanks to this windmill of Dutch manufacture, we are able to provide in our complete need for electricity independently and eco-friendly! They also donate us a necessary water pump.

The Donkey Sanctuary in the United Kingdom gave us money to build sun shelter roofs for our donkeys. And some of our loyal private supporters gave us extra donations for various smaller projects of the relocation.

Of course we are very happy with and grateful for all those gifts. But there still is a long way to go….

Money to build the ‘intensive care unit’, where for example orphaned foals or injured donkeys are nursed, is not raised yet. For this project we need about 12.000 US Dollar. We also have to build a new visitor and education centre, that will cost us about 15.000 US Dollar. And for the badly needed fences around the park we have to raise another 30.000 US Dollar.

All expenses are kept this low, because we do nearly all construction work ourselves. Nowadays Ed and Genaro are busy building every day. Little by little a new Donkey Sanctuary Bonaire is being created.

As our new location was at a very low level, it was completely flooded during the raining season. So before we could even start building, we had to heighten the complete site. Many trucks loaded with sand have been bought and brought in. At present the site is heightened and levelled.

KI Development recently started the construction of the new stables and we ourselves are busy building the new shop, the managers house and preparing the installation of various facilities. The windmill will arrive on Bonaire within a few weeks, and so will the water pump.

Officially we have to leave our current location by the 1st of October. Of course this will not be possible for us. It will take us more time to finish all building work we are momentarily doing. Moreover, for some vital parts of our relocation, we do not even have found money yet. Therefore, already in April, we asked the Government of Bonaire to grant us a delay. Too bad we did not get any answer from them so far. But we trust that our donkeys and we ourselves will not be turned into the streets.