A girl and her donkey: “Without Laura, I couldn’t have made it this far…”

Diyenaba, from Sokone in Senegal, first met Brooke whilst she was at primary school.

Brooke West Africa used drama and dance to show her and her classmates how to handle and care for their horses and donkeys. 

When Brooke UK visited in 2016, we filmed Diyenaba and her donkey Laura and showed how she cared for her. Following the death of Diyenaba’s father, Laura had been providing the family with extra support, helping them to carry crops and earn money at the local market.

Last year, we returned to the same location and found Diyenaba, now 16, and Laura thriving.

Watch Diyenaba talk passionately about Laura and their lives together.

When we catch up, Diyenaba tells us how Laura saved her from what could have been a terrible accident. 

"One day, I was crossing the road with her. A car came towards me… I didn’t see the car, but Laura ran. She crossed the road to help me. Then I saw the car and ran to Laura. She saved my life.”

Diyenaba also thanked Brooke for teaching her “invaluable moral lessons” and transforming her understanding of animals.

“Before Brooke, I was very close to Laura, and she was my companion. She helped me a lot, but I didn’t realise her true worth,” she says.

“I considered her part of my family but, when Brooke came, they taught me how to live with animals.

"We care for them when they are sick, we know when they are sad."

But after the project with Brooke started, Diyenaba explains, the community began to value their animals, recognise their importance and ensure their wellbeing.

Diyenaba also tells us what Laura has brought to the family. She explains that, not only does she help with chores, she also provides emotional support. But, crucially, that care and compassion goes both ways.

“I consider her a member of my family,” she says. “Because I clean for her, I give her food and water, I even sit with her when I am angry or when I am studying.

“I am more focused when I am beside her. Nothing disturbs me there and it’s like she understands me.”

This love and connection stuck with her and, when Laura had a foal called Panchy, Diyenaba organised a baptising ceremony. New addition Panchy is also now just like any other member of the family.

“When she had a foal,” Diyenaba explains, “I told my mum, ‘let’s have a ceremony like we do with humans.’

“Mum said, ‘Have you ever seen a ceremony for a foal?’

It’s rare that we get the chance to catch up with people who we met years ago, but when we do, we’re often blown away by how inspiring they are, and how change can grow and last. You make that change possible.