Animal assisted therapy for disabled children

NEED

In 2001, Stats SA recorded 2,255,973 disabled people living in South Africa, approximately 3.2 percent of the total population at the time. While the country has some of the most comprehensive legislation and policy protecting and promoting the rights of disabled people in the world, there remains a lack of funding to implement policies. The inextricable link between disability and poverty remains a threat. Almost 80 percent of the disabled population live in households where the average annual per capita income is below R10,000 and where the maximum educational level is below Grade 12.

Another obstacle faced by people with disabilities at community level is stigmatisation, especially in the case of people with mental illness, due to a lack of information and awareness. This often leads to the abandonment and neglect of children, who require special attention to discover and develop their potential.

OVERVIEW

AMADO provides Equine Assisted Therapy (EAT), an experiential form of therapy using horses to promote health and wellness, to 20 physically and/or mentally disabled children in Paarl, in the Western Cape. The aim of the programme is to use EAT to improve the motor skills, emotional development and self-confidence of these children. All children go to Ligstraal School, a special needs school, which is AMADO´s most important partner. The selected children will take part in a 12-month therapy programme, which consists of weekly sessions including both group and individual therapy. Progress made during the programme will be assessed in conjunction with the school´s occupational therapist (OT), nurse and psychologist.

Once disabled children finish school, employment opportunities for these children are very scarce, especially in the open labour market. For this reason, AMADO looks for employment and training opportunities for school and programme leavers in areas of their interest at local businesses, which have a trusting relationship with AMADO. Apart from being good for physical development and self esteem, the experience of caring for a horse also imparts a sense of responsibility to the children. There are also benefits for the children’s emotional development, as they form strong emotional bonds with the horses. All of this has been shown to have a positive impact on the children’s school performance, happiness and overall development. This will lead to an improved quality of life not only for the children, but also for their families, who are relieved of some of the burden of meeting the demands of their children’s disabilities.

Monitoring of each child’s progress is an essential part of AMADO’s programme, and a thorough monitoring and evaluation policy is in place. This is used to review each child’s development and plan accordingly, thereby increasing the effectiveness of the sessions.

WHAT WE LIKE ABOUT THIS PROJECT

• Amado follows an innovative and internationally recognised therapy methodology, which has been shown to produce impressive improvements in motor and emotional skills of people with disabilities, especially children.
• The organisation works in close partnership with a special needs school, which makes for a comprehensive and integrated service offering to each child.
• This project offers personalised motor stimulation and emotional development to children, who would otherwise not access such care at school or at home.

IMPACT HIGHLIGHTS

A budget of R 159, 950 will enable:

• 20 children to receive one-on-one and group weekly EAT sessions for one year;
• 20 families to benefit from improved family relations and additional time to dedicate to other necessary activities rather than their children primarily needs.

The estimated direct life change is R1, 600 per person. (For the purpose of this calculation, an average family is formed by 5 members.)

ORGANISATIONAL CAPACITY

AMADO is a young NPO, which is firmly committed to providing physical and emotional development opportunities to disabled children, who would otherwise not be able to afford them. They have developed a well reasoned strategy which focuses on a specific problem in a localised context. Resources are available to implement its programmes to the current level; however, the organisation’s reliance on one individual (who is the founder, director and programme manager) poses a high risk to the stability of the programme. This risk is partially mitigated by the existence of a competent and committed board; however, the core organisational expertise relies on the director. The organisation regularly holds successful awareness and fundraising activities that are well supported by the local community.

RISK PROFILE

Key Strengths

• Concept: This intervention is specially targeted at severely disabled children. A close working relationship with the school allows for the monitoring of each child´s progress. AMADO also pursues training and employment opportunities for beneficiaries, which will help them to continue their development after exiting the programme.
• Design: By working in close partnership with the school´s occupational therapist, nurse and psychologist, the programme offers multi-faceted physical and emotional therapy to each child.
• Control: AMADO’s governance structure ensures financial transparency and operational diligence. The organisation has embraced and adapted the school´s monitoring and evaluation system, which enables for tracking progress in each child´s development.
• Sustainability: Previous programme beneficiaries have experienced dramatic and life-changing improvements in terms of their mobility and emotional maturity.

Key Risks - Medium Low

• Capability: AMADO´s manager does not have any formal qualification in EAT. However, she does have two years of practical experience at a world-renowned EAT Centre overseas. Her experience is also complemented by the school´s professional staff. The programme is heavily dependent on AMADO´s manager, though this is mitigated by the stable relationship that AMADO has forged with a local therapist, who is available to lead therapy sessions, if necessary.
• Sustainability: The organisation is currently operating from the funder´s family home; there are however, medium-term plans in place to look for other premises to ensure the independence of the organisation and its programmes.