| AMADO is located in the heart of Paarl near Cape Town, South Africa, serving the greater Drakenstein community, including Mbekweni, Paarl East, Wellington, Franschhoek, Klapmuts, Groot Drakenstein, Saron and Stellenbosch.
The institution selected to benefit from this program is Ligstraal School in Paarl East. The school caters for previously disadvantaged children from ages 5 to 19. There are 240 children with disabilities ranging from wheelchair-bound to cases of abuse. These children will have the opportunity at AMADO of acquiring skills which could lead to future jobs.
The children will benefit from a structural daily program of animal -assisted therapy four time a month, that will provide stimulation especially to the physically and mentally disabled children it cares for. The children at this centre have great potential to function and interact with their environment. At present they are unable to access it due to no funding. |
If the sponsorship could be attained, each child could have the opportunity to have animal assisted therapy four times a month.
The constitution of South Africa states that no one may discriminate against another. It is so important to empower these special-needs children with animal-assisted therapy to make them feel important, teach them new skills and prepare them for their futures. With animal -assisted therapy these very special children are given power and equal opportunities in our rainbow nation.
AMADO which means beloved, is the brainchild of M’Lani Basson. M’Lani has been riding since she was three years old. After obtaining degrees in art and psychology she spent one year doing animal-asisted therapy in Scotland. M’Lani returned to South Africa to realise her dream - to help children who would benefit by the interaction between human and horse, especially to take the hand of those who have no one to reach out to. |
