Bulgária
9759
Data de início: 31-07-2021
Data de fim: 03-08-2021
Vagas: 1
Duração: 3 dia(s)
Data limite de candidatura: 01-06-2021
Financiamento: Aprovado
Subsídio mensal (Dinheiro de bolso): 65 €
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Resumo: The hosting organization provides free equine-assited therapy to children and young people with disabilities; develops methods of natural training of horses; and promotes the qualities of the horse breeds. We are a team of three people passionate about horses and helping others.
We are so dedicated to the cause that we moved to the countryside where we live together with our 14 horses and 6 dogs at an eco-friendly ranch. It is the place where all of the organization’s projects happen. To preserve the natural resources we use only renewable energy for our electricity needs. Water in the facilities also comes from our own source. The ranch raises the horses as close to their natural environment as possible. The horses live on large pastures and graze all day long with an access to a creek. The 14 horses, aged 1 to 25 years, are divided in two herds – stallions and mares. Because of the way they are raised and trained they are very calm and suitable to work with children. At the facilities there are also 4 guard dogs and 2 small dogs, companion for our visitors. Maintaining the ranch and that many horses sometimes is overwhelming but helping even one child makes it all worth.
Perfil: All of the following criteria are obligatory:
Age: 18-30
Young people who are tolerant of children and young people with disabilities;
Young people who are patient with others and with animals;
Outdoor people who like nature and being outside most of the time;
Young people who have no problem being around horses and dogs;
Young people who don’t mind doing physical work;
Young people who care for the environment and can cope with living in an eco-friendly facility*;
Young people who want to spend their volunteering time outside the city, in lower mountains, in a family-like atmosphere.
Either of the following criteria is optional:
Young people who may be interested in learning about horses;
Young people who know something about horses and may be interested in learning more about them;
Young people who may be interested in learning about therapeutic riding for disabled people;
Young people with specific interest in working closely with children and young people with disabilities;
Young people with interest in construction and building small projects.
*At the ranch electricity and water come from renewable sources and their use may have to be limited at times, depending on the weather. There is Wi-Fi available but it also depends on the weather and is not always stable. The volunteers’ kitchen and WC facilities are outdoors. There is a laundry machine at the nearby home of the team of the organization which can be used by the volunteers.
Tarefas: The activities our organization has planned can be divided in two topics– A1: Volunteering with the ‘’Program for free therapeutic riding for children with disabilities’’; A2: Volunteering with maintaining the facilities of the ranch where the organization and its horses are based; volunteering with construction of small projects.
The ‘’Program for free therapeutic riding for children with disabilities’’ offers each week seven children with disabilities free therapeutic riding sessions. Volunteers are needed to support the two instructors and allow more time for communication with the child and his or her parent. The volunteers are encouraged to engage with the children and share some of their cultural and personal background with them.
Volunteering with the ‘’Program for free therapeutic riding for children with disabilities’’ is possible only after the volunteer passes successfully the internal training by one certified therapeutic riding instructor. It includes:
Assisting with training the horses for therapeutic riding:
bringing the horses from the pasture
grooming the horses
assisting the instructor during the exercises
bringing the horses back to the pasture
Assisting the instructors in therapeutic riding sessions:
bringing the horses from the pasture;
grooming the horses;
prepare the gear of the horse and the rider for the therapeutic riding;
assist the instructor during the therapeutic riding session by leading the horse, bring in and out of the arena tools and games;
leading the horse back to the pasture after the sessions is over.
Maintaining the therapeutic horses and the farm where they live is the most time consuming and hard work of the team of the organization. The ranch raises the horses as close to their natural environment as possible. There are large pastures to maintain as the horses live use them all year long. The horses graze all day long and have access to a creek. The horses are 14, aged 1 to 25 years, and divided in two herds – stallions and mares. Because of the way they are raised and trained they are very calm and suitable to work with children. At the facilities there are also 4 guard dogs and 2 small dogs, companion for all visitors. Volunteering with maintaining the facilities of the horses where the organization is based is only possible after the volunteer passes successfully the internal training by the manager of the facilities. The activities include:
Helping with the everyday care for the horses :
opening the doors of the horses for their day pastures in the morning;
bringing the horses back to their night pastures in the evening;
feeding once a day one or two horses if necessary;
grooming all the horses once a week;
bringing horses from and to the pasture when it is time for hoof trimming;
feeding the dogs in the morning.
Help maintaining the pastures and the creek:
Regularly cut grass and small bushes around the pastures’ fence;
Digging out darnel and cutting bushes within the pastures;
Cleaning the creek and forming spaces suitable for the horses to drink water;
Helping with placing the bales of hay for the winter/only for volunteers in June, July and August/
Construction of new small projects is very important for the development of the ‘’Program for free therapeutic riding for children with disabilities’’. It is the goal of the team to offer the children not only rehabilitation but an amazing experience which they look forward to relive again and again. Furthermore, it is our wish to offer a retreat for their parents. In Bulgaria the parent is usually the caretaker of a child or a young person with disability. It is a job 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. As a result the parents are so stressed that are in need of a calm surrounding at least for a few hours in their busy week. To offer all that we wish the volunteers to:
Help planting and maintaining a vegetable garden;
Help building a play area for the children with disabilities to be used before and after the therapeutic riding sessions;
Help building an open space for the parents to relax in;
Help building a trail for doing therapeutic sessions outside the designated arena where children will challenge themselves and have so much more fun.
Condições: Accommodation is in a two bedroom house located 10 min. of a walking distance from the ranch. One bedroom has two beds. The second bedroom has one bed and basic kitchen equipment – sink, small fridge, a microwave, and table with chairs. The house is for all three volunteers. Due to language barrier with the local community we facilitate the renting of the house for the volunteers. More about the living conditions we can provide upon request
Documentação: CV + Motivation Letter