The project coordinator Laila Vilmane which represents Lead partner Latvian Office of the Euroregion „Country of Lakes” in short interview told about the results and achievements of this project.
How the idea about the project was born?
As Head of the Latvian Office of the Euroregion „Country of Lakes” Ilze Stabulniece is heated fan and breeder of the horses, but I myself love dogs a lot, we knew that contact with animals, which is called animal therapy, pet therapy or zoo therapy has a huge healing effect. We knew as well that such animal therapy has not been developed in Latvia and Lithuania so far and is used very random. Besides we were inspired by some of enthusiasts of this unique rehabilitation method. It did not take a long time to think about the direct beneficiaries of this project – social risk group and disabled children, as the animal therapy suits the best the needs of these children, which is acknowledged by the experience of Poland, Germany, Sweden and other European countries, as well as Russia, Ukraine, USA.
Why so many project partners participate in this project and how did you choose them?
It is a tradition of the Latvian Office of the Euroregion „Country of Lakes” as this is the way how we understand cross border cooperation, when the biggest number of people has a chance to communicate thus to better understand the problems of each other and work in one big team to achieve common goals.
All partners are members of the Euroregion „Country of Lakes”, who are involved in the issues regarding strengthening of the social environment.
Projects with bigger partnership are more complicated in terms of administration, however time which is spent together during the project implementation and achieved results compensate all difficulties.
What are the results of the projects?
465 persons were involved in the project activities – children from the social risk groups, with special needs, their parents, social specialists, family doctors, physiotherapists.
Seminars targeted to the social specialists, family doctors and parents gave an insight into therapy with the help of animals as unique method of rehabilitation, at the same time providing the understanding of „triple simultaneous effect” – positive and concurrent effect on human body by physical, psychological and social factor. Participants of the seminars were informed about accessibility of different methods of therapies in Latgale region in Latvia and Aukshtaitia in Lithuania. Besides during the trainings parents and family doctors could practically try by themselves the healing effect of the four-legged therapists (dogs and horses).
On the other hand during two international summer camps, four seminars and trip to Klaipeda all together 200 children participated in the short courses of animal therapy, where dogs, horses, sea lions and seals by „talking” in a language of emotions which is the most understandable way for children, provided them warms, sweetness and love, as well strengthened not just their physical but psycho emotional condition as well.
During the project repair works of premises (331,58 m²) were done, video and IT equipment, sets of furniture and sets of special equipment (therapeutic beds, exercise equipment, games for development of sensory and motion sensors and others), as well as three wheelchair platform lifts for vans were obtained. As a result 16 children education and health care institutions in Latvia and Lithuania became more accessible.
What was the most exciting about the project?
The most interesting and touching was to watch the healing effect of the animal therapy in practice during the courses of reit-therapy and dog therapy, when, for instance, children with Down’s syndrome or little patients which suffer from cerebral palsy literary in a few seconds came down, relaxed and felt asleep, sitting on horseback or laying on soft and warm dog’s flank. These moments were full of satisfaction and appreciation for the work which was done.
Do you have any plans regarding the future, how will you develop this idea?
Certainly this project was the project of mutual kindness and true love from both sides of implementers and beneficiaries. Accomplished work drew to conclusion that animal therapy of course is not a panacea, but it can cure and make easier everyday life of seriously ill children and children, which face the puzzle, difficulties in families or other groups of society. The project acknowledged the fact that animal therapy can be the joint challenge of both neighbouring countries also in other cross border cooperation projects, as it is a unique method of strengthening the social environment, which perfect and develop the experience of countries in terms of different methods of animal therapy.
Therefore the idea will be continued...
More information on partnership of the project and basic data is available here >.
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| The Project "Cured by Animals" |
