Information about the Healing Arms Project

Aim and purpose of the Project

The Healing Arms Project gives opportunity to abandoned children to develop themselves. Specifically by way of basic healing methods such as Healing contact with horses and music therapy. Other methods link to it. However, we will be devoted particularly to those two basic methods in children homes up to five years of age until April 2009.

Children who live in typical infant homes or children centres have only small chance to get in touch with animals in comparison with children living in families.

We have decided to enable children living in infant homes or children centres to meet horses.

Horses and deprived children have lots of things in common and that is why they can give a lot to each other. Horses are animals that if are afraid of something will not fight but run. The deprived children who live in children homes behave in the same way. Children who were frequently abused, mentally or physically, need time to make contact with people because owing to their experience they do not trust them.

These children do not have such bad experience with horses so it is much easier for them to get in touch with such animals. Children can be more natural and often feel more secure with horses rather than with people. The horses are specially trained for working with children, they accept them the way they are and do not judge them according to their experience (horses are not able to change their behaviour intentionally, for example feel sorry for them).

Our Project is not really about therapy, it is more about small children from the environment of children homes having contact with such big beautiful animals, it is the HEALING CONTACT WITH HORSES. Children who will not be with a horse at that point, will create something with our volunteers. They will look together through pictures and photographs of horses, draw horses with stencils, make collages from pictures of horses, read stories about horses, how they live, what they eat, how they spend their day, how they communicate with each other, story about horses, tell how people should take care of horses to make them happy. All additional activities include natural human contact of volunteers with children; this has been proved well in the Open Arms Project.

Children's heart longs for creating and for participation in creative activities as much as possible. The MUSIC THERAPY serves this purpose. Through story children enter an unknown country, learn how to listen, feel and discover life of the country around which they travel through dancing, language, songs and music and by this way they travel all around the planet … in their magic train of creativity and fantasy they go through countries and life of Africa, Middle East countries, India, Slavonic countries, America … but not only this … during their journey they get to know themselves particularly.

All this happens thanks to work with rhythm, movement, voice, various musical instruments, yoga positions, art and folk rhetoric. Music, dancing, fairy tales and stories of many countries then become „General language“, which has chance to cross all borders, not only cultural. The Music Therapy is provided by our professional music therapist Ms Bohdana T. Hybšová and her programme Eufonie (www.eufonie.or­g). Thanks to the Healing Arms Project children also visit a farm. In the farm children meet animals, learn how they live, their kinds and needs. They will see horses, sheep, goats with kids, cows, pigs, ostriches, donkeys, poultry, peacocks, dogs, cats and many more.

At the end of July 2008 we are planning to go with children from DD Kamenice nad Lipou to Orlické hory. This project involves twelve children. Each volunteer will take care of two children for the whole day. Children will be involved in creative activities, among others, a Small clown and making things from products of nature.

History of the Project

The Healing Arms Project is a follow up to the Open Arms Project and includes a smaller number of volunteers, other healing methods and it gets much deeper into problem.

Current target group

We focus on abandoned and deprived children, children from children homes who are quite frequently abused or handicapped.

In the Healing Contact with Horses Project the following children homes with children up to 6 years of age participate: DD Milovice (45 children) and DD Kamenice nad Lipou (45 children). (DD Kamenice nad Lipou provide service for children who claim instant help, they provide urgent and immediate care to endangered children).

This Project has been realized under patronage and with the support of the Tereza Maxová Foundation (www.nadacetm­.cz).

Volunteers from the Grammar School Pelhřimov (http://www.gym­nazium-pe.cz/ ) are also involved in this Project.

How to participate in the Healing Arms Project as a volunteer?

Requirements are identical to the requirements for the Open Arms Project (see section How to help). A volunteer is required to undergo interview and training. He will apply to the Project by sending this Questionnaire on email address petra.milsime­rova@provazek­.org.