SOUTH African Riding for the Disabled Association (SARDA) is looking for volunteers to assist children with special needs during their regular riding therapy classes.
SARDA Durban provides a unique therapeutic riding programme to schools for children with special needs and there is no charge to the schools or families. The programme runs on weekday mornings throughout each school term and is manned by volunteers.
ALSO READ: Safety first for SARDA
People who are interested in volunteering are invited to come along to any of the information/training sessions being held on 27, 28, 30 and 31 January from 9am to 10.30am in the run up to the 2020 school programme.
“The volunteers will start shortly after the training sessions. Enthusiasm and energy are the only requirements to be a SARDA volunteer and those with and with no previous horse experience are welcome,” said SARDA volunteer, Linda Wilson.
Wilson said there are many reasons why people volunteer; there are folk with time on their hands, some are newly retired or job-seeking, or students in between their studies, or perhaps a grateful mum with healthy kids or who has a friend or relative that has a child with special needs.
“It is so heartwarming to see the children develop. At the beginning some are too scared to touch the pony, some with no fear in them, some with mobility challenges, others have learning issues, but each week they grow in many different ways and always with big beaming smiles at the end of their therapy-in-motion class and the volunteers leave with happy smiles as well,” she said.
Contact Julie on 083 642 2583 or visit www.sardadurban.org.za
Do you want to receive alerts regarding this and other Highway community news via Telegram? Send us a Telegram message (not an SMS) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5409.
You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Telegram number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts.
Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple.