Project #4: Ma Wawaki Sarañani

Now on to one of our favourite places! Located in Cota Cota in the Zona Sur (or South Zone), Ma Wawaki is both bizarre and beautiful. Set up as an equine therapy centre by the Higher University of San Andrés, the stables actually sit on the same site as the humanities lecture halls and offices! We can't imagine walking past riding lessons, muck piles, hay mountains and horses everyday whilst studying. In end what you get is a place with a fantastic atmosphere, with a dedicated team of staff who truly care about both the horses they look after and the children who use their services.

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The centre offers regular riding lessons as well as specialist physical therapy for children with a range of disabilities. They have programmes designed for those with limited movements, and those who benefit from the calming influence that comes from proximity to horses. It's truly beautiful to see children who can sometimes barely utter a sound light up when they are around the horses, who are equally patient and calm with their riders.

Volunteers support the staff at Ma Wawaki in a number of ways, from helping to clean out, wash, brush and look after the horses, to helping support children physically whilst they are having their sessions. Often one of us leads the horse, whilst the other helps support the child (sometimes just a reassuring hand to help stop slipping and sometimes assisting with full physical therapy).

Ma Wawaki is a great place to be. The staff are so keen and friendly and incredibly patient with our less than fluent Spanish. They often take in abandoned or mistreated horses, helping to not only to nurse them back to health (the on site vet known only as Profe, is a colourful Cuban character) but also to give them a new purpose. In addition, we have also been gifted some free riding lessons, which was a nice surprise and allowed us to get even more involved with the day to day running of the centre. We really do love spending our days there, even if Alice pulled a slight muscle trying recapture her horse riding youth, and Joe got kicked by a horse called Fiona!

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