We are pleased to announce that one of Kaya’s project has been nominated as one of GoAbroad Innovation Award Finalist for Innovative New Program in 2020. Indeed, our Enchanted Forest Art Therapy Placement in Belize has been shortlisted as an Award Finalist New program Volunteer, and the GoAbroad Innovation Awards Academy will vote and announce the winner on June 25th.
Award Finalist New Program Volunteer – Enchanted Forest Art Therapy Project
As background, Kaya has been working with an eco-sustainable farm since its inception as a safe place to provide accommodation and food security for the most vulnerable young adults. The farm offers a home to abused children abandoned by the Belizean legal system, which forces them to leave the foster system at 16 years old. At that age, the kids have little means to sustain themselves. As a result, it makes them more susceptible and at-risk to human trafficking and poverty.
The project was born from working with the local victim support unit and the local police. The children are hosted in an eco-sustainable centre. The purpose of the farm is to support them with safe living accommodation while empowering them to become financially independent and put them on a path of success, despite their past and hardship. Indeed, they get the opportunity to further their education and vocational training, as well as are provided with the mental support they need to rebuild themselves.
The farm is currently working with local professionals to make sure the emotional past of the children doesn’t hinder their future. Combined with conventional therapy, the Enchanted Forest project at the farm provides the troubled kids with an additional subtle way to heal and focus on their mental health.
As part of the Enchanted Forest Art Therapy Project, volunteers work with a lead artist who has created artwork with road kills and natural materials. The initiative brings the forest to life with a purposefully build meditational area allowing the children to escape reality as a type of therapeutic treatment.
We are so pleased that, despite the current global challenges, the work of our communities in-country is being recognized and this project is Award Finalist New Program Volunteer for 2020 by GoAbroad. If you want to find out more and volunteer on the project, you can do so by checking out more specifics here.
On June 25th, the GoAbroad Innovation Award winners will be announced. Watch this space!
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