Francesc Ristol is the director of (CECTAC), Study Center of the Center for Animal Assisted Therapies of Spain, who is visiting Colombia and was invited to give a seminar to professionals from the fields of health and education, as well as social organizations that are related to the animal world. Her organization’s goal is to implement a professional format for Animal Assisted Interventions (AIA) programs in society, so that the benefits are multiplied for all.
The Fundación Proyecto Unión was invited to the event because, within its aims, it was created “Dogs of the Sea, Hair that Heal”, a program that is currently in development. It is aimed especially at children and adolescents with difficult-to-manage pathologies, beneficiaries of the Santa Rita de Cascia Home. Thanks to the volunteer work that Bibiana González of Pets Home has been doing with the mothers and collaborators of the Foundation, we managed to invite Francesc and get to know them.
Francesc teaches how to work hand in hand with dogs by incorporating the benefits of the relationship of trust and human-animal empathy into the specialty of each person who receives the training. This week he was invited to the headquarters “Casa de los Ángeles” in Tocancipá to get to know up close the 5 canines that are already part of the team of “Perritos de Mar”, he also had the opportunity to share and learn about the needs of the children beneficiaries of the Santa Rita de Cascia Home.
His visit to our home further strengthened the ties and common interests that unite us to improve the quality of life of vulnerable human beings. Therefore, thanks to his will and experience at the international level, an alliance will be signed that grants the possibility of training and professionalization of two members of our team of collaborators. We look forward, to being referents in Animal Assisted Therapy at the National Level. Starting today and for three months, they will receive the knowledge to implement the “IAA”, ensuring not only well-being for the canines, but a better quality of life for our children.
