Some people in Competa may recently have heard about this charity, as one of our local residents, Helen Sanderson, has been holding fundraising events to raise her target of £1000 for the charity.
Helen recently met Suzy Butler, CEO KIYA Survivor, and was so inspired by her work she volunteered to go to Peru in August 2020 to help the KIYA Survivors service users. Helen will be helping to build walls and bathrooms in the one room houses to improve living standards and work with the young people during their therapy and play sessions. Above all she will show them that they are cared for and loved.
Quilla (pronounced Kiya) is the Quechua word for moon, the symbol of new beginning.
In 2001, Suzy Butler founded the KIYA Survivors charity for children with learning difficulties, disabilities and in vulnerable situations in Peru. She has successfully directed the charity for over 20 years. Originally it’s aim was to support victims of the ‘el Niño’ phenomenon on the north coast of Peru, where many of the local population had been left homeless and without support after a series of devastating natural disasters. It quickly extended its support to children and young people who have special needs after Suzy found a young autistic boy on the street, naked and unconscious after a violent attack.
The lack of concern and obvious fear that people showed towards the boy due to his ‘condition’ encouraged Suzy to research what support was on offer to young people with special needs. She was shocked at what she discovered and decided to stay in Peru (for 8 years!) to do something about it.
The Rainbow Centre was the first step towards improving services in the Sacred Valley and was opened in January 2002 by Suzy and the Peruvian team she had successfully trained and built up. Since then Kiya Survivors has opened four further centres in the Sacred Valley and north of the country and has become an integrated part of the communities it serves.
Kiya Survivors works alongside local authorities to help instigate change in areas such as appropriate special needs services, support in local schools and workplaces and encouraging the integration of children born to be different so they can thrive in their communities and homes.
The charity aims to provide a new beginning for children and young people in the global community who have special needs or have been abused or abandoned. They are helped to gain independence through education and therapy, love and laughter.
Currently KIYA is working with approximately 1000 individuals annually in Peru, all affected by poverty and special needs or abuse.
Suzy moved to Spain in 2018 and set up a well-being space at her home in Velez de Benaudalla, she was shocked to see so many problems on her doorstep that matched up with the Kiya ethos. She was motivated to launch a Kiya Spain initiative through a new foundation she is currently setting up through her rural home, Casa Sierra.
Suzy has installed a ‘well-being’ dome, in which, the service users will participate in group therapy, meditation, yoga and brain gym. There is an outdoor space to relax and play games and stables with a paddock for the rescue horses, where equine therapy is offered. There is also a kitchen for cooking workshops.
One of the main areas the foundation will be focusing on is supporting women and children coming to Spain to find refuge. Many of the women, like those Kiya supports in Peru, have been through domestic abuse or suffered assault and are fleeing, often with children in tow. The trauma these women and children have experienced is incomprehensible. Suzy has created a team of Equine Therapist, Clinical Social Worker and Wellbeing Teacher and invaluable volunteers from the local area. They hope to help give some comfort, respite and direction as they adjust to a new world and heal from the past.
The foundation will also offer support to young people from local disability schools.
All donations taken through the retreats and activities held at Casa Sierra where the therapy is taking place, go towards running the foundation, which ensures the space is maintained, materials are bought and the best therapy is provided for each individual and of course, therapy animals are cared for.
Therapy Programmes:
The foundation has allied with The Red Cross in Motril to offer support to the women and children passing through their refuge centres and, the Luis Pastor Disability School, to support the young people who attend, with weekly equine therapy, yoga and meditation, cooking programmes and more.
Equine Therapy: Casa Sierra has partnered with local equine centre, Entre Montanas and the experienced Equine Therapist who runs it. She and Suzy believe that horses hold a power to heal, help us see our true selves and feel connected.
Yoga and Meditation: Local yoga and meditation teacher will be teaching ways to calm anxiety, connect to the areas where trauma has been held and release stress.
Brain Gym: Suzy will be running a brain gym programme to assist in concentration, communication and coordination.
Cooking: The women from the refuge centre miss cooking! It is so often the space where they talk, laugh and share their stories, so we are hoping to encourage this through cooking sessions where the women will take it in turns to work in small groups and cook lunch for everyone, assisted by our Clinical Social Worker.
The programme is looking for sponsors to help them grow the programme and volunteers to help hands on. For more information: info@kiyasurvivors.org
Helen is planning future fundraising events; Horse Racing evening at Pampona, Quiz night at Pavo Real, BBQ and Bingo at her house and Murder Mystery evening. Please join in the fun and support this worthy cause.
Thank you
