The Pequeno Valiente association was born in 2006 from a group of families whose children were hospitalized in the Pediatric Oncohematology Unit of the Materno Infantil de Gran Canaria. These founders realized the shortcomings that existed in these cases and, with the aim of improving the quality of life of children with cancer and their families, they joined forces to create a foundation that came of age this year and that recently has opened a headquarters in the heart of Arrecife.
Melania Martín, 35 years old, is the social worker on the Island and Romina Khemani, 36 years old, is the sociocultural facilitator for both Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. Both run the day-to-day activities of the foundation. They explain that the hospitals notify them when there is a child with a possible prognosis and if they will be diagnosed in the Maternal and Child Hospital, in the University Hospital or in Candelaria de Tenerife.
The moment they are diagnosed, the multidisciplinary team that makes up the Pequeno Valiente Foundation comes into action. The first contact is a psychologist and a social worker, to care for both the parents and the child. It is then that the social worker is in charge of submitting all applications for the benefits that can be accessed, since with the diagnosis there is access to 33 percent of the disability. In the event of an illness of this type, it is common for at least one of the parents to leave their job to take care of their child and there is help that can be processed that represents the entire salary as long as it is permanent in their company.
In addition, the foundation monitors and evaluates the family’s needs, whether financially or in terms of accommodation, since, for families from Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, since 2023 there has been the so-called Pipa house, in Gran Canaria, right next to the headquarters of Little Brave. It is a building with rooms, where families can stay completely free of charge when the little ones receive treatment. When they go for check-ups, both the sports technician and the physiotherapists, psychologists or social workers are at their disposal. “Everything is solved instantly,” they emphasize.
“They feel very lost when they get the news…their world is falling apart”
Some diagnoses cannot be treated in the Canary Islands and it is necessary for families, with children, to move to Madrid or Barcelona. For this reason, the foundation already has a house in the capital and they recently opened another one in Barcelona this past May, which families can also use. Here, in Lanzarote, explains Romina, family respite days are held, “every week on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, with activities and workshops with the children.” Attention to families also occupies a relevant place: “The other day we did a Zumba activity for mothers, a spa day for fathers…”. The purpose is so that they can disconnect from the routine and rest. “The goal is for them to be calm and also for them to be able to open up and share their concerns, in a closer and more natural way than in an interview in the office,” Melania highlights.
Attention and bureaucracy
Pequeno Valiente indicates that, overall, there are more than 100 families that have received social care. Almost 300 received psychological care last year and 61 new cases were treated. In both Lanzarote and Fuerteventura there are around twenty families active in the foundation. The entity emphasizes that for parents the foundation is a great support, not only on a psychosocial level, but also by providing them with resources: “They feel very lost when they are given the news… for any family, the world is collapsing. ”. The usual thing is that, at first, the treatment is “very hard” and the children have to be hospitalized. “Our goal is for them to be able to distract their minds and laugh, to make it as enjoyable and easy as possible,” explains Romina.
In addition to the hard blow that this disease means, families encounter a great obstacle along the way: bureaucracy. The social worker in Lanzarote explains that the disability benefit is very slow. “They are taking an awful lot of time to resolve the requests and cancer doesn’t wait,” she points out. “A family in that situation cannot wait to solve all the problems they face.” In fact, the group of social workers is collecting signatures to modify the regulations, because delays are “unviable.”
Team in Lanzarote
The Pequeno Valiente Foundation in Lanzarote is made up of four members, including a psychologist who travels every week from Gran Canaria, and 11 volunteers. The activity does not stop. Among Romina and Melania’s tasks there are “everything”, from meetings with families, to activities with children, “paperwork” and carrying out new projects that are already on the table that, with a smile, they avoid revealing. until they are confirmed.
On the other hand, they “regularly” set up a stand at different events to give visibility to all the activities carried out at the foundation. They also put solidarity products on sale to raise funds, both for children and families. Some products that can also be purchased both on the Pequeno Valiente website and at the headquarters. “Apart from that, we also give talks at schools and institutes,” explains Romina Khemani. The route through the educational centers has been “quite” intense this year and the response has been more than positive. Some have organized solidarity races. “The next one is the CEIP César Manrique, on June 14,” says the social worker. Centers such as IES Tías and Blas Cabrera have also organized solidarity markets. “It is a good way to collaborate and give visibility, not only to our association, but to any social organization,” she added.
Pequeno Valiente facilities, in Arrecife.
Support between families
Another positive aspect is that empathy arises within the group of parents themselves, since they are going through the same situation and even the veterans reassure the newer ones. “The other day they were talking in a meeting and a mother, who always looked at her son for possible symptoms due to fear of a relapse, another colleague told her not to worry, that over time it will pass,” says the social worker. “They advise each other, that’s why, when there are new cases, we like parents to participate with those who are already old, because they calm themselves down,” adds Melania.
Precisely, relapse is the main fear of all parents. “In fact, many children do not want to attend the check-up for fear of being told the bad news,” explains Romina. The work of the foundation, therefore, not only consists of improving the quality of life of the little ones and psychosocial help, but also support to start over. After a treatment with a favorable result, “you are born again, as they say,” highlights Romina.
New headquarters
The foundation has been working on the Island for several years. The first office was located in the municipality of Yaiza, in 2017, in a location provided by the City Council. Later they moved to Playa Honda until, finally, thanks to the subsidy from the Cabildo, they were able to find the current location. “The others were ceded spaces, not this one,” emphasizes Melania Martín. Little Valiente is now physically located at number 5 Figueroa Street, in Arrecife. They moved in in March and the grand opening occurred in May. Apart from the presentation with authorities, they also celebrated with a snack with the families. “We did a workshop with paintings, crafts, dances and games… there are some who are very little who just want to jump and dance,” explains the animator.