In the province of Málaga, rising cancer survival sits alongside a less visible reality: children and adolescents who lose a parent to the disease, with very few specialised resources available to help them cope with grief.
Losing a parent to cancer is not only a loss but a deep shift in a child's development and sense of what their life will look like. Without specialised support, that gap can lead to emotional and social difficulties well beyond the immediate loss, which is why early intervention matters so much for a child's present and future wellbeing.
The project
"Esperanza para su mañana" offers specialised psychological support to children and adolescents who have lost a parent to cancer, working alongside their families and in coordination with local health and social services. Support stays close to each family, continued over time and shaped around the pace of each individual grieving process, rather than a fixed schedule.
The project places the child and their family at the centre of every decision, aiming to prevent longer-term mental health difficulties and to strengthen the protective factors, both within the family and around it, that support a genuinely healthy emotional development after such a loss.
Who the project is for
The project's direct beneficiaries are 15 children and adolescents who have lost a parent to cancer, supported through specialised psychological care alongside their families.
Its impact reaches further, to an estimated 60 to 100 people in their wider family and social circle, who benefit from a stronger support network as the family adapts to the grieving process together.
Project name: Esperanza para su mañana
Proposing organisation: Fundación Andrés Olivares
Area of intervention: Health & Welfare
Country: Spain