Antonio Morales presents the documentary 'Valientes' and states that the island government is always attentive to what the Foundation may need, "to consolidate and expand the resources it has for its irreplaceable social work"
She argues that institutions must bridge the gap between social needs and public resources, and that the comprehensive care that children deserve has a moral dimension and a dimension of social and political responsibility.
'Valientes' gives voice to ten parents of children with cancer on their journey along the English Way of St. James, which José Jerez, president of Pequeño Valiente, describes as "a healing and necessary experience"
The President of the Gran Canaria Island Council, Antonio Morales, was very clear this Saturday in reaffirming the Island Government's unconditional and ongoing support for the Pequeño Valiente Foundation. As he emphasized, the Council "dedicates two-thirds of its budget to social policies, often related to care, in the broadest sense of the word, and we never lose sight of the fact that children and their families need comprehensive policies as well as specific programs. It's in our DNA as an institution."
This was stated by President Morales at the presentation of the documentary 'Valientes' (Brave Ones), produced by Sombra Studios for the Foundation and financially supported by the Gran Canaria Island Council. Screened in the Island Council's courtyard, the documentary gives voice to ten parents of children with cancer who are undertaking the English Way of St. James as a physical and emotional journey. This shared journey, in which sincere testimonies and raw emotions reveal the quiet strength of the families and the power of support, pays tribute to those who persevere and invites us to view the disease with empathy and hope, reminding us that even in the most difficult moments, moving forward together is also a way to heal.
This is the work that Antonio Morales presented together with the president of the Canary Foundation Little Brave, José Juan Pérez Castro; the producer and director of the documentary, Fabián Figueroa, and the singer-songwriter Bryan Muñoz, who created the soundtrack and who put the finishing touch on a meeting in which authorities and representatives of the cultural, sports and business fields were present.
In this deeply moving context, the President of the Island emphasized the relevance and special value of this organization, underlining that “the extended family of the Pequeño Valiente Canary Foundation is a paradigm of overcoming adversity, bearing in mind that strength means sometimes falling, but always continuing. And it means, above all, leaving a mark of struggle and dignity along the way.”
With her words, she praised the courage with which the young patients face cancer, along with their families and social circles. “A courage that inspires us, moves us deeply, and, in the case of public administrations, compels us to rise to their level,” she stated. “Public service finds its fullest meaning in our contribution to causes like this,” and, as she affirmed, “the people of Gran Canaria and this Island Council are committed to their work and grateful for their exemplary dedication.”
Because, he recalled, “we are neighbors in a physical sense, since the nursing home, the Casa Pipa—both provided by this institution—and the Cabildo headquarters are just steps away. But above all, they know that we are close to them on a human level and that we remain attentive to their needs from the Island Government, as we have always tried to do, to consolidate and expand the resources that Pequeño Valiente has for its irreplaceable social work,” he affirmed. “Now, we are working with them on an extraordinary project they intend to carry out in Telde, and we will collaborate decisively with them, as well as on their request for more resources to care for people with palliative care in their homes.”
For all these reasons, Morales argued that all institutions must continue to bridge the gap between social needs and public resources. “For anyone with even the slightest conscience, human suffering is a call to care and an appeal to do everything in their power to help and alleviate it. And this call, of course, extends to the obligations of public administrations,” he stated. “And if that appeal comes from the voice of a child, it opens a channel of overwhelming emotion within us, compelling us to provide the best possible response, using all the means at our disposal. In these cases, the dignity of society as a whole is at stake.”
With that conviction, the President of the Government of Gran Canaria insisted that the comprehensive care that children deserve also encompasses a moral dimension and one of social and political responsibility. “There are many things we cannot allow ourselves to do as societies organized and founded on the principles of social justice. But perhaps the last of all is to neglect the most vulnerable groups in their needs and suffering, with children at the forefront,” he stated.
Finally, he reflected on the current situation, in which, in his view, all the progress made in terms of community spirit and empathy is being called into question, “because of movements that promote the law of the strongest, every man for himself, and ultimately, selfishness,” he lamented. “In these cases, it is the weakest who are once again left at the mercy of these runaway horses. Let us not forget this,” he concluded.
Healing, tough, and necessary
José Jerez, president of the Canary Islands' Little Brave Foundation, explained that the parents of children in the organization decided three years ago to walk the Camino de Santiago, "to share experiences and lighten our loads, and speaking the same language, because we are all affected and understood what we were going through with just a look," he recounted. "It was healing and necessary, because we shared experiences, we knew we were all in the same boat, and we helped each other. Because when a child gets sick, the whole family gets sick. We parents also get sick emotionally and in many other ways."
Jerez also reported that the Foundation is undertaking new projects, among which he cited the opening of an apartment in Seville, the opening of a Casa Pipa in Tenerife “and, in Gran Canaria, thanks to the support of the Cabildo and the Government of the Canary Islands, we maintain services and the group home we have on the Island, in addition to supporting the structure on the Peninsula, supporting the families we have in different hospitals in Madrid, Barcelona and Seville.”
Fabián Figueroa, producer and director of the documentary and father of a child who has overcome leukemia, emphasized that this work “can help open a different path of hope for all those who have had a child in these circumstances and, above all, shows that, in the end, as the title says, we are brave,” he declared, before revealing that filming these social works, “is often hard, but necessary.”
