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Three volunteers from the Nena Paine foundation playing with two girls in Malaga's Materno Infantil hospital. MARILÚ BÁEZ Health Malaga volunteers with Down syndrome brighten up day for children with cancer at Hospital MaternoAn agreement between two associations and the hospital allows young people with disabilities to share their love and joy with children undergoing treatments
Wednesday, 18 March 2026, 10:36
Óscar Ruiz, Javi Domínguez and Nacho García are three of the volunteers with Down syndrome from the Nena Paine association who brighten up the day for children with serious illnesses at Malaga's Hospital Materno Infantil.
They are part of an agreement between the association, the Olivares foundation and the hospital that has been offering this playful exchange of solidarity since 2012.
Like so many other people with Down syndrome, Óscar, Javi and Nacho have gone against societal prejudice and shown that they are the best at giving hope and care to the children undergoing treatments.
On a warm Tuesday morning in March, SUR joins the three young men in the hospital's playroom, where they share their hobbies with children in pyjamas: handicrafts, board games, video games and painting.
SUR catches them playing foosball in one corner of the room, celebrating every goal. One look around the room reveals the magic of the fourth floor of the hospital, which looks like every other colourful living room full of toys - a room that takes the children that visit the Materno for haemodialysis, oncohaematological treatments or blood tests to an alternate reality.
"The common goal is to help: we needed a beautiful volunteer programme like the one we have created in the 'white room', on the fourth floor of the Hospital Materno. It is an opportunity for people who have a lot to give to interact," manager of the Olivares foundation Belén Gaspar tells SUR.
The programme
The volunteering programme gives young people with Down syndrome the opportunity to visit the hospital in turns, each rota lasting from 9am to 1pm, from Monday to Friday in a specific week.
A supervisor always quietly accompanies the volunteers to keep an eye on them and help them.
The volunteers also go down to the outpatient hospital or the haemodialysis ward with "a magic trolley full of little toys and colouring books" to bring some joy to the children undergoing various treatments.
A supervisor always quietly accompanies the volunteers, just to keep an eye on them. "They are super-resolute, they do everything very well, but sometimes they need a little help. The volunteers receive training from the Olivares foundation," Belén says.
The volunteers have to be healthy in order to visit children with a compromised immune system. For that same reason, the games are always disinfected and the playroom is clean and tidy.
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Volunteers playing foosball with some of the girls in the hospital. MARILÚ BÁEZBoth the children and the volunteers like games, "love to colour and make bracelets", which are then sold to raise funds. The volunteers are full of love that they give not only to the children but also to everyone that crosses their path.
"When you arrive, the first thing they do is give you a sincere hug, because they are happy to see you," Belén says. The skill par excellence that marks this type of experience "is empathy".
Introducing the participants in the programme
Susana Morales accompanies her daughter Sofía. The 12-year-old girl has to attend "many consultations" as part of her cancer treatment. Luckily, every time they have to go to the hospital, Sofía celebrates because she gets to "go to the playroom and share little moments" with the volunteers.
Both the children and the volunteers develop a strong sense of empathy during the experience.
Belén says that sharing moments with volunteers with different abilities is a positive thing for Sofía, who gets to "see things through someone else's eyes."
Sofía's mother also feels cared for by the volunteers and she gets to join their games and crafts.
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Four volunteers pose with Olivares foundation staff. MARILÚ BÁEZÓscar, 23, tells SUR that he is already famous, because he plays football very well, but what he most likes to do is paint and do crafts. He loves spending time with Belén and making the children laugh.
Javi, 37, also paints with the children and plays a variety of video and board games. "The children are lovely," he says. Javi even makes bracelets, which he gives to the children as "a little present" when they find the answer to his riddles.