The Serrano family’s lesson in the face of adversity

The Serrano family, made up of a widowed mother and her eight children, has managed to move forward despite the economic, educational and family difficulties they have had to face. With the support of the ”la Caixa” Foundation’s CaixaProinfancia programme and the Héroes Foundation (Málaga), they have become a shining example of how education and opportunity can transform the future of thousands of families at risk of poverty and social exclusion.

Teresa, Miriam, Alfonso, Irene, Miguel Ángel, Karol, Marta and Isabela are between 13 and 30 years old. Their mother, María Jesús, was widowed last year, but this large family has managed to preserve their unity and strength. “We’ve always been happy, even in the worst moments,” she says calmly.

The case of the Serrano family is remarkable because six of the eight children have dyslexia, and one of the daughters lives with hearing loss that amounts to a 33% disability. Through the Héroes Foundation, they found the socio-educational support they needed in the CaixaProinfancia programme.

The care the Serrano family received was comprehensive: educational support, psychological care, summer camps and assistance to cover basic needs such as prescription glasses and school uniforms. The parents’ involvement and their unwavering commitment to their children’s education made all the difference.

“If you help, things can be achieved. They’ve shown us that opportunities exist and must be seized,” explains Silvia García, manager of the Héroes Foundation. This organisation has supported the Serrano family over the years and continues to work with the younger siblings; and the older ones have even volunteered with the Foundation.

Their progress has been remarkable: the eldest daughter studied Fine Arts and works for a multinational company; two others care for children and the elderly; another is an IT specialist. “My children are finding their place in the world, and the most important thing is I see them happy,” says María Jesús proudly.

Another of the sisters, Karol, born in 2005, knows well the value of this support. She began receiving educational reinforcement at the Héroes Foundation when she started secondary school, along with psychological support. “They taught me techniques to manage my temper and my anger. It’s a great place to move forward in your life,” she says. Today she has completed an advanced vocational qualification in Computer Systems Administration and a course in Cybersecurity.

“The solution is to study,” they affirm at the organisation. “When you reach a certain academic level and secure a profession, you become free and independent. We must show children and young people that education is the way forward.”

Education as a driver of change

Environmental conditions, health, and family organisation have a direct impact on learning processes, meaning that children and adolescents living in vulnerable contexts face greater challenges in achieving academic success.

In the latest CaixaProinfancia Report, for the 2022-2023 academic year, the data reflect the programme’s positive impact: nearly 90% of participants progressed to the next school year, and the graduation rate in compulsory secondary education (ESO) reached an impressive 82.4%, a figure 31.2% higher than the national average for students from the same socio-economic background.

The Alliance with the Héroes Foundation

The Héroes Foundation, a partner organisation of CaixaProinfancia, was founded in Málaga in November 1999 and has been supporting families in situations of vulnerability ever since. It carries out comprehensive work from a holistic perspective, operating across the educational, healthcare and social spheres, always in coordination with schools, health centres and social services.

This work is complemented by the CaixaProinfancia programme, run by the ”la Caixa” Foundation, which operates in partnership with 467 organisations across the country. For the past 17 years, it has been working to break the cycle of inherited poverty and to promote the holistic development of children and adolescents in disadvantaged contexts.

In Spain, one in every three children is at risk of poverty or social exclusion. In 2024, CaixaProinfancia supported 65,845 children and 41,849 families in vulnerable situations. Since 2007, it has helped more than 392,000 children and young people and 227,000 families, among them the Serrano family, which has become an example of resilience and proof that, when strong support networks exist, education and opportunity can change the destiny of those who need it most.

”la Caixa” Foundation joins the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty with the commitment to offer opportunities to those who need them most. Through its programmes, it promotes social and educational initiatives to break the cycle of poverty, exclusion and inequality, and to advance towards a fairer and more inclusive society.