The Fundación Theodora runs a project called “Elena’s Smile” so that children are accompanied in surgery by what are referred to as “Giggle Doctors”. The organisation finances visits by these “Giggle Doctor” performers to five hospitals in different regions.

The goal of this initiative is to provide support for children and teenagers, as well as to their families, before and after they undergo surgical procedures.

The goal of this initiative is to provide support for children and teenagers, as well as to their families, before and after they undergo surgical procedures, so as to reduce the physical and emotional stress associated to these processes.

Thanks to this collaboration, the Fundación Theodora (which has been backed by the Fundación Iberdrola España since 2010) is able to organise and cover the cost of visits from the “Giggle Doctors”, professional performers that work in coordination with the medical and healthcare staff at each centre and receive specific training to adapt their visits to the condition of each patient.

The Fundación Theodora has exported this programme to a further 12 Spanish hospitals, where it is proving to be a resounding success. This pioneering programme in Spain has also been exported to other countries by the Fundación Theodora, to great acclaim.

The Fundación Iberdrola España is supporting this initiative as part of its Social Grants Scheme, which promotes activities in support of people that are disadvantaged or who find themselves in a situation or at risk of social exclusion, making an active contribution towards enhancing their quality of life.

These grants are intended for private not-for-profit organisations with public utility status. The goal is to help meet the basic needs and enable better social integration for the most vulnerable sectors of the population, while also backing other initiatives of interest that are aligned with the purposes of the Fundación and the Social Responsibility strategy of the Iberdrola Group.