Fostering a child is a huge emotional challenge. Even with hope and enthusiasm, fears, doubts, and insecurities arise. Currently, in Catalonia, there are 1,256 children under six years old under the care of the Directorate General for the Prevention and Protection of Children and Adolescents (DGPPIA), and only 787 families in foster care. Given this context, Mari Carmen Ruiz and José Perea's desire was clear: to accompany and give these children a second chance at life, so they can grow up in a healthy environment. Based on this premise, seven years ago they decided to become foster families.

"When I arrived with the foster family, everything was new. I had much more freedom, I could do many more things than in a center. Being taken in was like a gift, I will always say that," explains Laura Frau, a foster child for 12 years. Her biological family couldn't take her, so at the age of 6, social services referred her to a foster home run by the General Directorate for Child and Adolescent Care (DGAIA), an agency of the Generalitat (Catalan government) responsible for caring for minors who lack family members.