Our Activities

In March 2000, and after a rigorous selection and training process under the charge of the Swiss and Italian Clown Doctors, a team of three Spanish clown doctors (the Doctores Sonrisa) began visiting the children in the Clínico San Carlos Hospital and the Niño Jesus Hospital, both in Madrid.

Motivated by the reception of the initiative in the hospitals, in September 2000 a new training program began, including artists from Málaga and Granada. Thus it was that in May 2001, nine new Clown Doctors graduated and began working in hospitals in Madrid, Toledo, Malaga and Granada.

In 2003, three new Clown Doctors from Galicia, started to work in hospitals of La Coruña and Santiago de Compostela.And since 2004 our Clown Doctors work in Vigo.

The Fundación Theodora has adopted the same principles as the Theodora Foundations around the world:

- Each visit is individual. The Clown Doctor plays, improvises and directs the performance towards the child, so that the child is the centre of the action. In this way, the young patient can escape from the hospital environment and connect again with his or her world of childhood, made up of colours, music, magic and fun. The Clown Doctor also takes the child’s family situation into account (parents, brothers and sisters, grandparents...) and suggests they participate when it could be beneficial.

- There is extensive co-operation with the hospitals, with the medical teams and health-care staff. This collaboration includes the development of the training programs, both for initial and ongoing training, given jointly with the "La Paz" University School of Nursing.

- The funding of the Fundación comes from our partners and from private donors, and thus the hospitals do not have to contribute financially. The Clown Doctors visits are a gift for the children and for the hospitals.