❤️ 21 Smiles: An association born from our story, our family, and our heart
At Oraloa, creativity, gentleness, and art therapy are at the center of our world. But behind the colors, behind the kits, behind every creation… there is a deeply personal story, a story that transformed us:
the story of Trisomy 21.
The arrival of a child carrying the extra chromosome in our family turned our lives upside down in the most beautiful way possible.
She taught us patience, resilience, unconditional love, and above all… the power of a smile.
This radiant little being, with her unique joy, her innocence, and her incredible strength, awakened in us the desire to do more. To help. To raise awareness. To support. To create hope.
That is how 21 Smiles was born, an association we created, carried, imagined, and built entirely with our hearts.
✨ Why we created 21 Smiles
We founded this association because we saw, from the inside:
- The doubts and questions that come with families,
- The loneliness some families feel,
- The concrete needs that can sometimes be hard to meet,
- But also the extraordinary beauty, love, and light that these children bring to this world.
We wanted to give a voice to this magnificent difference. We wanted to support families on their journey. We wanted to change how people see things, not with speeches, but with smiles, actions, and kindness.
21 Smiles was therefore born out of a real need:
The need to offer more love, more support, and more visibility to children with Trisomy 21 and their families.
🌟 Our mission through the association
21 Smiles works to:
- Support families from the moment of diagnosis and throughout their journey.
- Create moral and material support, through concrete actions.
- Organize positive initiatives, events, gatherings, and solidarity projects.
- Change the perception of Trisomy 21, by highlighting the beauty of this difference.
- Bring joy, gentleness, and smiles into the daily lives of many families.
Every project is designed with heart, inspired by our own family experience.
📚 Our commitment through books: telling, sharing, inspiring
To carry this message even further, we chose to tell these stories in a gentle, poetic way that's accessible to children.
At Oraloa, we write books inspired by the "enchanted chromosome," with several goals in mind:
- Celebrate difference through endearing, heroic characters.
- Giving children with Down syndrome stories in which they feel represented.
- Raising awareness among other children about inclusion, kindness, and respect.
- Supporting families by offering them comfort filled with love and hope.
- Building bridges between generations and sensibilities.
These books are our way of sharing what life has taught us: every child is a light, no matter how many chromosomes they have.
🤝 Why Oraloa is so deeply committed
Because it's not just a cause.
It's our life. Our reality. Our family. It's a fight born of love that we carry on every day, for our child and for everyone sharing this same journey.
Supporting 21 Smiles is only natural for us. A way to turn our story into action, into a message, into concrete help.
💛 Together, let's bring even more smiles to life
By supporting Oraloa, you're also supporting 21 Smiles, its message, and its actions.
You can also contribute directly when placing your order by adding a small donation.
Every gesture counts. Every smile lights up a heart.
