Butterfly Children Charity Ball overview
The Butterfly Children Gala (Gala Piel de Mariposa) is one of Marbella’s most enduring summer charity events, held annually in support of DEBRA Piel de Mariposa. Founded in Marbella in 1993, DEBRA Spain is the national non-profit organization dedicated to supporting individuals and families affected by Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB)—a rare, painful genetic condition that leaves skin as fragile as a butterfly's wing.
The fundraising evening is traditionally tied to the annual Butterfly Children Charity Golf Tournaments hosted at Marbella courses, traditionally Aloha Golf Club and the Marbella Club Golf Resort The gala dinner follows the daytime competition, gathering international residents, golf members, local business sponsors, and civic figures for an outdoor dinner, live music, and a charity auction and raffle.
The first summer appointment traditionally takes place in mid-August at the Marbella Club Golf Resort (scheduled for 12 August 2026, following editions on 13 August 2025 and 10 August 2022). This initial date pairs a daytime shotgun golf tournament with an evening prize-giving cocktail and dinner at the resort’s clubhouse.
The second major gathering occurs later in the season at Aloha Golf Club, typically held between mid-September and early October (scheduled for 3 October 2026, after previous editions on 20 September 2025 and 17 September 2022). This autumn date features the main individual golf competition alongside the flagship gala dinner, complete with live entertainment, raffles, and the annual charity auction.
Funds generated from ticket sales, auctions, and corporate hole sponsorships directly fund DEBRA’s specialized sociosanitary care team—including nurses, social workers, and psychologists—who deliver specialized home, hospital, and school care to more than 500 families across Spain.
Niños de Mariposa (Butterfly Children) Charity Ball 2012
EB is a genetic skin-blistering condition which starts at birth. Children are born with skin as delicate as a butterfly´s wing (hence the name, Butterfly Children). The condition causes skin and internal body linings to blister at the slightest knock or rub, causing painful open wounds.
This rare skin condition affects 1 in 17,000 live births; it is estimated that there are currently 5,000 EB suffers in the UK, around 1,000 in Spain, and 0.5 million in the world. There five in Málaga province. The super-delicate nature of the children's skin means their bodies have to be bandaged, and the bandages have to be changed every other day, and wounds cleaned, helped by a DEBRA nurse who comes to their house; the process can take up to three hours.
Every year, in the week preceding the gala, a golf tournament is held at Aloha Golf Resort in Marbella - entry fees raise money for the charity, and prizes are donated. At the beginning of the gala the winners and runners-up are presented with their trophies, followed by the meal.
Then volunteers and organisers sell raffle tickets, followed by an audio-visual presentation to remind attendees why they are here, and how important their involvement is - and to encourage them to donate more. After this comes the raffle draw and auction; then there is live music and dancing.
The raffle and auction prizes are all donated by participants of the golf tournament and gala guests; in typical Marbella fashion, the prizes are always very generous. Donated items include trips, beauty products, spa days, decorative ornaments, an entire leg of Jamon Iberico and signed memorabilia, such as a golf club signed by Sergio Garcia. In 2012, the Gala and the Golf Tournament raised an impressive €33,400 for Debra.
The president of DEBRA in Spain, Nieves Montero - whose own son, now 24 and studying in Madrid, suffers from EB - explained how the money raised by the gala is spent: funds are shared internationally, providing respite for parents, carers and family members, as well as supporting research into treatments; items such as shoes and clothing that are the least painful to wear; and comfortable, breathable dressings - anything to make the lives of the children and their families easier.
Each year Debra hosts two fundraising events in Marbella. The gala and a golf tournament take place in June, and there is another golf tournament which is in August.
Contact
There is a DEBRA respite centre and shop in Marbella: Calle Jacinto Benavente,12. 29601 Marbella (Málaga).
