Inspiring families to achieve greatness
Families have never been in greater need of support and affirmation than they are today. Parents are facing an unprecedented onslaught on their families. They struggle to protect their children from the dangers of drugs, pornography and gambling. The internet is an open and enticing door for youngsters who learn quickly and easily how to access these harmful addictions.
In response to this the newly formed ProFamily Foundation has both a vision and the practical support to help families. This means not only resisting dangerous influences, but embracing an approach to family life which is enriching for them and radiates out into society.
Ciro Candia has excellent qualifications for leading this new initiative. He has decades of experience as a primary school headteacher, where he saw first hand what works well in families and what works less well. As the parents of seven adult children, he and his wife Caroline have first-hand experience of the ups and downs of steering children to adulthood.
The mission
The mission of the ProFamily Foundation is to enable families to live with confidence and to achieve greatness. ‘This isn’t greatness in the worldly sense of the word,’ says Ciro. ‘This is greatness in service, virtue and self-giving love.’
The Foundation operates on a hub system, where a lead couple invites friends and acquaintances who live near them into their home for sessions where they explore different aspects of family life. Hubs can be large or small. A lead couple needs no expertise, just the generosity to invite other parents to their home so that together they can learn how to fulfil their mission to become a school of love, service and virtue.
Lead couples are fully supported by the experts in the Foundation’s team, who supply all the materials needed to run fruitful hub sessions. The hubs offer friendship and formation to parents. Parenting and relationship programmes build on the benefits of the hub sessions. And in addition to this, there are marriage enrichment days, for couples to deepen their commitment to each other and renew their mission.
Professional
The ProFamily Foundation is run on a professional basis with a team which includes trustees, specialists in family development, marketing and fundraising, as well as advisors with experience in running charities. Their target is to have 15 hubs by December 2025, doubling that by July 2026. By the end of 2026, they aim to hold 10 marriage enrichment days.
The Foundation already has an international outreach with families from the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and the Republic of Ireland signing up to take part in the various initiatives. Christy Aikhorin invited Ciro and Caroline to speak during a two-day event in September 2025 at a conference centre in the Netherlands. She says: ‘I met Caroline Candia in England two years ago during a study weekend, where she spoke beautifully about marriage and family. I was deeply moved by her message. Seeing her and Ciro’s shared commitment through the ProFamily Foundation work convinced me they would be the perfect fit to lead a day-long session during our annual weekend conference for women and couples.’
Christy and her husband Chippla have been married for 17 years and they have two teenage children. 40 people listened to Ciro and Caroline cover key topics aimed at helping families to flourish. They explored how love, friendship, and forgiveness form the basis of all lasting relationships in marriage, family, and community life.
Daily effort
Ciro spoke about love as not simply a feeling but an act of the will, one that requires patience, humility, and daily effort, citing real stories from his life as a son, father and husband. During another session Ciro and Caroline explored how strong relationships form the roots of family culture in an increasingly distracted and digital world. They looked at the pressures faced by today’s families, from social media to the speed of change; and how truth, beauty, and goodness must be maintained as permanent anchors.
Christy reports that feedback was positive. She says, ‘The day left many of us inspired to strengthen our relationships and build a culture of belonging within our homes.’
You can find out more about the ProFamily Foundation here
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