Estepona celebrates the XI Solidarity Walk ‘Darkness into Light’ to help people at risk of suicide

It will be a symbolic walk of 5 kilometers, which will take place on Saturday, May 9, starting at 06.00 am with departure from the Paseo Marítimo (Malva Beach beach bar). The proceeds will go to help people at risk of suicide and their families.

The councilor attached to the delegation of Citizen Participation, Maria Aguilar; and the president of the Association of Families and People with Mental Illness of the Costa del Sol (AFESOL), Cristian Gonzalez, today presented the solidarity march ‘Darkness into Light’, to be held in Estepona, as well as in other parts of the world, on Saturday, May 9.

The municipal responsible has highlighted the solidarity nature of this activity, which as in previous years will raise funds to be used for awareness and suicide prevention programs, as well as for the intervention and support of people who have suffered in their environment the loss of a loved one due to this cause. In addition, the mayor has called for participation and expressed the willingness of the City Council to continue supporting this cause and collaborating with all kinds of non-profit associations whose goal is to help people with problems.

For his part, Cristian Rodriguez explained that this is a non-competitive march of 5 kilometers, in which people of all ages can participate. He also stated that it has a symbolic character because it starts at 06.00 hours in the morning and ends when the sun begins to rise “thus representing the path from darkness to light”. Participants will leave from the Paseo Marítimo (at the height of the beach bar Malva Beach) and reach the Mirador del Carmen.

Also, the president of AFESOL explained that ‘Darkness into Light’ was born in Dublin 17 years ago promoted by the foundation ‘Pieta House’. In 2025 it achieved a participation of more than 200,000 people worldwide. In addition, he has insisted on the importance of continuing to support this initiative, since according to data from the National Institute of Statistics indicates suicide as one of the main extreme causes of mortality in Spain.

Registration, which costs 22 euros, can be done online through the website www.eventmaster.ie or in person at the headquarters of Afesol Mental Health in Estepona and Benalmádena, as well as on the same day of the walk at the starting point from 04.00 in the morning.