With just 20 years Dr. Mañero decided to engage in a volunteering adventure in Brazil. The experience was so intense, that he decided to repeat it for several years, spending his college summer breaks to work in disadvantaged parts of Brazil, such as the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. As a plastic surgeon he discovered the harsh reality of the children burned, either by accidents or by mines, in West Africa, so from that moment on he decided to combine his medical practice with charitable work. Dr. Mañero carries out this work both in West Africa and in Barcelona, where he operates the most difficult cases.

In 2004 he founded the Medical Association for Children, AMIC, and in 2007 the Dr. Iván Mañero Foundation (DrIM).