Archive for category: News

Once again, the Festa ta’ Ġenerożità in aid of id‑Dar tal‑Providenza is going to be organised under the big tent in its parking lot in Siġġiewi. This was announced by Fr Martin Micallef, Director and Mrs. Nadine Camilleri Cassano, Administrator of the Home, during a press briefing on Wednesday 27th November 2024.

As has happened in recent editions, the Festa ta’ Ġenerożità will be broadcast on the main television stations from 10.00am to midnight. At 9.30am, TVM2 will broadcast a mass from the Home’s chapel celebrated by H.G. The Archbishop Mgr Charles J. Scicluna.

Next year, 2025 is going to be a special year for Id‑Dar tal‑Providenza because it happens to be the 60th anniversary of its founding. This was announced by Fr Martin Micallef, the Director of the Home, who said that during all these years the Home offered permanent residency to 270 persons with disability as well as many others who needed respite services. The Home always offered personalised services of quality to the residents, services that respected their rights and dignity. This was only possible with the continued support of the Maltese and Gozitan people.

Fr Martin said that the Home will be celebrating this event by launching a strategy for the coming years to deinstitutionalise its core operations in line with the principles envisaged in the United Nations Convention for the Rights of Persons with disability by offering more residential services in the community and other support alternatives according to the person’s wishes.

Fr Martin spoke about the work being done at the Home including the completion of the refurbishing project of four flats in Villa Papa Giovanni where work has been completed in one of them and the second will be finished early next year. The Home continued to invest in human resources including employment of professionals, ongoing training of its employees, purchasing of new equipment, maintenace work and other projects aimed at improving its services.

The Festa ta’ Ġenerożita of January 1st, is an annual appointment, whereby the Home can turn to the Maltese and Gozitans to help it financially because costs are always on the rise. In fact, the Home currently needs around 7 million euros per year for its operation.

Ms Nadine Camilleri Cassano, the Administrator of Id‑Dar tal‑Providenza, spoke about the various fund raising activities taking place during the month of December leading to new year’s day and how the public can help. She explained that donations can be made with immediate effect up to January 1st in various methods shown hereunder. She said that these donations will be included in the final sum that is announced at the end of the new year’s day telethon.

€15         51702013

€25         51802014

€50         51902085

€100     51302022

SMS €7   50618922

Donations can simply be made by Paypal and other accounts that Id‑Dar tal‑Providenza has with the main banks: APS Bank, BOV, HSBC, Lombard Bank and BNF Bank.

Donations via BOV Mobile and myAPS Payment to Mobile (P2M) can be made on 7932 4834.

Moreover, individuals can send in their donation of more that €20 by cheque made to id‑Dar tal‑Providenza, Triq Lapsi, is‑Siġġiewi  SGW2822. Kindly note that according to a directive by the Central Bank of Malta cheques smaller than €20 will not be cashed by the Maltese banks.

Other donations can be made at the office id‑Dar tal‑Providenza has in St. Paul Street, Valletta (behind the market) open Tuesdays to Saturdays between 9.00am and noon, at the Paola Catholic Bookshop, as well as in the Rabat Malta square in the days leading to Christmas and January 1st 2025.

Another speaker was Mrs Amanda Ciappara who said that the 30‑hour music marathon organised by Radio RTK is taking place this weekend between this Saturday 30th Novembar and Sunday 1st December 2024.

On Sunday, October 27, 2024, €6,478 were raised for Id-Dar Tal-Providenza in Bike Ride organised by the Public Works Department. Over 150 cyclists took part in the event which started at Ta’ Qali then on to the historic arches of Mdina, leading to Gomorino Bridge, before circling back to the starting point.

The Bike Ride had the support of Polti-Kometa, in collaboration with Visit Malta, that were instrumental in promoting the event and generously donated water bottles for all cyclists. Additional sponsors included Farsonsdirect, Maypole and Gaetano Mifsud Limited.

Transport Malta, The Malta Police Force and the Malta Red Cross provided health and safety support.

On Thursday,12th September 2024, Id-Dar tal-Providenza celebrates its 59th anniversary. 59 years ago, Dun Mikiel Azzopardi, with Lm100 in hand donated by a lady who had saved them for her vacation, embarked on id-Dar tal-Providenza, the first home in Malta that started offering residential services to persons with disability. Ever since, id-Dar tal-Providenza has been a living miracle of Divine Providence.

Today, 59 years later, Id-Dar tal-Providenza with the support of the Maltese and Gozitans alike, with the help of many volunteers together with financial support, aside from the Siġġiewi complex runs four other community homes in Siġġiewi itself, Birkirkara, Qawra and Żurrieq. These homes host around 115 persons with disability endowed with respect, their rights and their dignity.

Looking back towards the early years of the 60’s we cannot forget the worrying and troubling thoughts Dun Mikiel had surrounding the  state of persons with disability who in his own words were hidden and sidelined. He had found out that various persons with disablity were living in a deplorable and  inhuman state, hidden in cellars, where at times even their siblings were not even aware of them.

This was when the idea crept up that Dun Mikiel finds a place where persons with disability could live in a decent environment – an environment that they deserve and that fully respects their dignity. Many were those who told him that such a project would need a lot of funds. But Dun Mikiel sincerely believed that Divine Providence had no limits, as without limits are the values of justice and solidarity,

The 12th of September is a day during which we thank God who gave us Dun Mikiel who in turn gave birth and nursed to fruitition id-Dar tal-Providenza, which as the late Archbishop Ġużeppi Mercieca used to say, is the home of all of us.

 

 

Archbisop Emeritus, Mgr Paul Cremona O.P. took part in the annual pilgrimage to Lourdes organized by the Assoċjazzjoni Volontarji Lourdes. This year this pilgrimage, that took place between Thursday 29th August and Sunday September 2024, was attended by 175 pilgrims from Malta and Gozo.

He concelebrated in a mass that took place at the Grotto of Massabielle. It was led by  Fr Martin Micallef, Episcopal Vicar for Diaconi and Director of Id-Dar tal-Providenza and assisted by Fr Dijonisju Mintoff OFM, Director of the Laboratory for Peace, Fr Josè Debono OCD, Provincial of the Teresians and Fr Mario Sant OFM Conv. One of the friars that works with the sick in London.

On Sunday 1st September, Archbishop Cremona also concelebrated during the international mass that is celebrated in the Sanctuary of Notre Dame de Lourdes  that was led by Cardinal Enrico Feroci. He also took part in the  procession with the Blessed Sacrament that took place Friday 31st August and also in one of the Aux Flambeaux processions that take place every evening in the main square in front of the Lourdes Sanctuary.

 

A record €6,700 was raised during an annual summer barbecue in aid of Id‑Dar tal‑Providenza organised by Pierre Vella Petroni and Anne Marie Xuereb for  more than a decade.

During the event, Fr Martin Micallef, Director of the Home, thanked the organisers, helpers, sponsors and the more than 100 friends and relatives who attended the fundraising activity and donated towards this noble cause.

The sum collected will help the Home that offers care to persons with disability and requires €13,000 a day to cover running  costs.

The main sponsors for the event were Prime Ltd., C. Camilleri & Sons, Ron Axisa, Welbees Naxxar, The General Soft Drinks Co. Ltd., Farsons Direct, Heir & Loom, Bristow Potteries, VCT Lighting, Provita, Rausi & Co. and Gordon Portelli of Pitkali Malta.

The event would not have been possible without the invaluable help of family and friends who helped with the logistics and the cooking.