Archive for category: News

Details were given on the 24th edition of the Feast of Generosity that takes place every New Year’s Day. It is organised primarily to raise funds so that id-Dar tal-Providenza can continue to provide and improve on the services it offers. Fr Martin Micallef, Director of the Home, gave details during a press conference held this morning (Tuesday, 17th December 2019)

Fr Martin announced that Id-Dar tal-Providenza made the important step to get the necessary licence for the operation of every home it has as requested of it by the Social Care Standards Authority (SCSA) that was set up by a Legal Act last year. By having this licence, Id-Dar tal-Providenza shows its commitment lo protect and improve on the dignity, security and social care of its residents and of all those that use its services. The Home is also registered with the Office of thhe Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations (VO 1066) so that the general public will be assured that the Home operates in a transparent and fully accountable way.

As to projects planned for next year, Fr Martin mentioned the opening of a new home in the community of Balluta; the refurbishment and installation of a new lift at Dar Żerniq in Siġġiewi; refurbishment of the four flats in Villa Papa Giovanni and a specialised training course for management and staff by a foreign professional on “Difficult Behaviours”.

The Feast of Generosity kicks off at 9.00am with a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Mgr. Charles J. Scicluna in the Home’s chapel. Focus will then be on the main stage under the big tent where there will be a spectacle of entertainment and interviews with various personalities who visit the Home during the day. Under the big tent, there will be volunteersw to receive donations from the public. All visitors to the Home will be given a receipt for every donation made.

On the occasion of the year when the Church will be commemorating the hundred anniversary of the birth of St. John Paul II, during the day in the chapel  there will be a relic with a piece of gauze with the Saint’s blood of when he was shot in St Peter’s Square by Mehmet Ali Ağca on May 13th, 1981. This relic was donated to the Home by a Maltese nun that assisted the Pope when he was recovering at the Policlinico Gemelli.

The live auction of works of art kindly donated by Maltese and foreign artists that was going to take place later on this week at the foyer of the Parliament of Malta in Valletta, has been postponed for April of next year. However, during the Feast of Generosity on New Year’s day, the public will still have the opportunity to see the works of art that will be exhibited in the main hall of the Home.

For the benefit of those who will be visiting Id-Dar tal-Providenza, there will be a park-and-ride service between 3.00pm and 9.00pm from San Niklaw street, (the old runway). For those unable to make it, the whole telethon, that ends around midnight, will be relayed ‘live’ on the main television stations. Donations may be made at the Home in Siġġiewi or by phone as follows:

€10 Donation             –       516 02 012

€15 Donation             –        517 02 013

€25 Donation            –        518 02 014

SMS € 7 Donation    –        506 18 922

Mr Oliver Scicluna, Chairperson of the Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disabillity and the company Camilleri & Cuschieri Consulting Engineers, represented by Mr Charles Cuschieri, co-founder of the of the company, are the winners of this years’ Mons. Mikiel Azzopardi Award.

This was announced by Fr Martin Micallef, Director of Id-Dar tal-Providenza, during the annual concert by the band of the Armed Forces of Malta that took place on Friday (6th December) at the Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Paul in Mdina in aid of the Siġġiewi Home on the occasion of the International Day for Persons with Disability.

This Award, that was launched in 1955, is given every year in recognition of the voluntary contribution by persons in the disability sector in Malta and Gozo as well as persons and entities that help Id-Dar tal-Providenza in its work.

Oliver Scicluna was appointed Chairperson of the National Commisskion for Persons with Disability in March 2014. Presently he is serving on various councils and boards on the national level. He is also Vice Chairperson of the Foundation for the Accessibility of Information Technology. He served as Chairperson of the Action Committee for a Just Society, which was set up to give advice at the preparation stage of the National Policy about Disability.

In June 2016, Oliver was appointed as the first Commissioner for the Rights of Persons with Disability.

Camilleri & Cuschieri Consulting Engineers, a company gthat provide consultancy services in the engineering sectir, was established in 1979 by the late Eng. Albert G. Camilleri and Eng. Charles Cuschieri and this year it is commemorating its 40th Anniversary.

The association of Camilleri & Cuschieri with Id-Dar tal-Providenza took off when Mgr. Lawrence Gatt was appointed Director of the Home in 1987. Since then, the company chose to support the Home with professional help as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility.

In 2012, Eng. Cuschieri was also given the “Excellence for Leadership Award” by the Malta Chamber of Engineers. He is also a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology of the United Kingdom.

The concert by the band of the Armed Forces of Malta was under the distinguished patronage of the President of Malta, H.E. Dr George Vella who was accompanied by Mrs. Vella. In a short concluding speech, Dr Vella said we talk a lot about dignity but persons with disabilities always had dignity it was the population in general that deprived them of their dignity because of its attitudes towards them. Thank God this attitude has changed through legislation and education so that persons with disability can now truly have their respect, dignity and rights.

The special address of the evening on the occasion of the International Day for Persons with Disability was by Mr Michael Debattista, himself a blind person since his early twenties.

“Il-Presepju tan-Nannu”, a play tied to the Christmas season, was held at the Catholic Institute in Floriana last Saturday, 30th November and Sunday, 1st December in aid of id-Dar tal-Providenza. As in past years, there was an inclusion of persons with disability residents of the Home and other actors, some of whom are well established in the local drama scene.

In total there were forty actors taking part including the residents.

The annual concert by the band of the Armed Forces of Malta in aid of Id-Dar tal-Providenza will this year take place at the Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Paul in Mdina on Friday 6th December at 8.00pm. The concert will be under the distinguished patronage of the President of Malta, H.E. Dr George Vella who will also present the Mons. Mikiel Azzopardi Award 2019 to the winner who will be announced during the evening.

The band (photo attached) is under the direction of Mro WO1 Twanny Borg with the participation of soprano Celine Abela and tenor Lbdr. George Zammit. The programme includes works by Handel, von Weber, Rodrigo, Albinoni, De Haan, Reineke and Rutter as well as works by Maltese composers Carmel Callus and Ray Sciberras with arrangements by Capt. Jonathan Borg.

Free tickets may be obtained by email on kuncert@dartalprovidenza.org or by phone on 2146 2844 by no later than November 28th.

‘Requiem e Resurrectio et Vita’, composed by Mro Joseph Sammut, was performed by the St Paul Metropolitan Orchestra on Friday, 8th November 2019 at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Mdina. All proceeds went towards Id-Dar tal-Providenza.

 

The orchestra was under the direction of Mro Mark Agius, with the participation of the St Monica Vocal Ensemble together with the soloists, soprano Rosabelle Bianchi, mezzo Soprano Claire Massa, tenor Joseph Aquilina and bass Albert Buttigieg.