Maltese Children Beg Public For Food On Social Welfare Website Ahead Of Christmas
As Christmas approaches, hundreds of Maltese children have urged the public to donate food to them as part of a government-supported initiative.
“My family is currently going through financial difficulties. For Christmas it would be of great support if you could provide us with some food vouchers,” 15-year-old Luca wrote on the Children’s Dreams platform, a website run by the Goodwill Amabassadors Foundation NGO in collaboration with the Foundation for Social Welfare Services.
“My family is going through a rough time and is finding it difficult to make ends meet… I would love to receive some food this Christmas,” 8-year-old Rebecca pleaded.
“I live in a residential home but spend the weekend with my mother and brothers,” 11-year-old Veronica said. “I look forward to the weekend however my mother never has enough food for everyone to go around and she cannot work. I would love to have a nice dinner together with my family before I go back to start the week at the residential home.”
Alicia, 12, wrote that she has been living in a shelter with her mother and brother for around half a year.
“As my mother has mental health problems, she cannot go to work and we are struggling to make ends meet. Food could be really helpful in supporting my mother, and to save up money to find a stable home where we can live as a family and improve our situation,” she said.
Children’s Dreams is an initiative run by the Foundation for Social Welfare Services, which aims to make Christmas wishes come true for children facing financial difficulties.
Their Christmas wishes are published on a platform for members of the public to fulfil.
Now in its 10th year of operation, it has surged in popularity – going from 100 fulfilled wishes in 2012 to 1,511 so far this year. A further 859 wishes currently remain unfulfilled.
Last year, 2,331 gifts were collected.
Social Policy Minister Michael Falzon remarked that some children have only requested basic items like a meal at McDonald’s and a look at their wishes shows he has a point.
In fact, a search for ‘food’ in the wish search bar brings up 173 requests, around 20% of remaining wishes, while a search for ‘clothes’ brings up 521 requests.
“I urge people and workplaces to visit the website to ensure that all these children have a happy Christmas,” Falzon said.
Besides food, you can also donate anything from clothes and Playstation games to school electronics and toys.
Will you donate to an underprivileged child this Christmas?
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