Id-Dar tal-Providenza has been awarded the Midalja għall-Qadi tar-Repubblika (Medal for Services to the Republic) on Republic Day, recognising six decades of pioneering work in disability care and advocacy in Malta.
The honour, presented on Saturday, marks one of the country’s highest tributes to the Siġġiewi-based organisation, which has provided residential care and services for persons with disabilities since its founding in 1965.
Speaking after receiving the award – one of Malta’s most prestigious national honours – on behalf of the institution, director Fr Martin Micallef expressed profound gratitude whilst emphasising that the recognition belongs not to the organisation itself, but to those it serves.
“We receive this recognition on behalf of the true heart of Id-Dar tal-Providenza: the persons with disability who have found a home, a family, and a future within Id-Dar tal-Providenza,” he said.
Mgr Micallef dedicated the honour to the organisation’s founder, Monsignor Michael Azzopardi, whose vision in 1965 sparked what he described as “a movement of love” at a time when persons with disabilities faced deplorable conditions and severe social stigma in Malta. Many were hidden away in cellars or sent to ill-equipped hospitals, with families receiving little support.
The director also paid tribute to Mgr Lawrence Gatt, who served as director for 22 years, and to the Maltese people whose “unwavering generosity has sustained this venture for sixty years”. He acknowledged every administrator, employee and volunteer who has served with dedication over the decades.
In a particularly poignant moment, Mgr Micallef singled out the Sisters of Charity, who served the home for 55 years until 2020. “Their silent, steadfast presence has sustained Id-Dar tal-Providenza,” he said, describing them as providing “not just care, but the spiritual backbone of our mission”.
The organisation currently operates several residences in Siġġiewi, Villa Monsinjur Gonzi, Villa Papa Giovanni, and Villa Papa Luciani, alongside community homes in Qawra, Birkirkara, and Żurrieq, as well as flats facilitating more independent living. Approximately 115 residents, ranging from 14 to over 80 years of age, call these facilities home.
With an annual operational budget of around €7 million, primarily to cover wages for its 200 staff members, Id-Dar tal-Providenza relies heavily on public donations. Its most significant fundraising event remains the televised Festa ta’ Ġenerożità held every New Year’s Day, though it also receives government grants for specific projects.
Looking to the future, Mgr Micallef emphasised that the organisation is undergoing a fundamental transformation in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. “As we mark six decades of history, we are also looking firmly at the future,” he said, outlining a shift away from institutional care towards community-based living.
“We believe that all disabled persons are citizens first, with full rights and responsibilities,” the director stated. “Our role moving forward is not to define their lives for them, but to open the doors to the lives they choose, lives defined by freedom, connection, and equal opportunities.”
This deinstitutionalisation strategy involves expanding supported accommodation in small flats and houses within village communities across Malta and Gozo, allowing residents to live more autonomously according to their personal choices and aspirations.
“True inclusion is not simply about support or care, it is about enabling every person to live a life of dignity, purpose, and belonging,” Mgr Micallef said, dedicating the honour to everyone supporting this transformation. “Citizenship is not something given; it is something realised together.”
Source: Newsbook.com.mt
Article written by Jurgen Balzan
