For the eighth consecutive year, Maltese and Gozitan voluntary organizations will be able to benefit from specific funds to have the opportunity to continue roaming abroad and work with foreign voluntary organizations. For this purpose, the Civil Society Fund scheme will be reopened with an investment of €125,000.
The relaunch of this fund was made by the Minister for Inclusion, Volunteering and Consumer Rights Julia Farrugia Portelli. Every year in the last seven years, an average of 40 voluntary organizations have benefited from this scheme with an investment of just under €900,000.
Minister Farrugia Portelli said that it is through such schemes that Maltese and Gozitan associations can share the services they already offer as well as build international bridges. Launch of a scheme through which a message is being sent about how much voluntary associations are valued.
“Recently during a visit to Brussels I had the opportunity to see a Maltese voluntary association representing our country and the people who are on the autism spectrum. You feel proud as a Maltese to hear the positive comments that other European voluntary organizations have made against the Maltese voluntary organizations, so much so that they described them as a pro-active social organ that is doing a lot of good for the Maltese and Gozitan community,” said the Minister Farrugia Portelli.
Mauro Pace Parascandolo, Chief Executive of the Council for the Voluntary Sector, said how this fund is part of the support given by the Maltese Council for the Voluntary Sector so that more voluntary organizations engage and partner with ‘ other organizations, not only locally but also on a European level. This commitment is essential so that the same associations are participants in the discussion at a European level in the field they specialize in. This contact also translates into possibilities of membership in European projects that can be beneficial for Maltese Voluntary Organizations both in the acquisition and sharing of experiences, access to more funds from the EU and the potential growth of capacity of the organization.
Through this scheme, during the last seven years, Maltese and Gozitan voluntary associations have attended several conferences and seminars with foreign voluntary associations as well as representing their sector and the country in conferences and seminars abroad. country.
The Government, together with the Maltese Council for the Voluntary Sector, serve as a continuous support to more than 1,700 voluntary organizations in Malta and Gozo that cover almost every sector of life.
For the relaunch of the Civil Society Fund scheme, Nancy Caruana, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry for Inclusion, Volunteering and Consumer Rights was also present; Jesmond Saliba, Commissioner for Voluntary Associations; and Dr. Noel Camilleri, Chairperson of the Council for the Voluntary Sector.
Voluntary organizations can apply by visiting the MCVS website at www.vofunding.org.mt. Applications are open until Wednesday, 7 September 2022.
