With an investment of more than €5 million over five years, the Ministry for Inclusion and Volunteering, is supporting the Malta Trust Foundation, with the salaries of professionals to strengthen the extensive program of music and art therapeutic aimed at children and young people with disabilities, who are between 5 and 35 years old.
The Malta Trust Foundation program, which has been in Malta since 2021, will offer specialized therapeutic sessions that include music therapy, adapted music teaching, expressive arts, dance therapy, as well as support for families of -children and young people who attend the Malta Trust Foundation’s Center for Music and Art.
This was announced by the Minister for Inclusion and Volunteering Julia Farrugia, together with the Chairperson of the Malta Trust Foundation, the President Emeritus Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, in the presence of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry Mark Musu.
This program in Ta’ Saura in Victoria will be aimed at reaching up to 500 people per week, with sessions varying between one and three hours and held between Monday and Saturday. Each individual will have a personalized plan of activities and therapies, made according to their specific needs and in collaboration with their parents or guardians. These plans will be managed by a team of professionals specialized in the field.
Minister Julia Farrugia explained how the Government will continue to incentivize similar programs and initiatives that help people with disabilities live a better life in the community. “This program will not only offer therapeutic support for the most vulnerable in our society, but will also give a space of creative expression that will help these children and young people discover and develop their talents. As Government, we are committed to creating opportunities that improve the quality of life of people with disabilities, and this project is a concrete step in this direction.”
Chairperson of The Malta Trust Foundation Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca said that “This agreement will help to strengthen the music and art program for children and young people with disabilities. In three years that we have been working with this program, we have seen a lot of development of potential as well as talent and abilities in the children and young people who attended and are attending. The help of the government in the payment of the salaries of the professionals is a great help, to continue developing this program which during the last years has been financed in its entirety, by members of the business community in our country . With the help of the government on salaries we will be able to strengthen and invest in our operation with the funds we collect.”
To ensure continuous monitoring and evaluation of the program, two main committees were formed. Taskforce, which includes representatives from the ministry, Aġenzija Sapport and The Malta Trust Foundation, will meet every three months to discuss progress, new initiatives, and make recommendations for future cooperation. In addition, a committee of experts, made up of three external experts in the therapeutic arts, will carry out an annual evaluation of the program to be presented to the Taskforce.
