A daily grant of €30 while the maximum given to volunteers will increase from €2,500 to €3,650
Minister for Inclusion and Volunteering Julia Farrugia has announced that the assistance given to young people between the ages of 18 and 35 who go to do voluntary work abroad will be doubling. “As part of the Youth Voluntary Overseas (YVO) scheme, all those who go to do voluntary experiences abroad will see their grant increase from €15 to €30 per day,” said Minister Farrugia. This means that young people who do voluntary work could see an increase in the maximum grant of €1,350. From this year, the organisation can also add a leader over 35 years old to coordinate and manage the project.
The Minister explained how this is the first electoral promise from the Int Malta manifesto being implemented by the Ministry for Inclusion and Volunteering and will mean further encouragement for more young people to be part of similar experiences. “The experience of volunteering is always a very precious and beautiful one. But volunteering abroad, especially where there are people going through great hardships, is in itself a very noble experience.”
In the last 9 years, 182 young people from 43 Maltese and Gozitan voluntary organisations have benefited from this scheme after having undertaken a volunteering experience abroad. This with a total investment of €227,000 through the YVO scheme issued by the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector (MCVS).
In front of a number of young people who have already had the experience of volunteering abroad as well as others who will be going in the near future, it was explained that the minimum period of this work is two weeks while the maximum period is three months.
Minister Julia Farrugia also announced that the maximum amount of assistance given to these young people will be increased, from the current €2,500 to €3,650. This grant covers various expenses and insurance.
Through this scheme, Maltese and Gozitan volunteers have already had experiences in a number of countries such as Kenya, Ghana, the Philippines, Cambodia, Paraguay and Peru where they were helpful in building schools and teaching, improving sanitary facilities, distributing food and leading awareness campaigns, for example on hygiene and health.
Minister Farrugia said that in the year dedicated to Volunteering, the Maltese Government is sending a strong message on how much we truly believe in the valuable work of volunteers. She concluded by reminding that this is another measure in a list of measures that have already been taken and others that still need to be implemented, “precisely during this year during which the world is remembering the valuable work of volunteering.”
Young people Jake Micallef Arpa and Amy Caruana, from the organisation Youths Marsaskala, shared how this scheme will help them realise their dream of, as a couple, undertaking a volunteering experience abroad together. They stressed that this opportunity will not only allow them to contribute to the communities they will visit, but will also enhance their personal experience and strengthen the values of solidarity and volunteerism.
Chief Executive of the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector (MCVS), Mauro Pace Parascandalo, said that it is a pleasure to see so much enthusiasm for a scheme that offers a unique opportunity to many young people. “Therefore, I appeal to more young people to look at this scheme, the YVO. With it, apart from volunteering and assistance, you will find different perspectives, cultures and worlds with which you will mature both while you are there, and also later when you return and have a broader and more mature way of looking at life.”
Applications, which are open throughout the year for anyone wishing to undertake these experiences, are available on the MCVS portal volunteers.mt .
All applications must be made through a registered and compliant organisation with the Office of the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations.
Photo: MI
