The Malta Community Chest Fund Foundation reflects the core values of respect and goodwill that inform the work that is being done throughout the year by a dedicated team.

In my role as chair of the Supervisory Council, which is the policy-making body of the MCCFF, it is difficult to summarise the full extent of the Foundation's work. However, if there are a few words that come close to expressing its practical goals, those words are solidarity, inclusion and the structured processes of democratic participation.

To the MCCFF, solidarity means standing shoulder-to-shoulder with others, especially those who are most in need of empowerment, support and care.

Inclusion means acknowledging and, moreover, honouring the diverse needs of our society and the experiences that unite us as one human family.

The active processes of democratic participation means prioritising the participation of all people through civil society to achieve peace, prosperity and wellbeing for the benefit of everyone.

Solidarity, inclusion and the processes of democratic participation are combined in a powerful spirit of togetherness, which bridges the divisions created by inequality, abuse and injustice.

The MCCFF is the people's national charity and therefore these values speak one message: that we, the people of Malta and Gozo, will not be complicit in the oppression of others and that we are committed to not remaining silent in the face of discrimination. Through our work, the MCCFF is sending an important message, by celebrating the intrinsic dignity of each and every human being.

I believe that when each and every one of us accepts that we are inter-connected and inter-dependent, on so many levels, then we will overcome the divisions which, unfortunately, are being perpetuated in our world.

Healing these divisions is the underlying ethos of this Christmas season and the passion of the people who work for, and support, the Malta Community Chest Fund Foundation which is providing essential financial, medical, and material assistance to the people of Malta and Gozo.

The MCCFF is a charity that, over the span of six decades, has developed a strong identity in Maltese society, with its mission to improve the quality of life for all vulnerable families and communities.

Since I became President, we have radically reformed the Malta Community Chest Fund to make it more relevant to today's needs. For example, it has been transformed into a registered foundation, with its own legal personality, with full transparency, and an organised framework of specific targets.

These targets include the provision of essential medical assistance. Thanks to the generosity of the people of Malta and Gozo, which is so evident during L-Istrina, we are able to provide specialised treatment and care for people living with cancer and other severe chronic illnesses.

Moreover, the MCCFF makes accommodation, transport, and subsistence readily available for patients, and their families, who are receiving overseas treatment. It also provides social assistance to individuals and families experiencing financial difficulties, thus ensuring that they do not get lost in the system.

The Foundation offers a helping hand in times of need, putting the ideals of social solidarity into practice, and also offers support for people with disabilities through specific initiatives. Furthermore, it is offering assistance for children and young people who have left institutional care, thanks to a series of individual empowerment initiatives that are all tailored to their personal needs.

In this way it is providing tangible and dignified empowerment for vulnerable people who might otherwise feel trapped in cycles of exclusion and precarity.

Another target area within the Malta Community Chest Fund Foundation is the Fund for Voluntary Organisations. The opportunities that this fund provides, to groups and NGOs across Malta, is strengthening civil society engagement and facilitating diverse social projects.

I hope that the people of Malta and Gozo will continue to generously contribute to the work of the Malta Community Chest Fund Foundation and also during this year's L-Istrina. In this way, we will continue to create positive opportunities for holistic and sustainable peace, prosperity and wellbeing in the lives of all the people of our islands.