The Malta Charities Association presented the sum of Lm6,500 to Agenzija Sedqa as a donation for Komunità Santa Marija.

The money will be used to enhance the quality of the service during the person’s stay at the rehabilitation centre.

Komunità Santa Marija, where at present 17 people are completing their residential treatment, is a service aimed at helping individuals with a history of drug abuse to re-integrate into society by adopting skills and values.

This service is an intensive, long-term residential programme offering a highly-structured communal living environment, wherein persons desiring to stop their drug abuse can discover their true selves, modify their behaviour, learn how to adopt a drug-free lifestyle and re-integrate in society.

Individual psychotherapy and family therapy is an integral part of the programme, making the service holistic by catering for all the needs of the clients, be they medical, social or psychological.

Patricia Troubridge, one of the founders of the Malta Charities Association, together with Cecily Napier, presented the cheque to Sedqa CEO, Joe Gerada.

The London-based association, set up almost 18 years ago, is a fund-raising organisation and is a major contributor to Maltese charities. £47,000 was collected in one fund-raising evening alone last year. The total sum raised over 17 years totaled £325,000.