Many Maltese give contributions, in cash or in kind, to charitable institutions. Mission Fund spokesman, Joe Mifsud tells Juan Ameen about the work of his organisation and calls for more donations to help people in need around the world through the work of Maltese missionaries

The kindness and generosity of the Maltese towards those in need is renowned, as Joe Mifsud from Mission Fund quickly pointed out at the start of the interview.

The Mission Fund is one of Malta's established charities and helps over 200 Maltese and Gozitan religious and lay missionaries around the world.

The fund was set up in 1984, Mr Mifsud explained, but it was only eight years later that the Mission Fund decided to organise and send groups of volunteers to work on different projects.

He said that a group of 20 volunteers are sent to a different country each year to help out with the various projects the missionaries would be working on.

Each missionary tries to contribute and help improve the life of the village in question through the construction of schools, hospitals or homes. These villages are in Third World countries.

However, Mr Mifsud pointed out that if they receive requests to build a hospital, Mission Fund usually refuses. "We have to keep our feet on the ground," said Mr Mifsud. "If the project is too big we can't take it up."

Space and accommodation are another issue. "The group is not split into smaller groups so the missionary must have the means to accommodate and take care of a group of 20," said Mr Mifsud.

Volunteers have been sent all around the world and have been to countries such as Egypt, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Peru and Guatemala.

In the first few years, the Mission Fund advertised for volunteers. However, Mr Mifsud said that there is no need to advertise anymore as many people learn about the projects by word-of-mouth.

The Mission Fund receives between 15 and 20 requests for help a year and carefully chooses one project. "We try to help out in areas we have never been before," said Mr Mifsud.

The volunteers have to pay for their own expenses which include insurance, flight tickets and medical expenses, usually amounting to around Lm500.

"It is so interesting that the volunteers come from all walks of life," said Mr Mifsud. "We have had businessmen, university students, midwives, teachers and even a magistrate participating in these projects."

Their ages vary between 18 and 70 and the group is usually evenly split between men and women. "Even though the projects mainly involve construction work, a good number of women help out and volunteer each year," said Mr Mifsud.

There is a lot of preparation involved before the volunteers leave. A live-in seminar and weekly meetings are organised and the volunteers have to raise the money needed through fundraising activities.

All the money required for each respective project has to be collected by the volunteers, explained Mr Mifsud.

"They collect the money through various activities, like a car wash, for example," he said. "In this way, they are still helping without burdening the central fund of the Mission Fund.

"It is important for the volunteers to get to know one another as they will be working together in close proximity for five weeks and it is tough," said Mr Mifsud.

He said he became involved with the Mission Fund when they first advertised for a group of volunteers in 1992.

"It was an experience that changed my life," said Mr Mifsud. "You meet people who have almost next to nothing but who are ready to share with you that little they have."

It is difficult to understand the poverty and the extreme conditions these people live in, he added.

This year, 20 volunteers will help out Archbishop of Malindi Frans Baldacchino in Kenya to add a new wing to the village's school. "This project will improve the level of education and knowledge in the village," said Mr Mifsud.

The Mission Fund recently sent a container filled with electrical tools, a concrete mixer, a generator, books, medicines and food.

It has contributed to the construction of a new house in Tanzania, a sewage plant treatment, and a centre for people with special needs.

Mr Mifsud explained that the Mission Fund sends Lm500 on a roster basis to all the missionaries involved. "We welcome all donations and when the funds are available we send them to the various missionaries around the world."

Not more than two missionaries work together in the same area, said Mr Mifsud. In fact, many of them work alone.

Lack of accountability of funds was recently an issue with many charities. However, as Mr Mifsud pointed out, the Mission Fund always had nothing to hide from the very start.

"As soon as the Mission Fund was set up in 1984, we regularly published our financial statements in the newspapers," he said. "It is very important that people know where their money is going."

From time to time the newspapers publish letters thanking Mission Fund and the generosity of the Maltese public. "Once the people read these letters, they are reassured that their money is put to good use," he added.

Although the number of missionaries over the years has decreased, people are still very generous.

"There is awareness about the Mission Fund and what we do. Even though many other charities were set up along the years, people still remember what we do and help us out," he added.

"We didn't register a decrease in funds, but we noticed a shift," he said. "Many people donate money to the annual projects as they receive more publicity."

Those interested in donating to the Mission Fund can donate to the HSBC Account Number 044-102184-001 or send a message on the following numbers:

Lm2 - 5061 8062

Lm3 - 5004 9623

Lm5 - 5004 9625

Lm10 - 5004 9620