The merge between the Eden Foundation and the Razzett tal-Hbiberija has brought on more difficulties than solutions as things stand now.

The intended aim of forming one organisation was to provide better services to the clients of both entities but so far many parents of children who make use of Eden’s services have not welcomed the idea.

During a meeting held last Friday, a large group of them walked out of the hall in protest as, they felt, they are still to be given an explanation as to why the two entities have joined forces.

The founder of the Eden Foundation, Josie Muscat, who had relinquished the post of chairman when he formed a political party, repeatedly asked why the foundation’s trustees were not present for the meeting, and when he got no answer that satisfied him, he led the majority of the parents out of the meeting.

In a press conference held on Sunday, he went as far as to state that the Eden Foundation had “lost its soul”. Coming from the man who set it up and painstakingly worked to expand its services over a number of years, the statement carries a lot of weight.

But Dr Muscat, who is now chairman of the Eden Foundation’s Parents Association, went beyond that. He has asked a series of questions that need to be answered in the name of transparency and accountability. He demanded to know how Eden’s funds are being used, asking whether Razzett salaries are being paid from Eden’s funds. He also queried how and why the administration of the Eden Foundation has been taken over almost completely by the Razzett tal-Hbiberija.

He has also demanded the publication of the audited accounts of Eden and Razzett up to the end of last year, given that Eden had received public funds.

The merge between the two organisations – it became effective on 1 January – has been shrouded in mystery ever since it was announced. The parents say that they were not consulted, but the merge went ahead in spite of their protests.

There is no doubt that both Eden and Razzett, as individual organisations, have over the years carried out sterling services with disabled people. They have helped families cope with the difficulties of having a disabled child, and provided services and facilities that have gone a long way in making the lives of these people better.

Eden is a Maltese organisation sustained by public funds. It focuses mainly on intellectual disability and, through sustained fund-raising it registered a healthy e300,000 profit last year. Razzett is a private organisation, part of the Janatha Stubbs Foundation, which is registered in the UK. It focuses mainly on physical disability and offers activities such as horse riding, swimming in a pool and wheelchair dancing.

Parents of children in the Eden Foundation however do have the right to seek answers to the questions that they have raised, and the new organisation’s administration has the duty to provide such answers.

Seeing that public funds are involved too, the government should intervene in the matter and find out whether the money that was handed over to the Eden Foundation was used and is being used properly.

The Curia must also explain its position in the issue, seeing that the vote of its representative on the Eden Foundation’s board, Fr Charles Abela, tilted the balance in favour of the merger. This eventually led to the resignation of the two directors who had voted against – Bro. Martin Borg and Dr Joe Bugeja who, as far as is known, have not been replaced.

The commissioner responsible for NGOs should also investigate the situation and help find a solution that will bring peace of mind to the parents concerned.

There are many questions that need to be answered. And the quicker this happens, the quicker will the parents of the children involved be assured that the interests of their children – which is after all what matters most – are being safeguarded.