Persons with disability and those who care for them, without too many trumpet peels, carry out this endeavour but do need our support. The comfort that can be extended to such life-challenged persons and the facilities that can be made available will never make up for what we others take for granted.

The Arka Foundation fund raising marathon, year after year, has always been characterised, as far as I remember, by donations mostly from concerned citizens, some businesses and companies without expecting to be entered into a raffle for gifts. We who enjoy life so much through the use of our faculties, even if at times we experience setbacks, should try and do our best to help Arka Foundation which does not get so much media attention.

As an admirer of the good work carried out by Arka Foundation Respite Centre in Ghajnsielem for Gozitans and Maltese, I think this marathon (to be held tomorrow) should encourage us to make a little sacrifice and bring out in us a generous response to Arka Foundaiton’s appeal.

One reflection I can make about Palm Sunday and Arka Foundation’s annual fund raising marathon on this date is that suffering here is not without a purpose though it is a mystery to us.

Suffering perhaps much more than happiness brings together those who really wish one another well. Incidentally as a football tifoso, another aspect I admire about Arka Foundation is that within its possibilities it also tries and cooperate with other organisations, such as Ghajnsielem’s football club as mentioned in its last annual report, a club not exclusively in its field but naturally such cooperation, I’m sure, has the bottom line of also helping its clients better themselves. So personally I will not shy away from, say, forwarding the amount I usually spend for two or three football match tickets for Arka Foundation’s annual marathon appeal.

C. Debono

Ghajnsielem