GO has pledged its support to Fondazzjoni Mid-Dlam għad-Dawl (MDD) – the foundation that works closely with prisoners, ex-prisoners and prisoners’ families. GO has responded to an appeal for assistance and donated a number of refurbished computers. The equipment will be given to prisoners’ children with the aim of helping them boost their learning potential.
The appeal for the foundation came from Rotary Club Malta as part of its annual programme of community-centred work. In line with the club’s truly praiseworthy drive to provide humanitarian service in the community, Rotarians work to raise awareness on the needs of families affected by imprisonment. Rotary Malta issued an appeal to its members, business partners and associates asking for surplus computer equipment that could be used by ex-prisoners following training courses to get them back on track and find their bearings in society.
The Foundation Mid-Dlam għad-Dawl (meaning: from darkness to light) was set up in 1995 by a number of foreign and Maltese prisoners as a self-help group focusing on issues such as how to find work, getting somewhere to live and dealing with a criminal record. MDD works with prisoners, their families and ex-prisoners on an individual basis and aims to rehabilitate people in prison, as well as to help newly-released inmates regain their footing in society. The Foundation also publicly takes up issues that are of relevance to all prisoners and is a loyal defender of every prisoner’s right to live without the stigma of a prison sentence.
“GO is proud to support the ongoing efforts of Rotary Club Malta and the MDD Foundation to improve the quality of life for disadvantaged persons. Sponsoring philanthropic initiatives with compelling social implications further underpins GO’s corporate social responsibility and reflects its strong social conscience,” said Maria Jourdan, GO’s manager responsible for Corporate Social Responsibility.
“This is not the first time GO has partnered with Rotary Club Malta and helped out as regards major charity projects. Furthermore, the company has, in past years, donated telecom services − primarily phone cards − to prisoners enabling them to keep in touch with family and friends,” Ms Jourdan said.
During the presentation of the equipment, George Busuttil, director of the MDD foundation, thanked GO for its support and urged other companies to follow suit.
“It is with the invaluable assistance we get from team players like GO that our foundation can continue to sustain and develop the wide spectrum of services we offer prisoners, their families and ex-prisoners, to make society safer by cutting crime.”