I’m up to my nose with charity campaigns, especially telethons. 

Can’t we see that this model is belittling the ‘cause’ rather than empowering people.  Let me declare that whilst I admire people who organise these events, as it comes at a great cost to them, I still find that such a model is outmoded and obsolete. 

Is this charity model needed in this time and age with such a flourishing economy? Do we really need these patronizing images and features on television to make us tear up and turn indifference into a handful of euros? 

We are the same country that throws money at people all the time; stipends for students who come from well-to-do and privileged families (and we know that a couple of hundreds from the government does nothing for them); the occasional cheque we receive at home to make good for the cost of living (even if people have good wages to bank on); and, now coupons that are being tossed at us to assuage restaurateurs. 

We are the country that pays politically appointed executives in government authorities bag loads of money, dosh that goes over the pay scale of even the Prime Minister himself. 

We are the country that employs truckloads of people just before an election and over-staff our government offices and corporations whilst the wage bill keeps inflating like a piece of dough – and we always seem to find a way to go around it.

We are the country with a GDP that keeps rising, making it sound like this is the Cape Canaveral space craft launching site.

We are the country which seems to have an oil well under the office of the Minister of Finance as wages keep going up and the benefit bill is never ending.  

Yet, if our NGOs don’t manage to assemble a couple of millions, there is the feeling that certain treatment and medication are not available.  Isn’t it obvious that people will be ready to share their stories if this guilty feeling is shrouded on them by the system.

Someone needs to help me understand how we will spend €6-billion this year with almost one third of it, €2 billion, dedicated to benefits and intended to oil the social welfare system - yet people are asked to expose their life for a trifling €10 million or so that are collected during telethons. 

So, we spend €10,000,000,000 in a legislature on social benefits and pensions. 

Now add to this the unpaid work carried out by volunteers, which if we had to translate it in euros then God only knows how much this work would be worth. 

Now add €800,000,000 the country invests in education services and another €800,000,000 in health which indirectly are addressing social issues as well (per annum). 

In 5 years, the health and education costs total €8,215,000,000.

Now to put things into perspective, we accumulate some €2,784,000,000 a year in Tax and VAT.  If these companies feel so bad for those ‘in need’ we can ask them to firstly pay all their due taxes and secondly not to grumble if the Government raises their dues. 

At this point I really need a lot of convincing that we need to expose the lives of people on television and social media to collect money.  Sorry, this is despicable.  If people want to say their story, that’s one thing, but if people, and this includes children, are made to believe that telethons need to happen – that becomes a different ball game.

From where I stand this is not necessary and is simply creating a narrative of the ‘needy’ and perpetuating an ‘us and them’ hands-in-cap mentality.

Someone needs to convince me that it’s not humiliating to ask people to share their stories to collect money. 

Someone please explain why we do not realize that these grand donations coming from companies is their way of getting mileage on television and free promotion and audaciously call it Corporate Social Responsibility.  But how shameful and immoral can that be?

Someone please explain why the Government and the Opposition are always harping on what a good service Puttinu, Caritas Malta, Dar Tal-Provvidenza and other voluntary organizations give and yet we leave them short.

Let’s admit that these campaigns end up being: a bluffing exercise to make businesses look good; for public persons and people in the show business to get some mileage; to shy away from our responsibility because we would have invested some money in the ‘imsieken’; and, to give the illusion that we are all united – rubbish (it will only take an issue, like politics, migration, the zoos or the way we treat prisoners to see where all the unity is!)

I invite you to ask yourselves;

Would you be ready to expose yourself and your family’s pain and troubles so that there is enough money for medicine and therapy?  Because I’m not.

Would you or members of your family be ready to become a symbol of neediness and penury for medicine and therapy?   Because I’m not.

Would you be ready to speak about your inner pains, the troubling moments you had to go through for medicine and therapy?  Because I’m not.

Would you be ready to show your financial, emotional and physical vulnerability or that of your family for medicine and therapy?  Because I’m not.

Needless to say, I have doubts on the assessment methods and the follow ups (if at all) that take place when people are exposed to the media. 

On a final note, what we need to address is that we are dedicating so much resources to the social sector (which is good) but transformations are not taking place fast enough. We are talking about supporting a population of less than half a million and yet we struggle with an increase in homelessness, addiction, usury, discrimination experienced by marginalized communities like the LGBTQI, migrant, ethnic and disabled community and a rise in domestic violence to name a few. 

I just want this to stop.  It’s time to find other solutions.