The Minister for Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector, Julia Farrugia, has announced that all youths applying for the Youth Voluntary Overseas (YVO) scheme to do volunteering experiences abroad will see their grant increase from €15 per day to €30 daily.

Farrugia on Thursday said that this is the first electoral promise from the 'Int Malta' manifesto that her Ministry is fulfilling, a statement said.

She said that doubling this grant will translate to more young people feeling encouraged to sign up for these experiences.

Through these changes, young people aged between 18-35 years old who do voluntary work abroad could see an increase of €1,350 in the maximum grant.

The maximum grant given to volunteers is increasing from €2,500 to €3,650; this grant covers various expenses, including insurance.

In addition, from this year on, organisations can also add a leader who is over 35 years old to coordinate and manage the project.

"The volunteering experience is always a precious and very beautiful one. But volunteering abroad, especially where there are people who are going through great hardships, is in itself a very noble experience," Farrugia said.

In the last nine years, 182 young people from 43 Maltese and Gozitan voluntary organisations benefitted from this scheme following volunteering experiences abroad.

Through a total investment of €227,000, through the YVO scheme, these funds are issued by the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector (MCVS), the statement said.

To apply for this scheme, volunteers aged 18-35 must go volunteering overseas for at least two weeks but no longer than three months.

Through this scheme, Maltese and Gozitan volunteers have already had experiences in several countries such as Kenya, Ghana, the Philippines, Cambodia, Paraguay, and Peru where they assisted in building schools, teaching, improving sanitary facilities, distributing food, and leading awareness campaigns, for example on hygiene and health.

Farrugia said that in the year dedicated to volunteering, government is sending a strong message on how much it truly believes in the valuable work of volunteers.

Young people present from the organisation "Youths Marsaskala," Jake Micallef Arpa and Amy Caruana, shared how this scheme will be of help to them in fulfilling their dream, as a couple, of going for a volunteering experience abroad together.

They said that this opportunity will not only allow them to contribute to the communities they will visit, but it will also enhance their personal experience and strengthen their values of solidarity and volunteering.

MCVS chief executive Mauro Pace Parascandalo said that it was a pleasure to see so much enthusiasm for a scheme that offers a unique opportunity to many young people.

He appealed for more young people to look at the YVO scheme, noting that volunteering abroad helps one find uncover new perspectives, cultures, and worlds to mature one's spirit.

Applications for the YVO scheme are open throughout the year for anyone interested in going volunteering overseas. One can apply through the MCVS portal: volunteers.mt.

Each application must be made through a registered association and in compliance with the Office of the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations.