First World Children's Day on November 27

The first World Children's Day - Jum Dinji tat-Tfal - established by UNICEF with the cooperation of McDonald's worldwide, will be observed on November 27.

The Malta International Airport and Baystreet outlets will hold the fund raising event on November 23.

On these dates, McDonald's Malta will donate Lm1 out of every Extra Value Meal to the McDonald's Children's Fund. The crew and management team from each of the eight restaurants in Malta will also be organising special in-store fund-raising events.

This year, the money collected in Malta will be passed on to the Eden Foundation, which provides educational facilities for children and adults with developmental disabilities.

Volunteers from the Eden Foundation will be at the restaurants to help coordinate activities. In addition, Maltese personalities from the entertainment field will be present to add to the festive atmosphere.

This global fundraising idea was mooted last May by UN secretary general Kofi Annan who called on the private sector to become more involved in the UN's efforts to promote and sustain child survival and child rights.

There are more than 30,000 McDonald's restaurants serving over 46 million people each day in 121 countries.

About 24,000 of these restaurants are owned and operated by independent franchises.

John Correia, chief executive of McDonald's in Malta, said that as the needs of the world's children increased over time, so had the need for every company and citizen to play a role in affecting positive change.

"We believe McDonald's is in a unique position to empower people to come together and actively participate in improving the lives of children," Mr Correia said.

Eden Foundation marketing manager Robert Farrugia said that the Eden Foundation, founded in 1992, provides educational facilities and job placements for about 400 persons with developmental disabilities.

Parents of children who go to Eden usually pay 10 per cent of the cost needed to provide facilitators and other professionals.

"The Eden Foundation incurs an annual expense of about Lm750,000 to provide its services," Mr Farrugia said.