Malta village for poor Filipinos

There will soon be a Malta village in the Philippines; the residents will however not be Maltese but poor Filipinos.

The village is a project by the international Catholic community Couples for Christ that is raising funds from various countries, including Malta, to provide housing for the Filipino poor.

Joseph R. Portelli, who is involved in the legal administration of property and is helping to coordinate the local side of the project, said that the aim was not just to help the poor but to start a process to eradicate poverty.

Called Gawad Kalinga (sharing and caring), the project is recommended by the United Nations and approved by the Vatican. It entails building sustainable and viable communities that are self-sufficient.

The goal is to build 700,00 homes over seven years in 7,000 communities. Each home costs $1,000. All administrative work and manual labour is given free of charge by Couples for Christ members. Residents of the homes in turn give a helping hand to build other homes.

In Malta, the Couples for Christ community aims to collect at least Lm50,000 by May in order to be able to build about 100 homes in the Philippines for families presently living in shanty houses.

Mr Portelli said the Malta village lies in the Baseco zone where floods sometimes force the poor to live in deplorable conditions. Work on the first house is already in hand, he said.

The community is also organising a series of fund-raising activities in connection with the project.

In mid-April, the founders of the local Couples for Christ community, Joe and Doris Aquilina, will be issuing a CD entitled F'Giegh il-Passjoni Harxa Tieghu comprising some of their musical compositions. The couple will sing along with Agatha Zahra. The CD is produced by Philip Vella.

The community is also planning a fund-raising concert.

Mr Portelli can be contacted on 2149 2266 or 9924 6789 or at gkmalta@di-ve.com.

Any cheques are to be made payable to Gawad Kalinga and can be deposited in APS account 20000136043.