Charity marathon will collect much-needed money for destitute communities in Peru, Pakistan and the Philippines, who are more likely to starve than die of COVID-19
The charity marathon broadcast Oħloq Tbissima will return this weekend for its 17th edition to raise funds for missions of the Missionary Society of St Paul, who work among some of the poorest communities in Peru, Pakistan and the Philippines.
With the heavy hand of COVID-19 looming large on global poverty, the impact of the pandemic has worn down communities. With lockdowns in these countries lasting close to four months, the lack of work and lost income have made the guarantee of a daily meal dubious for many families.
With this in mind, this year’s Oħloq Tbissima will be focusing their funds on buying food for their communities and alleviating misery to ensure that people are able to consume at least one meal a day.
“It is hard to understand what having literally nothing means, but these families are living in a reality where they have literally nothing,” Fr Louis Mallia, director of CPi Media said.
“We are asking the Maltese and Gozitans to be generous once again so that we can make sure that families, particularly children and the elderly, can get the nourishment they need at least once a day.”
These families are living in a reality where they have literally nothing
According to the missionaries working with these communities, people are more likely to starve to death than die of COVID-19.
“If everyone has taken a hit because of the virus, you can only imagine what people who are living day to day on meagre resources are going through,” Fr Karm Debattista and Fr Gerald Bonello, who are doing missionary work in Lahore, Pakistan, said.
The missionaries explained that the people in the area who are able to work receive their wages at the end of the day, all of which goes towards buying food.
“The struggle for survival is a day-by-day situation,” Fr Karm said.
Through their missionary work they have managed to alleviate some of these struggles, raising money to distribute basic food items like flour and rice to the Christian minority, who often face discrimination in finding work.
Fr Joe Cremona, who is doing missionary work in the Bataan province of the Philippines, said that donations from Malta were ensuring that “thousands of people in Bataan are getting something to eat every day”.
“Many families in the Philippines have been hit by an economic crisis that has seen unemployment skyrocket, making it increasingly difficult for people to support their families,” Fr Cremona said.
The MSSP mission in Bataan distributes weekly food hampers with essential foods and canned goods to keep families going in this time of crisis.
A young boy in Peru happy he has been given something to eat.Feed a hungry family
This year, Oħloq Tbissima will be hosting a more scaled-down edition of the marathon, to ensure that safety restrictions for COVID-19 are met.
All entertainment will be screened from the studio and a board featuring 450 families will track the funds to the goal of feeding these families for six months.
A pledge of €200 will go towards feeding a single person from these families, while a pledge of €500 will be helping to feed the entire family.
The 21-hour marathon will be broadcast from July 17 to 19, from St Joseph’s House in Santa Venera, every day from 5pm until midnight on F Living, TVM2, ONE and NET TV stations.
Donations can be made in person at St Joseph House or on the following numbers:
51002031 – € 20
51902080 – € 50
SMS: 50619285 – € 11.65
A pledge line will be open during the marathon broadcast on 2144 5544 and donations will be accepted online through www.ohloqtbissima.com.