Sixty-hour charity marathon kicks off on Friday

A 60-hour marathon - Ohloq Tbissima (Make people smile) - to raise funds for St Joseph's Home in St Venera as well as missionary work in Peru, Pakistan and the Philippines, will kick off on Friday.

Organised by CAM Productions International (CPI), the marathon is in its third year - more than Lm148,000 were collected in the past two editions.

Held in the yard of the St Joseph's Home, the marathon will feature a number of local personalities, including singers, dancers, musicians and other entertainers.

Marthese Brincat, who is taking care of the marathon programme, explained there will be activities for everybody including children, young people and adults. She said the marathon will be transmitted live on Channel 30, with links to Net TV, Super One and Education 22.

The marathon will give Maltese people the opportunity to hear priests who have been working with poor people talk about their work and how donations were being used. More than Lm944,000 has been donated to Peru, Pakistan and the Philippines since 2000.

However, the marathon is only a small part of the work of the Missionary Society of St Paul (MSSP), within which the CPi was created.

CPI director Fr Louis Mallia explained that the marathon was used as a large information centre explaining the work of the MSSP.

"Our mission includes passing on God's word to the people, and informing them that He is the answer to get rid of misery and poverty," he said.

However, he said, it was important that missionaries did not just preach, but also helped socially where there was a need. In fact, he explained, a lot was being done to help poor people in Pakistan, Peru and the Philippines.

Two missionaries who work in Pakistan and Peru described their experiences. Fr Frank Cortis spoke about his work in Peru, where he said 75 per cent of people were unemployed. He added that the minimum wages were Lm40 a month, but the cost of living was higher than in Malta.

Br Dominic Borg, who works in Pakistan, said since the country was mainly Muslim, Christians did not have an easy life. He explained that the missionaries in Pakistan provided both schools, a seminary and an orphanage - apart from helping poor families and supplying medical help for those who could not afford it.

Fr Silvio Bezzina, who runs the St Joseph's Home, said big expenses, running into thousands of liri, were incurred to run such a home. He said that the 15 boys living there needed a lot of help because each were the victims of problems.

People can make donations by phoning on 5004-9853 to donate Lm3, 5004-9855 to donate Lm5, 5004-9850 to donate Lm10 or send an SMS on 5061-8070 to donate Lm2.