Song speaks of suffering children's hopes

Agenzija Appogg, the social work agency, last year received 22,438 calls from people in need of support and information, among them 387 calls from children.

Yvonne Mallia, operations director of Agenzija Appogg, gave the figures during a fund-raising initiative: the launch of a record by the Young Talent Team.

She said that between January and August this year, 14,611 calls were received on Supportline 179 among which 10,590 were adult callers and 347 were children.

With a number of adults also phoning on behalf of children, the calls relating to children's issues added up to 1,131 and included cases of bullying, child abuse, parent-child relationships and others.

The Young Talent Team have recorded the song Bikja Ohra/179' and presented it to the agency to help it raise funds for its Children's Fund which supports child victims of abuse.

The song is about children who are experiencing difficult situations in their lives such as living with abusive parents or carers, facing family problems, experiencing abandonment and neglect or even whose parents have died young.

It voices the feelings and thoughts of these children who wish to live in a peaceful, loving and united family.

The song also encourages adults and children to call Supportline 179, a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week national helpline which is manned by 90 professionally trained volunteers within the agency.

Bikja Ohra/179 is composed and written by Andrew Zahra and Deo Grech respectively and produced by Andrew Zammit.

It will be available from Exotique outlets as from today for a donation of Lm1.50.