Warmth amid uncertainty
Christmas is a time of offering and receiving gifts. I heartily thank the Mission Fund of Malta for offering us a donation of €3,500, the third such donation this year.
A sum of €2,000 was given to pay for part of the furniture at the new building of our retreat house, Galilee Centre, in Debre Zeit, Ethiopia. We hope to start using the new building by the beginning of March.
Another €1,000 was offered for spiritual ministries and €500 offered to help those affected by COVID-19.
Amid the uncertainties of the present time, the Galilee Centre continues to offer hospitality for those who wish to come here to pray or rest in a quiet place. Though, up to now, we are not that much affected by the COVID pandemic, some are still hesitant to travel and come here to pray. This means that we have less resources to cover our daily expenses. This situation makes us appreciate even more the latest Mission Fund donation to us.
May I invite you to continue to help us with your prayers for peace and reconciliation. Please support those who are helping so many Maltese missionaries by sending to the Mission Fund office used stamps and donations. Kindly send your donations online or by direct bank transfer to one of the following accounts: BOV: IBAN No.: MT70VALL220130000000 16300798022; APS: IBAN No.: MT67APSB77079005231820000 820762; BNF: IBAN No.: MT94BNIF1450200000000087963101; Lombard: IBAN No.: MT65LBMA05000000000001440822115.
More information on the Mission Fund may be accessed from the website: www.missionfund.org.mt.
I pray that your families and friends will be spared COVID-19. I pray that God may bless you with His gift of health and peace. I continue to pray for your families in my daily Eucharist.
Support us with your prayers. May the newborn Child continue to find a home among us. Happy Christmas and happy New Year.
FR JOSEPH PULLICINO SJ – Galilee Centre, Debre Zeit, Ethiopia
A story of a birthday card
On December 1, a birthday card is registered and posted at the recently opened Attard sub-post office, to arrive at Kalkara by December 6. The card is not delivered by this date. On December 7, the Attard sub-post office tells us that the card was tracked at the Kalkara sub-post office.
The birthday person then goes to Kalkara to pick up the card, but he is told that it is not there. He is informed that it was sent back to the sender. However, this was not the case.
The main post office is then contacted and, lo and behold, the card is still at the sorting section.
The sorting section calls us later to happily say that the card will be delivered the next day, that is 10 days after being posted.
Please note that this card was registered since several others sent to the same person on different occasions
never reached their destination nor were they sent back to us, even though the sender’s address was included.
Thank you Maltapost for your sterling service!
MARIA GRIMA – Attard
Maltese crib
The photo in Times of Malta of a quintessential Maltese crib (December 28) replete with myriad tower cranes blighting the horizon is unfortunately all too realistic. However, artisan Victor Agius could have made it perfect by having a hunter taking aim at the angel.
ANNA MICALLEF – Sliema
Hypocrisy
The archbishop got it right about migrants stranded at sea but did any of our churchgoing worshippers say a prayer for them?
Imagine if the attitude of the allies had been to leave Malta to the Nazis. We can just imagine what would have happened.
KEVIN HODKIN – Xagħra
Mental health: establishing a new KPI
I believe that mental health in the workplace is an important subject that we must take seriously. The impact that mental well-being can have on our employees, our businesses, our economy and our communities is too important to ignore.
As our tack on assessing our societies’ success shifts away from limiting ourselves to GDP growth and edges closer to gauging all-round well-being, I believe that mental health should be considered as another important key performance indicator (KPI).
That is why, as the minister responsible for workers’ conditions, over the last months I have commissioned a targeted analysis on mental health at the workplace. The study was conducted by Novargo in collaboration with the Department of Industrial and Employment Relations (DIER).
The aim of this research was to provide a more realistic picture of what is happening on a scientific level for this to act as a basis of a wider discussion on the way forward on a national basis.
As Novargo presented their findings in a recent press conference, it was highlighted that almost three-quarters of the Maltese workforce are satisfied with their life and two out of every five employees experience high job satisfaction. However, the same study highlighted that almost half the Maltese workforce report varying degrees of depression symptoms and that one in four may require professional help. Anxiety and stress seem to be the more common mental health issues experienced by our workforce.
The director general at the Department for Industrial and Employment Relations stressed the importance of employers providing a safe environment for all employees and supporting those facing challenges including with regards to mental health.
In this context, I would like to commend our colleagues at Malta Enterprise who, alongside the Richmond Foundation, recently launched the Entrepreneurship concept. Through this initiative, employers and board directors that need to seek help due to mental health challenges, especially those exacerbated by COVID, can now make use of help tools and ask for professional counselling.
I believe that this service needs to be replicated to also cover more employees. I would go the extra mile in saying that such support should be covered through government assistance. It is through actions like these that we provide such issues with the attention they deserve.
While all interactions would be confidential, such a service would surely open us to trends and issues that are prevalent among a wider array of employees. As a government, we must better understand the realities that our workers are experiencing if we are truly to offer the best support possible to those facing these challenging situations.
The discussion needs to focus on the type of work carried out; the organisational and managerial environment; the skills and competences of employees; the resources available to them to carry out their work; and the balance between work and home responsibilities.
To properly address these factors, we need to engage with all stakeholders. In view of this and in the presence of the MCESD chairperson, I proposed that this report be presented to all social partners at MCESD level to be able to discuss their suggestions and what needs to be done.
I am committed to take this up as another important initiative that can lead to tangible improvements to the quality of life and overall well-being of our workforce and population.
CARMELO ABELA – OPM Minister, Valletta