Church organisations left in the lurch by six-figure shortfalls in donations this week are hoping to make up some of the damage on Sunday, when the Church celebrates its yearly Charity Day.

Dar tal-Providenza and Caritas were among charities affected by a technical error at telecoms provider GO that resulted in €1.4 million in donations being double-counted. The error means donations to affected organisations made during TV fundraisers in late 2020 are hundreds of thousands of euro lower than originally expected.

Affected organisations were informed of the technical error in February but the mistake was only made public this week. In a statement, the Church had said that affected organisations’ work for the upcoming year would be derailed by the error.

The charities will be hoping to make up some of the shortfall on Sunday, as the Church seeks donations as part of its Charity Day, held annually on the third weekend after Easter.

In a statement, the Church said that donations will be used to help children and elderly people in church-run homes, people with special needs, people in drug rehab programmes, migrants and asylum seekers in Church-run homes, domestic violence victims, women caught in prostitution and homeless people, as well as 1,300 families who receive help from their local parish.

Donations will be used to help fund Dar tal-Providenza, Caritas, Fondazzjoni Sebħ, the migrant commission, peace laboratory, Jesuit Refugee Service, St Jeanne Antide Foundation, Millenium Chapel, Paolo Freire Insititute, Dar Merħba Bik, Dar Osanna Pia, Dar Hosea, Dar Frate Jacoba, social assistance secretariat, Fondazzjoni Paċi u Ġid, Suret il-Bniedem and church-run homes for the elderly.

Sunday mass at 9.30am will be broadcast online from a chapel run by Missionaries of Mother Teresa in Cospicua, at the request of Archbishop Charles Scicluna. 

To donate:

€11.65 – send an SMS to 50619270
€20 – call 51002037
€50 – call 51902072