Mental health NGO Richmond Foundation has turned to the public for donations, as operations costs for next year are expected to total €400,000. 

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Richmond Foundation CEO Stephania Dimech Sant said this year's fundraising campaign, launched annually during the festive period, will see local personalities sharing their own experiences with mental health issues. 

"According to research, there were 120,000 people living with mental health disorders in Malta before the pandemic and we have seen a dramatic increase since then," Dimech Sant said. 

In 2022, calls to the NGO were seven times more than in 2019, while the amount of therapy provided doubled in the same period. In 2022, the NGO received over 7,800 calls and provided therapy to 7,664 people. 

"For companies, more demand usually means more profit but that is not the case for NGOs. It's actually the opposite. Our main costs are salaries and running costs," the CEO said. 

On the government launching a helpline similar to that offered by Richmond,  and concerns over funds being slashed, Dimech Sant said that funding went towards a specific service that is now no longer being offered.

"The service has reverted to what it was prior to the pandemic and so now we will continue to offer the service as we were before," she said. 

During the pandemic, the government had contracted Richmond to run the helpline on a 24/7 basis amid concerns that people's mental health was deteriorating amid restrictions to control the virus. 

For information on ways to donate, one can visit www.richmond.org.mt.