A foundation funded from the parliamentary honoraria of Nationalist MP Claudio Grech has invested €162,162 over seven years in ten projects providing community engagement opportunities to over 1,000 children and youths in education, sports, social and cultural activities.

Grech has been donating his parliamentary income to the Save a Life Foundation since he was first elected to parliament in 2013.

“When I was first elected to parliament seven years ago, I committed myself to work relentlessly to strengthen social justice in my constituency. I pledged to use my parliamentary role to bring to the fore the social problems that are caused by harmful addictions and how politicians couldn’t remain passive by-standers whilst young people are pointlessly wasting or losing their lives”, Grech while presenting the financial statements of the foundation to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Anġlu Farrugia.

“When my wife and I launched the Save A Life Foundation seven years ago, we also committed ourselves to invest all my Parliamentary salary and benefits into the Foundation’s projects as a clear signal that we needed to act and not just talk about these social problems”, Grech added.

Farrugia thanked Grech on behalf of parliament for leading by example: “Claudio Grech is the only representative I know in my 25-year career in parliament to have donated all his honoraria.”

He also praised the Save A Life Foundation and described its work with children and young people as a noble gesture.

Projects currently undertaken by the foundation include research on the drug addiction problem in the Southern harbour; establishment of a  drug rehabilitation centre and innovation programme for youths with drug addictions and setting up of a programme to support pregnant women facing difficult circumstances.

“The setting up of the Foundation was a dream coming true for us. A dream we now would like to grow into a standalone structure that will continue its operations through the transformation into a social enterprise that will focus on offering new hope for youths who would have lost their way and need a support mechanism to bring them back on track and make a success out of their life. Looking back the experiences in these projects will be the ones I shall cherish most out of my political life”  Grech said.

The ten projects promoted by the foundation are:

1. The extension of the ground floor nursery premises of Hamrun Spartans to provide additional facilities for children attending the nursery and their parents.

2. The development of a virtual classroom at the San Ġorġ Preca Primary School in Valletta, providing an advanced 1-2-1 computing learning environment to the children attending the primary school.

3. The establishment of an Interactive School of Music at the Soċjeta Filarmonika Vilhena, in Floriana, aimed at providing an engaging environment for the learning of music.

4. The creation of the Akkademja Kulturali Pawlina, of Valletta to establish a framework of initiatives aimed at enhancing social engagement of children within their community.

5. Jointly with the Għaqda Festi Esterni San Duminku, the development of a programme for the revival of traditional artisan skills for youths in Valletta.

6. Partnering with the Tagħba Foundation to set-up ‘Teen Klabb’ a home-work club to provide after-school academic assistance to children in Valletta.

7. Teaming up with the “Soċjeta Mużikali San Ġużepp” in Hamrun for the setting up of a Musical Academy and the development of the infrastructural improvements to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Academy.

8. Jointly with the Ghaqda Festa tal-Madonna ta' Fatima, the development of a programme for artisan skills for youths in Pieta and voluntary support to the Usroline Sisters

9. In collaboration with the Societa’ Filarmonica Nazionale La Valette in Valletta, the support in the development of a music educational programme for social and community engagement of children*.

10. In partnership with the Ghaqda Festi Esterni Ssma Trinita’ in Marsa, the development of a workshop facility in the locality together with the development of a programme for the tuition of artisan skills and traditional trades for youths in Marsa, serving also as a measure to facilitate integration of migrant children*.