A thanksgiving ceremony was held at the OASI Centre in Gozo on June 25 to celebrate the 31st anniversary of its foundation.
Opening the event, OASI Foundation chief executive Noel Xerri remarked that June 26 is the International Day against Drugs, besides also being a special day for the OASI Foundation. Xerri said what is happening in Europe was also happening on our doorstep, noting that throughout the past years a decrease in heroin use was followed by an increase of people being dependent on using cocaine.
Additionally, the foundation was seeing an increase in women seeking help due to dependency on alcohol. He added that there were no differences between Malta and Gozo, and between Malta and Europe, and that the problem was real.
Xerri said that local society has a mentality that ‘we only do what is good for us’, adding this could lead to more problems. He said since addiction also impacted the family an additional therapy service offered by OASI Foundation for families consisted of training them in the necessary skills to deal with this problem. He thanked all the entities, staff and directors for their help as well as all the people who make use of the foundation’s services.
Joe Gerada read a message by Minister for Social Policy and Children’s Rights Michael Falzon, who remarked that resilience, commitment and determination are a few of the values seen in NGOs that help them keep going. Dr Falzon congratulated OASI Foundation on its anniversary and emphasised that it not only offers support to people who are dependent on drugs and alcohol but are also a ray of light and hope to their families.
Gozo Bishop Anton Teuma referred to Freudian studies to explain that people start to experience difficulties due to a lack of attachment, which can then be seen in different ways. He also said that although this is so, and is considered a crisis in society, no one should be trapped in a net where we put the blame and responsibilities on others. He thanked Fr Emmanuel Cordina for his initiative in opening OASI Foundation and the staff who now continue what he started.
MP Alex Borg started his message by questioning what society was doing to help fight against drug dependency. Dr Borg said more education was required to address this problem. He also referred to the legalisation of cannabis, adding that one should not refer to the use of such a drug as recreational as it would lead to more problems.
Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri spoke about the growth of the OASI Foundation since it started operating and remarked that the foundation was dynamic and was continuing to develop. He also spoke about the visible problem of individual egoism in society and the impact of social media. He ended his speech by congratulating OASI for its services.
MP Abigail Camilleri was also present for the ceremony.
OASI Foundation chief executive Noel Xerri and Joe Borg from the board of directors awarded Carmel Debono the OASI Foundation award for his years of service towards OASI and society.