Baxter International Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Baxter International Inc., has donated $50,544 (Lm21,759) to YMCA Valletta to cover staffing costs of its shelter for the homeless in Valletta for one year.

YMCA Valletta is converting a block of apartments into a shelter having a total of 44 beds. It will accommodate individuals and families with 24-hour supervision by professional staff.

People experiencing homelessness will be able to spend a maximum of six months in the shelter.

The same building will also house a youth hostel which will partially provide for the funds needed to run the shelter. Other funding is being received from public and corporate donations, subscriptions and fundraising initiatives.

"The donation by Baxter International Foundation is the boost we needed to realise our dream of opening this much-needed shelter for the homeless in Valletta," said Jean-Paul Mifsud, chairman of YMCA Valletta.

"Through this grant we will be able to employ the necessary professional staff to run the new shelter and this will substantially increase our capability to accommodate more homeless people."

The Baxter International Foundation helps to increase access to health care worldwide. In 2001 its grants totalling $4.8 million.

Baxter International Inc. is a global medical products and services company. Baxter has been established in Malta since 1988 and employs 400 people at its facility at the Marsa Industrial Estate.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.