Fund-raiser for undersea stroll

Daniel Abela turns up for lunch excusing himself for suddenly turning into a skinhead.

Last Friday he attended a charity dinner in aid of Ethiopian refugees and towards the end of the evening, without his knowing, he was invited to the stage and challenged to shave his hair. The stunt would have translated into a Lm500 donation.

"Of course I wasn't happy to see my locks fall to the ground but when four African children turned up to kiss me on the cheek and say 'thank you' I had no regrets," he says.

Going bald is a minor stunt in Mr Abela's world. Over the past five years he has rowed, cycled and sweated across the island to raise thousands of liri for different charities. But next week he will be attempting his most daring stunt to date.

The 36-year-old businessman will attempt to "walk" the 2.4 kilometre stretch of Ghadira Bay and back underwater during a family day on May 21.

Weighed down with 25kg weights, he is expected to spend two-and-a-half-hours some 10 metres below the surface to make the crossing to raise funds for Caritas and the Eden Foundation in an event called Walking Mad.

Many ask him why he bothers to go to pains for others considering he has his fair share of personal problems. Apart from tending to a father suffering from Parkinson's, Mr Abela and his wife Ruth went through the heartbreak of discovering that they could not have any children.

After a gruelling wait of months, weaving through bureaucracy and the odd aircraft mishap, the couple recently adopted a girl from Ethiopia, who they named Samara. There was one major problem: as soon as they secured the adoption papers they found out the girl had a serious heart problem and without immediate medical intervention she would not have lived beyond 18 months.

The Abelas were given the choice of either leaving Samara to fate or else pay thousands of liri to have her treated in the UK. They opted for the latter.

"I relied on the kindness of people when I was in a foreign country with a child who had three heart defects. And I got it. I genuinely believe we can all make a difference - in our own particular ways," Mr Abela says.

Some people can fight circumstances on their own, but many others need help. Unfortunately, the fast life and commitments of today mean energies are shifted elsewhere. This is what prompted him to take the plunge - literally.

The idea of walking under water started off as a joke, but when he forged ahead with the plans and started making queries, his friends questioned his sanity.

"Information about this kind of walk is rare. Actually, I still don't know what it entails," Mr Abela admits, laughing.

While professional divers were providing him with some advice, he has been exercising regularly and is taking some practical sessions.

"The fact that the seabed at Ghadira is made up of sand will make the walk tougher," he says.

Mr Abela will be assisted by professional divers to thwart any danger.

Ultimately, though, the stunt is just a convenient excuse to convince both the business community and the public to dig deep into their pockets.

Throughout lunch, Mr Abela puts his charm and marketing skills to the test as he pleads with restaurant patrons to donate money to the charity organisations.

Caritas needs over Lm40,000 a month to sustain its drug rehabilitation and prevention services. The Eden Foundation, on the other hand, needs Lm2,500 a day to assist children with developmental disabilities.

Anybody willing to assist is asked to send cheques payable to Caritas or the Eden Foundation and address them to the attention of Daniel Abela, 43/3 South Street, Valletta.