Ohloq Tbissima: marathon for the Missions

A 60-hour broadcasting marathon to help the Missionary Society of St Paul (MSSP) bring a smile to a corner of the Third World kicks off on Friday.

Broadcast on Melita Cable Channel 30, the Ohloq Tbissima marathon, now in its fourth edition, is organised by CAM Productions International, a production house specialising in socio-religious programmes, based at St Joseph Home in St Venera.

Held at the Centru Animazzjoni Missjunarja studios at the home for boys from problem families, the event will start at noon on Friday, in the presence of Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Opposition Leader Alfred Sant, and will run to midnight on Sunday.

The marathon will also be streamed on www.di-ve.com to enable people to pledge online donations, and there will be live links on Net TV, Super 1 TV and Education 22. The marathon's Sunday Mass will be screened on TVM.

Funds collected throughout the marathon will go towards the MSSP's missions in Pakistan, Peru and the Philippines, as well as for evangelisation. The bulk of donations collected this year will go towards the MSSP's projects in the Philippines, where the society has been working for seven years and has set up new missions.

Fr Louis Mallia, who heads St Joseph Home, has travelled to the Philippines to collect footage of the society's projects there, particularly one in a village near Manila.

Marthese Brincat, the assistant director of CPI, and host of Hadd Iehor, the religious programme produced by CPI, explained: "The MSSP missionaries are working very hard among the poor in the Philippines. They are involved in children's education and they aim to use food as an incentive to get the children to study. Here people survive on a staple diet of white rice. The Fathers hope to encourage the children to further their education, even to tertiary level."

In three editions, over Lm204,000 were collected for the MSSP missions. "The marathon's first edition raised funds for the MSSP's missions in Peru, Pakistan and its work in Malta, the second year for Peru and Malta, and last the third year for Pakistan and Malta," Mrs Brincat explained.

"None of the donations collected will cover expenses. We are very pleased with the marathons' success, considering we do not give away prizes, so the pledges that are made are truly heartfelt."

There is a full programme of activities for the marathon, including discussions with Maltese MSSP missionaries working in Peru, Pakistan and the Philippines who will explain the projects donations collected in previous marathons helped fund.

Other activities include afternoon entertainment for children, and evening entertainment for adults, karaoke, quizzes, dance performances and Mass.

Various TV personalities will participate, including Valerie Vella, Veronique Dalli, Marbeck Spiteri, Claire Agius, Pauline Agius, Ray Calleja, and Moira Delia.

Donations may be made by texting 5061-8070 (Lm2), 5004-9853 (Lm3). 5004-9855 (Lm5) or 5004-9850 (Lm10).

The Ohloq Tbissima marathon is supported by Melita Cable, Nexos Lighting, Studio 7 and Bank of Valletta, among others.