UK-based charity donates €13,500 to sedqa drug programme

The UK-based Malta Charities Association has donated ­­­­€13,500 to Komunita' Santa Marija, the residential drug rehabilitation programme within Agenzija sedqa.

This was the third donation given by the association. From last year's donation the residents benefited from furniture, cutlery and other kitchen equipment, as well as various infrastructural works. This year's donation is planned to cover the refurbishment of bathrooms, kitchen, class room, dining room and gym.

The Malta Charities Association was set up 20 years ago to help different institutions in Malta that need charity support, to be equipped medically and also to help provide better amenities for the elderly, sick, terminally ill, children in need and persons with disabilities. This aim have been achieved through the support of their sponsors, donors in both Malta and the U.K., but also with the help and encouragement they have received through the many people who attend their yearly fund raising event in London.

Patricia Troubridge and Cecily Napier (both Maltese) set up the association, currently chaired by Madeleine Hladnik, also Maltese.

Komunita' Santa Marija is a service for individuals with drug addiction problems, and its aim is to reintegrate them in society through an intensive, long-term residential programme. Currently there are 36 residents following this programme which is a highly-structured communal living environment, whereby persons desiring to stop abusing drugs can discover their true selves, analyze their past behaviour and learn how to adopt a drug-free lifestyle while reintegrating in society.

The programme also includes individual psychotherapy and family therapy, which are both integral parts of the programme, making the service holistic by catering for all the needs of the clients, be they medical, social and psychological.