SOS Malta launches volunteers' award

Solidarity Overseas Service (SOS) Malta has launched the first award intended to recognise and reward work carried out by individuals on a voluntary basis with not-for-profit organisations, charities and NGOs.

Speaking at the launch of the award, the Parliamentary Secretary for Dialogue Chris Said encouraged the initiative, saying the award, a bronze sculpture designed by Damian Darmanin, recognised all the voluntary work going on in Malta.

The award is expected be presented to the recipient on October 31 during a ceremony held at the residence of the award patron, Dame Lilian Miceli Farrugia. The recipient, selected by an independent panel of eight individuals, will be invited to attend the grand final held at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on December 5, where French President Nicolas Sarkozy will announce the winner of the European Trophy for Voluntary Work.

SOS Malta invited members of the public to nominate individuals they believe deserve such an award. Application forms can be downloaded from and submitted to SOS at www.sosmalta.org. The deadline for nominations is October 15.

Malta, Dr Said said, was lucky in that the level of voluntary work being carried out was very positive. Taking one example, he said one need only look at all the councillors working in the various local councils across Malta to realise this.

The government recognised the work NGOs carry out when it set up the Commissioner for NGOs and allocated three seats on the newly-reformed Meusac for NGOs.

SOS Malta director Claudia Taylor-East said voluntary work makes "an invaluable though underrated contribution to the community".

To ensure that the award will be a national initiative, SOS spokesman Andrew Caruana Galizia said the selection board was purposefully varied and composed of young individuals, all independent of SOS. Chaired by Junior College lecturer and environment correspondent Alan Deidun, the selection board is composed of the University Students' Council's education commissioner Daniela Bartolo, former Olympic swimmer and medical doctor Angela Galea, AIESEC president Sophie Terpougoff, former MMSA president and National Youth Council member Ivan Zammit, The Times journalist and former Insite CEO Christian Peregin and National Youth Council president Mario Borg.

The award itself was designed voluntarily by Mr Darmanin, a young Maltese industrial design student studying at the Florence Design Academy. Representing an "unfinished" society, a towering gangly figure with exposed "brickwork" is shown being patched up by a small figure on a ladder. The award was cast in a Maltese foundry from a wax model sculpted through the process of lost-wax casting, making the sculpture a unique item.